The Pyramid - 5th November 2012

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No 126

The Pyramid - 5th November 2012

After another good dump of snow on the Torlesse Range on the previous day, expectations were high that we would be encountering some of the white stuff up on The Pyramid and so 11 of us set off from the Hawdon Shelter loaded with crampons and ice axes as we couldn't quite see the conditions of the tops due to the patchy cloud cover, although indications suggested we probably wouldn't need them.

After a chilly crossing of the Hawdon river and Sudden Stream, we donned our boots and melted into the woods looking for the rough track that would take us up the nearest spur to the tops. The track is unmarked and patchy in places but was relatively easy to follow and we made good time to the bushline where we stopped for lunch in partial sun and a cold brisk breeze. Fortunately the cloud had lifted by this time, most of the fresh snow had melted and the crampons and ice axes never left our packs as we followed the ridgeline northwards, enjoying the great views up Sudden Valley and across the Hawdon etc. After hitting The Pyramid at point 1608, we continued along past point 1565, looking for the scree to take us down to Sudden Valley. Some of us popped up to what I believe may have been point 1594 where we encountered a lone Kea perched on a rock. After afternoon tea, we bounded down a very good scree slope where we undid hours of hard slog in a matter of minutes in an exhilarating downward plunge. The rest of the day was spent negotiating our way down Sudden Valley, which was more challenging than this scribe remembered from his last visit, although comment was made that the water level was quite higher than normal due to the recent rains and snowmelt. We arrived back at the cars by around 6PM.

Some random photos from the trip.