The addition of the new South
Face route on Mt Somers has enhanced the opportunities for weekend
trips in the area.
Our group -
all with early 80s OTMC associations - hit the track at 11am,
heading for Pinnacles Hut and beyond. The initial slog uphill was a
bit of a shock for the bodies, with the sweat fair pouring off
within minutes. The lookout rock, with its expansive views of the
bush-clad gorges, was a welcome excuse for a break. From there, the
descent to the stream was a little gentler than I expected. When we
got to the main stream crossing, lunch seemed like a good idea.
Carrying on, it was onwards and upwards, with a spot where the track
passes behind a waterfall a bit of a novelty. One last grunt brought
us to the knob at the edge of the Pinnacles basin, where Paul
regaled us with cautionary tales about rockclimbing on the nearby
crags with someone who’s happy a grade or three higher than he is.
Carrying on past the hut, we climbed up to the interestingly- named
Maiden’s Relief, where Paul managed to pollute the best drinking
water since lunch by immersing himself in a rock-lined plunge pool
just above the track. Then it was just a short sidle to the saddle.
Classical nor’wester signs made us feel that our decision not to
spend the weekend at Mueller Hut was vindicated, while the strength
of the wind put paid to an earlier suggestion of a Guinness at the
saddle. As we approached Morgan Stream, the sight of half a dozen
trampers emerging from the Hydroslide Stream track and heading over
the last ridge to Mt Somers Hut confirmed an earlier plan to avoid
the hut and stay in the Water Caves rock biv. It wasn’t really sauna
weather, anyway. The Guinness was dealt to, and then the fire -
inevitable with Barry in the group - was lit and the serious
business of consuming as much as possible of the contents of our
packs commenced. Some visitors from the hut informed us that there
was no firewood there, so carrying on for a sauna would have been
fruitless anyway.
Sunday dawned
quite murky, so there was a brief discussion on options before we
decided on sticking with the circumnavigation. The morning’s route
took us past Hydroslide Stream and the Infamous Fencers’ Campsite
(does anyone know the origin of this name?), then over a ridge and
down to the crossing of Tri Falls Stream. We’d come up a swollen Tri
Falls Stream a year previously, but almost didn’t recognise it
running at a much more manageable level. From there we commenced the
slog up to the Bus Stop, still travelling in murk. A short descent
brought us to the plateau leading to the Woolshed Creek carpark, and
soon we found ourselves at the top of the gully leading down there,
two hours from the biv.
This point
marks the start of the new route. The initial couple of hours is
well marked but not developed much. It appears the track development
philosophy (a sensible one, in my view) is that if there’s enough
markers, a pretty clear track will develop itself with a bit of use.
The route is largely in tussock and scrub, with the occasional patch
of black beech in the gullies. The line, which tends downwards, is
lower on the hillside than we had envisaged, but on looking at the
steep gullies above us, we could understand the logic. The murky
conditions meant the view across the Canterbury Plains wasn’t there,
but this did contribute to a sense of being in a wild and remote
landscape. The mist-shrouded volcanic outcrops above us added to
that feeling.
After an hour
and a half, we reached a larger area of beech. The track here gave
the appearance of having been established and used for quite some
time. After crossing a couple of dry creeks, Caves Steam seemed like
a good spot for lunch. From there, the track climbed steadily for
nearly half an hour - a good way to warm up after cooling off at
lunchtime - and reached a small saddle, then started to sidle,
crossing a couple of gullies. These were marked with signs saying
'Avalanche Zone', which seemed a bit incongruous so far below
bushline on a smallish hill. However, Barry, as a trained avalanche
tech, said he could see evidence of some activity, and a later view
of the whole hillside made it a lot more obvious. Soon we picked up
the main track leading to the summit of Mt Somers. A suggestion that
the subalpine vegetation in the mist was reminiscent enough of
Scotland to suggest a dram was happily able to be acted upon. Then
it was onwards and downwards, and an hour and a half saw us back at
the carpark, at the conclusion of a really enjoyable trip.
We couldn’t
see why the DoC pamphlet suggested doing the South Face route in the
opposite direction. However, on a club trip where you’ve got all day
on Saturday but don’t want to finish too late on Sunday, the circuit
would probably be better done clockwise, or else started from
Woolshed Creek with a night at Pinnacles.
David Barnes
for Paul Olsen, Barry Flamank & Lawrence McKay