MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1916, Page 6

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

To the Editor. Sir,-"-! notice a letter in your issue of September 5, Binned by ill*. Williams, in which he corrects a report in your paper of -a previous date, in whicli it stated that on Sund'ay, August 27, I went over t'lie mountain and down to the Mountain House 011 the New il'ly-niou-th side. 1 don't know how this report could have been made up, because I' ascended and descended the mountain from the Dawson'* Falls side on this date and did not go on to the track referred to. I started from the Daw: Falls House at 7.20 a.m. on Sunday, the •27 th, and after a liard day's step-cutting in hflrd snow and ice for over 4000 feet, T readied the snow-covered trig station on the summit of Mt. Egmont at 4 p.m., having Put and chipped steps from the track-head to the summit, encouraged by Mr. Murphy, who (lashed to me while near the lip of the crater. 1 expected to be able to glissade on the way down, and therefore save time, but owing to the cold wind tile, slopes of the mountain were frozen hard, so I'had to walk somewhat carefully, and only reached the smooth snow patch where the track starts (in summer), but owing to over six feet of snow covering all the tussock and the part leading to the track, and as one patch of snow is very much like another in tlie darkness, I was unable to pick up the track. On looking down I saw a track and made towards the right to a ridge to get into line with it, but in this I was mistaken in the moonless night. I found a dry creek bed very narrow, down whicli I picked my way for about two miles, until the drips became so pronounced as to Show me th-at it was not an old track but a dry creekbed. with a few pools of water covered with fairly thhk ice. After going through the ice o. few times into the ■water up to the waist, and finding no signs of it joining an.y other track, and ais it was getting late, I decided to turn in for the night, so climbed up to the right up a steep bank and gathered a large quantity of leaves, on and in which it was my intention to -have as comfortable a sleep as possible. The night was calm, and I had. plenty of clothes, and could have slept in comfort, but some anxious individual was calling from the track near the bouse, and 'after I answered he eame down opposite where I was. about half a mile in a straight line with the house. After this shout I made up my mind, to sleep in the Mountain House that night, but after trying to get through the dense scrub from 10.30 p m. until 2.15 a.m., I decided that if I wanted to keen my appointment -at Opunake at 1-1 o'clock on tlie same morning, I would rcquira some sleep, so gathered some leaves togetllier and made myself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, which, I may say, is quite a common occurrence with me diiiing my climbing career. In tlie course of my varied experiences in my struggle witli the giants of the Alps, 1 have had severe experiences and very many much more severe than one could get on even the summit of Mt. Egmont. I am -sure that there could not he a more puzzling mountain to get off than Mt. Egmont in the dark, as the ridges are all very mucfli like one another. The climbers of Mt. Egmont can have little idea of what a mountaineer puts up with in the Southern Alps, and although I am the only man who 'has cut his way in ice and hard snow by himself to the summit of Mt. Egmont from the Dawson's Falls side, as far as I know, there is not much in the feat except to get one into training for step-cutting when I make my next attempt on Alt. Cook. I intend to climb until I am' 50 years of age, and if the mountains don't claim me before then I will retire. In the meantime I intend to climb Mt. Cook myself without 'help of any kind. If any of your readers likes to go and do it before me. let him have a. try, and if lie does it I will abandon Obe idea, but I would very much-like to show the mountains that one man can conquer one mountain, and that the highest in New Zealand. —I am, etc., SAMUEL TURNER. Wellington-, September 8. RACING v. HUNTING. ■Sir,—l feel I cannot let the most uncalled for remarks pass without some protest, and as others who would be more capable of defending their cause than I have not come forward. I feel it my duty to do so. In the first place you will find that the meeting was advertised as a -hunters' and hack meeting. This gathering was promoted as a winding up. or, rather, gala day for the huntsmen and gentlemen who had followed the bounds all the season on their good old chargers. They took part, not that tfliey could will, but just entered to make up a good field, displaying a true sporting spirit found only in tlie true old sports. Secondly, who keeps the hunt clubs alive? Is it -the true old hunter that follows the bounds all the season round for the love of the -sport, or the racehorse, as you may call him, who just comes out to qualify so as to take part in the racing? Now, in regard -to the three horses your reporter singled out in lliia unsportsmanlike remarks, viz., drey Boy, Ridicule and Hydraulic, it would be impossible for any one to pick three horses anywhere in New Zealand (hunters, of course) that would take you over the country like the above. They are proved hunters, not racehorses. Then, again, these holies all belong to farmers, who love the sport, and over whoso properties the club hunts. Tliey are kept as hunters, not as racehorses. It is quite true we all like to win when our turn comes, but if only tlie winners started, Where would be the sport? Everyone cannot win. Someone must be last,"and the above horses all jumped up to expectations, and that is all that is required from a huntsman's point of view.—l am, etc., ONE WHO FOLLOWS THE Waitara, Septembear 9. SIFTS FOP SOLDIERS. To the Editor. Sir,—May T point out what seems to be above understanding? Practically a house-to-house canvass is being made by ladies) for contributions for soldiers. Many of us have promised cakes, etc., thinking they were for Christmas cheer for our boys ill the trenches. We now find out this collection is for the Red Cross Society. While in no -way wishing to throw cold water on the admirable work those members are doing and have done, it seems rather a pity the position is not more clearly explained. Who is in control of all these patriotic movements in New Plymouth? Why all this overlapping? Would it not be better to devote a special attack on our generous doner's for Christmas cheer for our lighters and have a separate day for Red Cross contributions, each at different dates?—l am, etcMUZZLED.