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Nelson Lakes Insanity - August

- Murray Corles

VUWTC's most fearless group,the "7-trampers-mayhem" began this trip with all 7 members getting a lift from St Arnaud to Mt Robert roadend. Yes everybody,packs and all into one small car. With snow and mist inplenty and night getting closer, Speargrass Hut was a welcome sight. A really nice cosy little hut.

Everybody was up and about by 6.3O to be greeted by falling snow. Cold weather tends to make people sluggish,because we didn't leave until 8.30. Despite the weather the view of Robert Ridge was brilliant,coming down almost to the hut. So deep and thick was the mud on the track to Sabine some of us had to be pulled out after the misfortune of stepping in. After a brief stop at grotty Howard Hut,lunch at a stream, and stops to treat blisters,Lake Rotorua and Sabine Hut were a welcome sight. That night saw what was to be a trend throughout the trip - back-rubs,roasted marsh-mellows,screaming chooks and insane males.

It was rice and apples for breakfast with Fiona (the gannet) complaining as usual about not getting enough. I'll be damned if I know where she puts it all. Anyway it was off up the Sabine we went. Crossed a short bridge over a deep gorge. The valley was,at the best,pretty ordinary,with the mountains around us the only interesting things to relate to. Arrived at Forks Hut to discover that an avalanche had come right down to the river,on the other side. One can only imagine the force and amount of snow that had come down. You're not even safe down on the river.

A fine day greeted us,which forced Alan to give the day trip to Blue Lake a miss and tackle Travers Saddle while the weather was good. A cold bowl of chunder and it was off at 7.30. Puff,puff,grunt,grunt over a track which rose high above the East Sabine River and down to a bridge over a cleft canyon which was so deep you couldn't see the river below. Sighted the rare NZ Falcon here. A really magnificent and graceful flyer. With that we started our grunt up the avalanche towards the saddle. Kirsty kept singing soprano to keep her spirits up. God knows what's worse,university or her ear-splitting screaming.

The top of the saddle was deep in powder snow. After leawing crude comments about Terry P and Cath A in the snow it was down to Upper Travers Hut. Snow was too deep to rush through or bumslide over for any distance,and everybody got stuck up yo the waist in snow that overlaid trees. Debbie was very good at this,and had to be helped out quite often. At the hut we met up with Terry's group who were enjoying themselves in pit or sliding down a nearby snowslope. The later arrival of the Boogie Boys and an Outward Bound group forced most of us to double bunk. That night proved to be a noisy affair with our group determined to be as noisy as possible, courtesy the choooks (Diane,Debbie,Kirsty and yes,you guessed it,Frances). Everybody back-rubbed everyone and conversation generally sank to low levels. The language of the girls had deteriorated as the trip went on . Somebody blamed the two males on the trip. I say tripe!

The first people rose at 5am! And what a racket;three groups to go over Travers Saddle. They were gone by 8 with our group electing to remain in pit for page 58the morning. But hunger and the call of nature tends to force moat people to get up. Off to John Tait Hut,which took longer than expected due to snow fights at almost every clearing. We all enjoyed a well-earned (?) pit afternoon;Diane earned the nickname of Witchy here. Must be the nose.

Nobody regretted going to Cupola Basin. A nice cosy hut,with great views of Mts Cupola and Hopeless,and the Travers valley. Everybody enjoyed bumsliding and practising self-arrests on the long snow runs. After farting around it was back to John Tait. What with the track being icey,the only way down was to slide. The chooks were singing and shouting like they had never done on the trip. They sang "Ba-na-ma-na" most of the way and were determined to be heard. At the campsite by Hopeless Creek the madness continued. Murray started singing "I'M going potty, I'm going nutty" in such a way anyone would have thought he was going insane!

Another bloody cold morning. So cold in fact icicles as big as your fist hung off the branches. Fions just had to grab one and stick it down Alan's back to encourage his soprano. A trip to Hopeless Hut was called off after all but one person decided that piking was more to their liking,so it was down to Coldwater Hut by the lake. Having been beaten there by hunters we cut across the river to Lake Head Hut.

A pit morning for us all next day,eating untold. There was plenty of bread and fillings to start with,and none at the end. Inbetween times some decided to have a wash in the lake. Along the way to the jetty Peter turned back to take some pictures in the general area of the chooks - he denied taking pics of them bathing I'll bet. After more bloating it was off to StArnand. Alan decided to have a wash at the jetty,but his demonstration of bouncing on water as he dived in was enough to convince Fiona and Murray that the dirt on their bodies was the best fragrance to wear. Besides,Fiona decided that watching a male washing was no place for a female. On to St Arnaud,the end of the trip,where our fearful leader suffered the ultimate shame - BLISTERS!!

Starring in "7 Trampers Mayhem" were:

Alan Clelland as the fearful leader

Fiona Clendon as the Gannet

Diane Ritchie as Witchie

Debbie Turner as "T" (for tart)

Murray Corles as the raving nutcase

Kirsty McDonald as the singing headache

Peter Morrison as the peeping Tom Everybody else,get stuffed!!