By Evan Cameron. Photos: Mark Watson / Highlux www.highlux.co.nz
My Darrans obsession began in winter 2005. I drove to Homer Hut from Dunedin after work one Friday in June, arriving at 1am as the car thumped across the unseen river bed, which had a foot of snow in it. That weekend was spent dodging avalanches en route to Gertrude Saddle. While driving home, I narrowly avoided hitting a road gate, which had been closed behind me all weekend because of the avalanche hazard. I was keen for more.
The saw-like peaks of Mount Crosscut. The traverse starts by ascending the Crosscut Bluffs to the right of the photo and continues across the permanent snowfield.
At the height of summer in 2006, I find myself with three days off in the middle of the week, a settled weather pattern and no one to climb with. A solo mission is called for.
After spending an hour or two poring over maps and guidebooks, I come up with an ingenious plan – but will it work? I pinch the girlfriend’s car from her workplace and hit the road. I arrive at Homer at 2pm and the weather is top-notch, so up the Crosscut bluffs I go. I use my axe out of anger – and for what will be the first and last time on this particular trip – to surmount some particularly steep native bush, and reach the Crosscut snowfields as the sun fades behind Talbot. Bizarrely, I come across a porta-cabin perched high on the mountain, which overlooks the approach to the Homer tunnel. This hut belongs to Works Te Anau, who run the Milford Road avalanche control programme. It is not for public use but it is unlocked and the lure of gas on tap, bunk beds, and lots of warm sleeping bags is hard to resist – being more concerned about weight than comfort, I have brought a feeble sleeping bag rated +8. Feeling like Goldilocks, I spend a very comfortable night watching an awesome sunset over Talbot, courtesy of Works Te Anau. (Mountainz and NZAC does not recommend climbers use the Works hut or rely on it as an emergency shelter. Even if you have gold ringlets. Ed.)
The next day brings even better weather and I quickly scramble up Crosscut’s West Peak, then descend and sidle across the glacier to the foot of the ridge running up to Barrier. An excellent scramble on huge, rough, granite blocks leads to Barrier Peak, followed by ridge travel to Barrier Knob, with one section of exposed but easy à cheval. I descend to Gertrude Saddle, get in my bivy bag, brew up, and try to sleep – only then realising I’ve left my headtorch at the Works hut. Works don’t seem interested in looking for my headtorch when I phone them a week later.
A cold wind blowing over the saddle defeats all my cunning techniques to stay warm. By 2am, I am packed up and heading towards Talbot, getting a wake-up scare when the ground in front of me appears to shriek and roll down the hillside. I have just stood on someone also bivying on the saddle. Getting onto Talbot’s snow slopes, I head right to Traverse Pass, which leads to the McPherson snowfields. At 4am, I am on the ridge between Talbot and McPherson, exposed to a biting wind and waiting for sunrise before descending across the glacier to McPherson. I hover over my stove for an hour, then sidle along and make a quick ascent of McPherson before descending to the top of Talbot’s Ladder. This is where I think I might get trumped. However, the thin layer of verglas is slippery but manageable without crampons. A few short abseils off the iron rods on Talbot’s Ladder brings me to Homer Saddle. (Care needed here, the rods are old. Ed.)
I have a nagging doubt as I reach Homer Hut at 11am. Then I realise – in all my excitement, I have completely forgotten my sinful behaviour. Two days prior, I had told the girlfriend I was going to the Darrans but failed to say I was about to steal her car to get there. I naively assume she will fully understand, given the importance of my brilliantly conceived and executed trip. Alas, however, it isn’t all beer and medals on my arrival back in Dunedin.
Nonetheless, I was amazed at having got away with the trip (and, to an extent, my car thievery). As a long high traverse in the Darrans with little technical difficulty and objective danger, I think it is unparalleled. I reckon it could reasonably be done in 2 days. There is a fair bit of easy angled but exposed glacier travel. Some parties may want a small rack and snowstakes to pitch sections. Depending on how you feel about descending steep bush on the Crosscut bluffs, it could be done in reverse but I reckon anti-clockwise is best. Whichever way you do it, it’s an awesome way to see the Darrans and get ideas for future trips.
This is a trip I highly recommend. It involved a 3-day traverse of Mount Crosscut, Barrier Peak, Mount Talbot and Mount McPherson that I would give about a grade 2, and was completed using no more than a single axe, crampons, harness and a 30m rope.
Reproduced from mountainz.co.nz with permission. |
