Kirwans Hut - 6-7 June 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary:Tramp No.76

Kirwans Hut - 6-7 June 2009

This was my first trip to Kirwans hut, a fabulous 12 bunk hut near Reefton. It was a CTC trip that I ended up leading as the original leader fell ill. It was a cool winters day as 6 of us(4 women and Me) set off from Capleton for the 5 hour walk through magnificent West Coast Forest up the gradual incline to the hut, perched in a clearing and surrounded by snow. After cranking the fire and a cuppa, some of us attempted to summit kirwan Hill, but turned back in fading daylight and forgotten headlights.

Sunday, and we continued along the Kirwans track to the old mining relics before heading down to the Montgomery river, with Uncle Roddus getting slightly lost on an abandoned section of track before someone came looking for me. We stopped for lunch at The Montgomery hut before the long slog along the four wheel drive track on the Waitahu river. We then crossed the hill back to the cars where we had quite a long wait for two of our group who took a wrong turn at the top of the hill. Took 8 1/2 hours back to car.

Lagoon Saddle/Mt Bruce - 24th May 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary:Tramp No.75

Lagoon Saddle/Mt Bruce - 24th May 2009

Another CTC trip that had to change tact due to weather conditions. The original plan was to head to Mt Barossa behind Mt Somers, but with a bitterly cold southerly and snow expected, it was decided to head inland more and see what we could do. It was decided to head to Lagoon Saddle for a womble and we sidled round the north face of Mt Bruce in quite a bit of snow before lunching at the saddle hut. The plan was to just head back the way we came but as the clouds lifted off Mt bruce, we decided to head up onto the top for a look. We plugged our way up through the snow for a very short stop at the top, as the wind was horrible, before plunging our way back down to the cars.

Black Hill Hut 9th-10th May 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary:Tramp No.74

Black Hill Hut  9th-10th May 2009

This was a wounderful trip I did with my friend and tramping buddy, Bryce.  The Track to Black Hill hut starts not too far from my home, so it is a place I have visited several times over the last 10 years, and Bryce and I went up there back in October 2003, when he first moved down here.
The weather forcast for this particular weekend was for frosty and clear on the Saturday, with snow down to 500 meters during the night and more snow most of Sunday. There has already been quite a bit of snow on the mountains earlier that week. With a forcast like that, the trip that I was planning to do with the Christchurch Tramping Club looked less appealing, especially as we had to cross over the Main Divide and the roads may have to close, so I called Bryce and suggested we do Black Hill hut instead, as it wouldn't be much of an issue in that type of weather, and besides I had never been up there in those conditions.
We left from the View Hill carpark at 10am on the Saturday and proceded along the Warfdale track, which apparently is an old cattle route into the Lees Valley. The Warfdale Track mainly sidles round the hills on the lower slopes of Mount Oxford, through regenerating beech forest. The forest was heavily milled at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Centuaries, which is partly why the town of Oxford came into existance, untill 2 large fires destroyed much of the forest.
We had lunch at 12:30, at the Warfdale summit and then left the Warfdale and started up the steep track to Black Hill just past 1:00pm. There were patches of snow even this far down from earlier in the week. Got to the hut around 4:00pm. The hut is at about 1220m altitude and there was still plenty of deep snow around the hut from the earlier falls. We decided to pop up the Black Hill sunmmit before dinner, which is usually a quick climb, but with snow up to our thighs it was tough going.
Once we got the fire going, with the slightly green wood that was available, we spent a cosy night in the hut, unbeware of what was happening outside.
The next morning, true to the weather forcast, when we finally ventured outside, we discovered that several inches of snow had fallen overnight and it was still snowing fairly vigourously. After breakfast, packing and cleaning the hut, we set off back down the hill the same way we had come. What and amazing contrast to the day before, with all the snow piling up on the trees, it was such a beautiful site to see and very plesent to be walking in the snow in the forest as the trees helped keep a lot of the snow of the track. It actually snowed all the way back to the car, but much less of it at the lower levels, so not as spectacular. This trip was the perfect one to do under these conditions and as the pictures below will suggest, a stunningly beautiful one.

The slog up to the top on Saturday evening

Looking back across to Mt Oxford

Black Hill, Almost, the top was a bit further on, but as we had been there

before and with all the snow, we couldn't be bothered.

Posing with shovel so people will think we had to dig our way out :)

Black Hill Hut after a nice dump of snow.

Where was the track again?

Just follow me

Awesome

 This way I think.

It was worth the effort to see this.

I think I'll have to come back next winter

 

 

 

Pinchgut Hut - 3rd May 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No.73

Pinchgut Hut - 3rd May 2009

This is an easy walk to the Pinchgut hut in behind Mt Thomas. It was a club trip which started from Taffes Glen Rd on a fine frosty morning with a cold crossing of the Okuku River. We got to the hut in 2.5 hours and had a pleasant lunch in the sun before returning to the cars the same way. Not many photos from this trip as most didn't come out at all well.

Mt Catherine - 1st Febuary 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary:Tramp No.72

Mt Catherine - 1st February 2009

This was another club trip to a regular destination. It is a fairly rigorous climb which we took on a fine warm day, leaving the cars about 9:30am and headed along a farm track before going cross country to achieve the ridge we were to ascend. After the initial climbing through the short tussock the ridge turns to soft shingle and then more rocky further up. The views are fabulous. It was discussed as to the possibility of doing a loop around the tops and coming down the southerly ridge but it took longer to get to the summit than was required to allow enough time to complete that option so it was back down the gut in the middle, getting back to the cars around 5:00pm.

Mt Somers Challenge - 24th January 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping diary: Tramp No. 71

Mt Somers Challenge - 24th January 2009

This was the Christchurch Tramping club's first annual Round Mt Somers Challenge. There were two groups doing the 25km 1600m height gain course, the mad runners and the more sedate trampers. I was in the tramping group and it was expected to complete the Circuit in under 9 hours. The first home did it in about 6 and the runners in 4 hours. It was a rather hot day and it took me four hours to get to the Mt Somers Hut at Woolshed Creek. I decide not to carry on from here as I was exhausted from the heat and not  all that fit and walked out to the car at the Woolshed hill Carpark. The next year I would complete the whole course in just under 7 hours.

Mt Oxford 17 January 2009

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No.70

Mt Oxford 17 January 2009

2008 wasn't a good year for tramping, but it was a big year work wise before the recession hit in 09'. This was my first outing since Buckland hut the previous February and so it was quite surprising that I managed to do the 18km loop in 6 and 1/2 hours, one of my better times, although I was going solo. This was a warm up for the next weekends Mt Somers Challenge. No photos from this trip.

Buckland Hut - 16-17 Febuary 2008

Uncle Roddus Tramping Diary: Tramp No.69

Buckland Hut - 16-17 February 2008

This weekend was supposed to be a Club trip to Sawcut Gorge but the weather forecast during the week was for plentiful rain in the aforementioned location and due to the river levels being of critical importance to the success of that trip, the leader pulled the plug on Thursday night. This resulted in a flurry of emails between the rest of the group, who all desperately wanted to do something this weekend. Buckland Peaks and the attendant Hut became our destination of mutual consent. I was especially pleased at this, as this destination had been on my to do list for many a year. Therefor 6 trampers headed west on a balmy Saturday morning to arriving at our destination at around Midday. After leaving the car we first got to experience a 6km slog along a 4WD track before we get to the start of a very good track through very attractive bush. The hut sits at just above 1100M, so after a climb of around 1000M and 4 or so hours from the car we ascend into the basin where the hut is located. After claiming bunks and making a cuppa we settled down for a short rest before heading up to have a look at the tops. One of the more experienced members of the group must have been feeling fairly lethargic at this time and suggested waiting until the morrow to tackle the tops after we left the hut. Obviously none of us took any notice of the many stories in the hut book of parties that didn't make the summit due to the weather conditions. Some of us did go for a wander around the closer ridge overlooking the hut and then settled in for a pleasant evening of socialising and sleep.

 Of course the morning dawned with thick clag and light rain obscuring all visibility and after a prolonged breakfast and packing, hoping things would clear, the leader decided to cut out losses and head back to the cars.

Uncle Roddus took off at a great rate of knots and didn't stop until the clearing on the track signposted "Halfway House"(its not) whereupon he stopped for refreshments and for the others to catch up. Two of the others soon arrived and informed Uncle Roddus that due to the break in the cloud, three of the group had headed back up to hopefully get a glimpse of the tops, we didn't share their optimism and already being so far down the hill, were reluctant to slog all the way back up. A wise choice as the clag didn't clear of the tops.

We arrived back at the cars soon after midday and made it back home by tea time, the others who went back up to be disappointed by still not getting any views, didn't get back till after 10pm.

Half Way House.

Westport.