This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
30 APRIL - 2:MAY..FE eee EB SERCIS AR rvstery trip mach a diprencnge — only those fairly clucé-up on bush navigation would be likely to ccorpicte the weekend successfully... This-was the weekend to out ainto practice the knowledg ge cainec during, the two ‘bushcraft weekends is 2 pg pes As observer I held privileced intonation - nineteen six’ ficure crid references which the party. were to attempt to navigate their way around in 23; davs. After Cropping several parties off: on the: MNancaterere Road, Team 3 maée a rapid exit from the bus at Noldsworth: road end. The pace: slackened.a. bit up tc ‘Carrinecten Ridce, but the stretch through the mud anc up the hill to Powell was covered in a time. Alone the way, “pred fabricated: catwalks: were seen lying besiéc the track ‘over Pig Flat. -: Times: ‘to: Pawel: and Youle leliouse soa ‘improve when those. arg, installec. hss 7 is i i. : ’ ee : Saturday: morning confirmed that: we Were. in the Tararuas - low cloud with drizzle. Clue 2 led us to the peak of Hcldswerth, so we Criftec off :imto the murk wonderina when the forecasteé southerly was due to hit. Clue 3 indicated Isobellke, 2a peak not. 20, minutes away . te the west. As Clue 4 was. unfoléed, Clénn and Martin ‘ couldbegin to take’ éducated guesses as to where we would camp tonight. In fact, they even began hoping i") te spené the night in a huts ‘To get to the next point ‘involved dropping down a srur into the bush, negotiating:a 99° turn in the ricge,; and stopping at a predetermined point on the riage- ali in 158m visibility. I Clue 5 indicated a point in Francis Creek. Arrivine bang on this point after dropping 1503 feet did,a lot for morale on a very miserable day. =o “After Lunch Clue re was revealec. This provec to be Guingle Slip Knob and the easiest route was 27393 feet of clirbins up a ‘Steep’ spur. By 2 c'clock we were on “the knots” after negotiating 75°-80° moss anc leather Gx.wded covered slopes.
Yeather conditions put us off visiting the Devon crash so we plotted reference 7 on the map. To check it we also plotted reference 0. This described a spur droppina into Angle Knob Creck. Travel was good until halfway Gown. The spur gave way to a grass covered hillside, so we swunc down through this and the occasional tree inte the creck. Travel in the creek would be good, but getting into itteen 4 ee The last reference for Saturday spurred the lads on - McGregor Biv. Teh thousand or so feet up to the bushline passed quickly and we were soon battling the wind on the traverse to the biv. We were rocked to sleep (literally) by occasional southerly custs. Sunday morning ~ temperature felt like something below zero with six inches of snow to prove it. It was unanimously cecidec to abort the trip and co for a quick trip out. Up on'the main ridgé we were faced with knee deep snow or ice covered craound. The latter proved very tricky to negotiate in the gale force cross wind. ~‘“ith spin drift stinging our faces we plodded on over Angle Knob.to Jumbo, falling into occasional thigh deep drifts. ; At Jumbo we Gropped off down Rainguage Spur to the Atiwhakatu. The Forest Service were putting the finishina touches to a lez bunk hut at the bushline. Out of the snow, the pace increased. Lunch was had at Atiwhakatu Hut with the owners of the mysterious footprints seen on Jumbo — Bruce W. and Bruce S.- After shedding: storm gear and with Bruce W. in the leac we raced down river to grid reference number 19 in time to spend half an. Hour impressing the easier trips with, the rugged conditions we encountered. These’ on the trip: Martin, Thrupp, Glenn Turner and Sean Wakely.