Uncle Roddus Tramping diary: Tramp No.19
Torlesse traverse 25th January 2003
The tramping club had advertised this trip as far back as the Winterslow trip last December and I was keen or mad enough to give it a crack. Mt Torless and the torless range pretty much dominate the skyline to the west of my home and the idea of traversing the range appealed to me. We split into two parties, with the fittest three travelling northeast from porters pass and the rest of us driving up the long Caigiburn rd to climb the 800 odd meters up Bold hill and then travel southwest along the tops. We left the car at 9AM and climbed to the top of Bold Hill, has a quick breather before setting off along the ridge in the low clouds and snow drifts from the southerly that had blown through the day before. The leader commenting several times on the fact that there should never be any snow at all on the tops in late January. from Bold hill we still had another 700m of climbing to get to the top peaks, not to mention the ups and downs through red peak, the gap and foggy peak. All this climbing proved all too much for me as time was becoming a factor and as we has passed the others and swapped keys before we got to Back peak, it was decided we weren't gonna make it in time so decided to bag Mt Torless Instead and head down the ridge to the kowhai hut and out along the river. i am sure that ridge coming off Torless is the longest ridge in the world. it sure felt like it. After finally getting to the bottom of ridge it started to rain and I then discovered I had left my brand new rain coat in the car.
One of the brief views we got of the Canterbury Plains
Looking west along some of the rest of the way still to go.
looking down the worlds longest ridge to the kowhai River.
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