Edwards Hut/Mt Bowers - 20-21st September 2014

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No 145

Edwards Hut/Mt Bowers - 20-21st September 2014

With all the warm spring weather we have been having and the veges seeds all planted and sprouting in the Greenhouse, it was time for Uncle Roddus to get back into the mountains. I had tried to go on a trip the previous weekend but I wimped out when I woke up to a miserable morning weather wise.

Our original plan was, if the weather forecast was good, to head up to the club hut on Friday night and then head into Edwards hut early on Saturday with the ultimate goal being to ascend Mt Scott the same day and head back out on Sunday. It had been a mild build up earlier in the week but the mid week long range forecast was for snow all weekend in the park. The mountains had had little snow over the winter but had a fresh dump over Thursday and Friday and more was forecast over Saturday night.

That being said, it was a fine start to the day as eight of us left the cars near Gurneys Shelter and split into two groups, the ones who wanted to keep their feet dry by crossing at the rail bridge, and the rest who had spare shoes and crossed straight away. This scribe was in the first mentioned group but as soon as we got to the other side we had to cross a side stream flowing into the Bealey river and so the rest of them went through the exercise of removing their boots and crossing. I just got wet boots. So we lost about an hour doing all this and we caught the others about half way up the first stretch of The Edwards River. It was a fairly leisurely walk up to the hut taking us almost 6 hours and with a full weekend pack, this scribe, who hadn't been out for quite some time, was feeling it by the time I got to the hut. There was plenty of fresh snow around the hut and it started snowing some more as the afternoon wore on. We had the hut to ourselves and so got the fire going and settled down to dinner and snowman building.

 Sunday dawned fine again with the additional snow fall being fairly light. It was decided that if it was fine, we would make an early start and instead of Mt Scott, we would do Mt Bowers. We got away from the hut about 8:30am  and headed back down the Edwards for several minutes before  starting our ascent up a clear slope all the way to the ridge just below Mt Bowers. It took about 3 hours to climb this slope in deepening snow, with the more fitter members snow plugging the way for us softer folk. Crampons were donned a couple of hundred meters from the top and although it wasn't too frozen, they were needed in patches. Most of the group stopped at the ridge but Tomyu and myself had to do the summit. The trip back down followed pretty much the same route with some partially successful attempts at bumsliding speeding things up. We popped back to the hut for lunch and to pick up the rest of our gear before heading back to the cars.

Edwards Hut/Mt Williams 27-28th November 2010

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No. 94

Edwards Hut/Mt Williams 27-28th November 2010

My original intention was for Honora and myself to head over to the West Coast again to tackle another of those remote huts that is listed on the Remote Huts web site. Lake Morgan and the Morgan hut sit nestled nicely on the top of a hill overlooking the Haupiri river. Unfortunately the forecast was for cloud and drizzle with afternoon showers on both days and the thought of going all the way over there and then not be able to see anything on the tops wasn't to inspiring. Honora suggested going up to Edwards hut with her partner Frank and go over the Williams saddle on Sunday. I had been to the Edwards hut a couple of times but never stayed there and I also had been over Williams saddle quite some time ago with the CTC, but our original intention to climb Mt Williams was thwarted by the weather. I was, therefore keen to have another go at Williams, as it was one of my incompletes. The forecast was also for afternoon showers in Arthur's Pass National park, but this at least wouldn't stop us going to the hut and we could then see how Sunday turned out.

Saturday was a warm and fine day as I met Frank & Honora at Springfield before we headed up to Arthurs Pass. After parking the car we crossed the Bealey River, then headed up the Minga river before heading east up the Edwards. We then decided to walk up the river itself, through the gorge, instead of following the track which climbed a good 100 meters sideling the hill. This was a good move as the gorge was pleasant and cool as the day was getting hotter. The trip through the gorge was fairly short, after which the river broadens out to wide shingle flats. After crossing the east branch of the Edwards we started the climb up the track to take us over the impassable gorge and waterfalls. We lunched on a small Knob soon after we started climbing, the day was getting hotter and hotter. We continued on the climb after lunch but I soon started to feel slightly ill and lost energy. I am still not sure if it was just the heat of some thing I ate at lunch, but this slowed me down considerably and made the constant climbing seem much more than it was. We arrived at the Hut after about 4 and 1/2 hours, being the first group to arrive. I felt pretty exhausted at the hut but soon revived after a hot cup of soup and a rest. I was contemplating going for a walk up the Edwards Valley to Taruahuna Pass, to fill in the rest of the day, there was still plenty of daylight hours left and this was also supposed to be the plan of a group from the CTC , that I had read in the Trip calender. Unfortunately, those afternoon showers arrived very quickly  about 30 minutes after we got to the hut. So I stayed put and watched as other parties arrived pretty wet, including the CTC party.  Once the other parties arrived and pretty much filled the rest of the placed in this 16 bed hut, the rain stopped and the rest of the day stayed fine.

After being awaken by one party of 6 at 4:30am, who seemed incapable of leaving quietly, as they were going to climb up to Mt Oats and needed to be back in the city by 5pm, Sunday dawned a stunning fine and warm day. We left the hut  around 9am and headed directly up the hill, climbing up a steep creek bed, then onto the Williams saddle. Had Morning tea then carried along the ridge, getting to Mt Williams summit right on 12pm.

It was warm, there was no wind,  the Sky's were mostly cloudless and the views were stunning so a leisurely lunch was had admiring the scenery before we headed back along some looking for the spot to drop down into the Minga river. The route down involved a very gnarly scree, which got better in the middle part, then rocky at the bottom, before a pretty serious bush bash down the last 250 meters, during which I managed to loose my sunglasses. I was eternally grateful to finally plunge out of the bush onto the Minga riverbed. The rest of the trip was just a straight slog down the Minga river flats back to the car, which we arrived at around 4pm.

 The scenic Edwards gorge

Honora at our lunch viewpoint.

 The Edwards Falls

 The lovley Mt Cook Lillys, there were planty of them near the hut.

 Approaching Edwards Hut

 Looking up the Edwards from the Hut, Falling mountain in the distance.

 And the rain it did come down for 40 minutes and 40 seconds, there abouts.

 Climbing up to the Williams saddle, looking back at the hut

 Looking up river towards Falling Mountain

The creek bed we climbed up.

Looking down onto Williams saddle with Mt Williams at the end of the ridge

Another Great view of the Edwards and Falling mountain at the end

Mt Williams

looking up the Minga valley with Mt Oats to the right

About to drop down into the minga below

That Gnarly Scree