Lake Man

This was Queens Birthday weekend and the CTC were going to Lake Man (Lake Sumner L32 453 511). The weather was looking a bit iffy most places. So at the last minute we decided we'd just tag along as independents on this trip.

We turned up at the CTC meeting place at the Carlton Service Station. My plan was to give someone the chance to travel a bit cheaper than at the club's steep travel rates. However Bernard wouldn't have me deciding who got that chance and promptly appointed someone to travel with me. So to avoid an embarrassing situation for my assigned passenger I left it at that. So much for tagging along as an independent.

We drove up the Lewis Pass highway and parked at the Windy Point shelter in the Hope valley.

The first part of the Hope valley is a fairly long walk in the bush. Eventually we were rewarded with a view from a high terrace edge. This was our lunch spot.

However the view from here isn't a particularly inspiring one as all there is to look at is the long burnt off hillsides of the Poplars station.

A short time further on we stopped again for a snack at the Hope Halfway Hut. This is an attractive spot. It's only marred by having no safe drinking water available. The stream and river nearby are frequently seen with cattle defecating in them.

Next stop was the Saint Jacobs Hut. There had earlier been talk about going on up to Top Hope Hut and a visit to the hot pools, but that talk faded here as it was close to dusk.

The fire was lit to warm the hut but everyone was in bed quite early.

In the morning there was a half-hearted frost around the hut. We walked up the river and crossed into Pussy Stream. People need to check their map if they come this way as the route isn't marked nor obvious.

We travelled up the Pussy and then a side creek to the junction with the spur leading toward Kedron saddle. The foot of the spur has been washed away by floods and the track now starts 50 m up the true left branch. Someone has placed one of DoC's large orange triangles marking the start of the track, but it's only visible when you're right on top of it.

We climbed back up into sunshine on the spur. Above the bushline the snow was up to knee deep. High on the spur we sidled, following a line of marker posts, to the saddle.

A perfect lunch spot was found next to a semi-frozen tarn. I know it was only semi frozen because three people tested it and found the ice wanting. Being the first I think I have an excuse, but I'm not sure of the other two who went in after...

We had warm sunshine and there was no wind though clouds were billowing from the west. I thought this looked like the beginning of a nor'wester.

There hadn't been any previous talk about what we were going to do on the tops or where we were to spend the night, so there was much discussion over lunch. Some people suggested sidling around steep slopes to go up to Lake Man or going down to set up camp by the biv and then walking up to the lake. However Simon suggested just going up the ridge right behind us to knob 1532m for a view of the lake. This was the plan that inspired action.

When we got to 1532 the lake was obscured by cloud, but after a patient wait of 15 minutes we got our view of the lake and it's surrounding snowy basin.

Mission accomplished we walked back down to the saddle. Bernard then decided we would continue down to the Doubtful River and travel up to the Doubtless Hut for the night. So down we went through the snow covered scub and into the bush.

We paused briefly to look at the Lake Man Biv. This is now looks a very sad place to me without it's fireplace. I passed through here in bad weather in 1993. It was a very cosy and warm refuge then.

By the time we got down to the Doubtful River it was just coming on dark. Plans were changed again to camp on the flats at the bush edge. After we started to unpack Bernard announced he'd decided we should camp 100 m up the Kedron Stream.

The flat Bernard had selected seemed fairly firm and stony. Honora found a spot just inside the bush nearby where the moss was soft and deep. We pitched our fly there.

After tea Emma was keen on a campfire to toast her marshmellows. There was no good site for a fire on the flat where we were camped so Honora and I got the team to give us a hand getting a fire going at the bush edge in the main valley. The fire was a success and all Emma's marshmellows got toasted.

By morning my mossy mattress had flattened a bit so it wasn't as comfortable as when I'd gone to bed. But I'm sure it was still softer than where the other tents were pitched.

The walk out down the Doubtful was easy on a good track. As we passed the Doubtful Hut it came on to snow for a bit as a front passed through. We finished the trip crossing the Boyle River to the road and walking to the Engineers Camp.

People on this one were: Joy Schroeder, Martin Brown, Bernard Parawa, Alan Ross, Janette Philp, Simon Garton, Emma Richardson, Honora & me.