This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
All week the southerly blew, it rained and it was cold. This looked very promising for a crossing. Thursday the weather broke and il was Ciub night. j finished work, went for the regular Club night run & swim, then dinner at the Mi. Vic cafe. I had another bat at getting a team to do a crossing. Weil Geoif was very keen, and I heard a voice. say "if he can do it, I can", and as I looked up this finger was pointing towards me, my back was against the wall. No more takers that night at Club. I got home late in the evening, too late to phone at 11.10pm. The fingers started to work Friday night, made a dozen calls and no luck. Oh well, just myself, Geoff and Lindsay, and then at 11.10am Saturday moming, tinkle tinkle, gudday! Fred's just got your message and packing, he'll be on his way in two minutes. Fred arrives from Otaihape, we have a good feed of lasagne and we move at 3.00pm. We left the roadand at the forks just before five, and started the hardest part of the journey, a well cut track zig zagged up which cut out all the mud, fallen trees, no roots to trip over and no steps to climb. Arived at Fields without a torch. A good brew, a bite and off we go needing torchlight. A couple of hundred metres and we are on the white carpet. The feeling is getting good, the body working well, Kime is in sight as I stood there on Hut Mound, the moon just showing, an orange type of colour. A festive atmosphere as one emters Kime, a group singing, hustle bustle of talk and laughter, and Marshall saying “where's your bow!, soup’s ready". What pleasure, gallons of soup, hot water and heaps of munches, and a chitchat with Lynn, Marshall and Pete, and off we go, on to Field Peak.
Fred and Geoff were off last time we saw them, burning rubber. As I put my mitts on, Pete Jackson came onto Field Peak, Lindsay arrives a few minutes later. It went "Good-bye Pete, see you at Club”, down into the Hector saddle and up onto Hector. The cross, frozen with icicles, pointing north-west. The views all the way across, no camera can catch a glimpse of, the feeling was indescribable, just like a dream, walking on air. Views over Wellington, Hutt Valley & Porirua to the south, Olaki, Horowhenua north-west, Wairarapa in the easterly direction. The moon being very bright, lit up the snow covered tops, no torch used since Bridge Peak, not to be used again until after Alpha hut.
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Travel was excellent, down and up over the Beehives onto Atkinson. Couldn't hold back anymore, off I went around the dress circle, passed Aston and half a dozen Hutt Valley trampers. There must have been about 20 H.V.T.C. all going to camp on Alpha. No one had set up camp as I descended off Alpha, the snow was very heavy going and soft, the air icy and gave a burning sensation in the lungs. In the bushline the snow whoops, ouch, beep- -beep, you stupid sod, damn knee, quick massage the injury with snow, curse and swear, and slide down to the hut. Primus on, lasagne in a bag, boiled, when 25 minutes later Lindsay arrives, a good feed went down by both of us (I'm sure Lindsay was eyeing up the bunks for space). We're off and 2 hours later on Omega we Came across two punters who had bedded down for the evening (their lady friends had carried on, to find - no room at the hut). Lindsay saying if he had his pit he would have joined them, well i hung onto mine. A long grind down, up & down the Marchant. I enjoyed the travel even though it was slow, Around 7.00am the cursing and swearing stared to get sore. Atter the saddle on burn we had a hot soup and fruit loaf with honey on top, what a spark came from Lindsay as we descended off the Marchant and out of the snow, Well, haltway along the sidle, just before Dobsons, the rolls changed as my knee tightened up, got sore and swelled. Got out at the car park about 10.30am. Fred and Geoff got out at 7.00 - 7.15am. Marie (take’m anywhere 4WD, wait around, pick'em up, drop'em off, bring'em home) Critchley, my good, dear wife had been waiting since 5.45am. in anticipation of us coming out earlier than the 6.00am rendezvous. Many thanks from all of us. Thanks to all the troops for another memorable trip, roll on the 5000 footers - any takers? Lindsay (I'li get there sometime) Fletcher, Geoff (burning rubber) Crockford, Alistar (Fred) Booth, Paul (Hoppa tong) Critchley. .. ASINGLE FROM STRUAN ...