August 2012 Issue - Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ

FMC Youth Scholarships – ExpeditionReports from the Winners of Rounds One and Twoby Dennis Page with contributions from Max Olsen and James ThorntonThe following are summaries from our recent FMC Youth Scholarship,Expedition Award winners’ trips that took place during the summer of2011–12. For current information about the awards scheme, please consultthe FMC website (www.fmc.org.nz). The closing date for the next round ofawards is 7 September 2012.Max Olsen (22), Otago University Tramping Club, winner of the inauguralExpedition Grant.Transit River expedition, Fiordland National Park, 27 December 2011–6 January 2012.Although Max had initially planned to undertakehis trip during winter 2011, the lack of availableparty members to accompany him forced him topostpone the trip until summer. But as Max put it,‘this allowed us to plan a much more ambitioustrip.’ On the morning of 27 December 2011,Max and party members George O’Sullivan andTom McKellar were taken by boat to SandflyPoint, where they proceeded to walk up theMilford Track to the confluence of the ArthurRiver and Diamond Creek. This section of thetrip Max describes as ‘very entertaining, as wedrew plenty of confused looks from walkers andguides alike, probably due to our combinationof eleven-day transalpine packs and crocs (westayed in crocs until we left the track, not wantingto put unnecessary wear on our stiff boots).’From the confluence, Max describes travelup the true right of Diamond Creek as relativelystraightforward on obvious deer trails. Afterseveral hours, the party reached the bush edgeand gained spectacular views of the valley. Anhour later they found a delightful campsite besidea waterfall and a perfect swimming hole.Unfortunately, rain over the next couple ofdays meant somewhat miserable and slow travel.However, the prospect of good weather for dayfour motivated the party to keep moving in orderto reach the valley head and be strategicallyplaced to tackle the steep section between Pt1189 metres and the snowfields directly belowLady of the Snows. By the end of the third day,the weather did clear and from a well-positionedcampsite in the head of the Diamond, thetrampers undertook some route scouting, rightlyanticipating tough travel through the fearsomebluffs surrounding them.Reaching Lady of the Snows on day fourrequired strenuous efforts and considerable ropework, but fortunately perfect weather helpedto ensure success. The rocky ridgeline abovethe snowfield, not far from Lady of the Snows,provided a perfect lunch location, with views ofall the surrounding peaks and the sea in the west.Max even managed a quick ascent of the ‘Lady’while later that afternoon, Tom and Georgemade possibly the second recorded ascent of Pt1811 metres. From their 1,500-metre campsitenext to a snowfield, they watched the sunsetover the ocean, one of the trip’s unforgettablehighlights for Max.New Year’s Eve provided further highlights,with the group managing to reach Lake Moreton,although this did require several 20 to 25-metresections of rope-work. Max describes the lake asbeing ‘every bit as spectacular as I had imagined,and we wasted no time in swimming in the lake,and bathing in the tarns around it. After dark we28FMC Bulletin • August 2012