On Friday, the 24th of May, a small mix of year 12 and 13s, accompanied by Ms Smith and Mr Cartwright, embarked on a five-hour drive to Methven, Canterbury. The reason? We were going to summit Mount Somers, walking up and over the other side.
This initial plan would take eight hours to complete the journey to our destination - Pinnacles Hut. However, after assessing the conditions - thick ice and slippery tracks well below the snow line - the executive decided to circumnavigate the mountain instead. This was no easy feat; constant trekking up and down the steep and jutted track, putting all of our faith in the ice-covered rocks in the many creeks and streams in our way, and the constant stopping for water and trail mix drained each member as the day progressed.
We paused briefly for a longer-than-normal break at Woolshed Creek Hut - about three hours away from Pinnacles. By the time we left Woolshed Creek Hut, the sun had set, and darkness had fallen over the entire area. Donning headlamps, buffs, and jackets, we set off searching for our accommodation. While most of the boys walking at the front had their heads down, focusing on their footsteps, I hung at the back, taking in the night sky. The night was clear, and the stars shining were some of the brightest I’d ever seen. As we were coming around the corner of an upward-sloping pass, a distinct, white glow was behind the bend.
Excited at the thought of dinner and bedtime, we raced around the corner, only to find out that the light was the moon. Surprisingly, nobody was angry or upset; we just stood there, as a group of nine or so boys, in awe.
After walking for eleven hours (three of which were in the dark!) and a total of twenty-five kilometres, we did manage to make it to the hut, making dinner and going to sleep quite briskly. The next morning, as the sun rose up above the flat Canterbury plains, we saw what we had previously missed out on during the night. There, behind the hut, sat the Pinnacles, almost glowing in the golden morning sun. The sky, again, was clear, and nothing hung in it save for a lone hot air balloon and several contrails up above.
After a hearty breakfast of porridge, we raced out of the track in just three hours. After packing our gear into the vans, we drove on home.
A very much deserved thank you goes to Ms Smith and Mr Cartwright for organising this trip after it had been cancelled so many times in the past.
We students greatly appreciate what you both do for the JMC Tramping Club.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, talk to Ms Smith or Mr Cartwright.
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