Labour Weekend at the 'Naki |
By David Baddeley
The next day saw additional attempts on the summit via the north ridge and east face, an ascent of the south face of Shark’s Tooth, a somewhat more relaxed tramp on the round the mountain track towards Holly hut, and a high level traverse to Syme. Tired and sunburnt from the previous two days exertions, Monday saw a leisurely return to Auckland in time to beat the worst of the traffic. |
Arriving late on Friday evening at North Egmont, we found clear skies and a full moon obviated the need for headlamps during the inevitable trudge up the puffer. This was an auspicious start to what proved to be three days of stunning weather, climbing, and company. Saturday morning saw the bulk of the party head up north ridge, whilst an intrepid few tried their hand at the East Ridge. Once at the crater, a couple of top ropes were set up for ice climbing on the bluffs just to the east of the summer entrance. After a long day in the sun, we headed back down in deteriorating snow conditions to a well earned dinner and rest.