Mt Reeves Run

Mt Reeves Run

Sunday 10 June 2012
Solo training run

When I say 'run' there was a bit of walking on some of the steep bits I'd have to admit.  This was a training trail run getting a bit of a test on hills and knocking off a track I hadn't been on before.  As it was one of my early attempts at solo trail running I paid a bit of attention to distances and times and kept some notes about gear etc.

Summary

Distance is 22 km based on DoC estimate at track end (11Km and 4½ hrs tramping time to Tutuwai hut); start elevation about 135m; maximum 899m; forecast for a mostly clear day, some scattered cloud and a front coming through late in the day. Day stayed clear despite ominous clouds spilling over Neill Ridge; little wind.

Depart car: 0820. Arrive top: 0945. Depart top 0955. Arrive Tutuwai: 1020. Depart Tutuwai: 1043. Arrive top: 1130. Depart top: 1135. Arrive car: 1240.  4hr20 total. 3.42 on the go (1hr25 up, 25 down, 47 up, 1hr5 down). 38min of stops.

Finding it

Take the first left in Greytown (Challenge petrol station) follow your nose towards the railway station, cross the lines and turn right at the T. Potter along for 4ish Km to where it ends with a DoC sign board on a turn around area with some farm tracks leading off beside stock yards.  This is on the true right of the Waiohine River. 

The trip

Once you’ve done the track over to Sayer Hut, it’s just a matter of time until you pick off Mt Reeves. At 899m it’s the highest point on the ridge between the Tauherenikau, Wairarapa and Cone Saddle. The Topo map tells you it has got clearings at the top and is likely to have panoramic views of the Wairarapa as well as up into the Tararuas. And it doesn’t disappoint.

Driving over the Rimutaka Saddle the Wairarapa is cloudless and the sun starts to crack the horizon on the straight between Featherston and Greytown. A glance at the Topo map the night before is sufficient to navigate to the road end on the right bank of the Waiohine. At the end of a gravel road it has the feeling of being reasonably out of the way for leaving the car.

There’s a little bit of frost about; sufficient to want to stay in the car as long as possible getting ready, and to put gloves on for the start. There are no other cars about, which is a mild surprise as Tutuwai via Mt Reeves looks like an ideal weekend jaunt.

The track starts from the ‘car park’ (= turnaround bay) and follows a gravelled farm track for about a km and up 80m. An easily seen orange triangle and Doc sign points under an electric fence and up a paddock. A post in the middle indicates that you’re on the right track and stooping under the electric fence at the top (240m) is a good excuse to turn and look at the view across the winding Waiohine River towards Greytown, before disappearing onto a rough track up through the pines.

Track conditions are a bit messy for the first few minutes as the track cuts SW across a loose soil slope transiting from pines to native bush. From there, the track has a good rock base but the surface goes from slippery moss to slippery clay to slippery tree roots and, in the open parts, slippery rocks.

It’s a slow climb to the top as the track meanders around and up. Getting from 700m to 800m is particularly interminable. There are plenty of open sections which provide views requiring a passing glance (and pause for breath). A largish animal crashes away through the trees in a couple of spots, and a sign notes that the three wire bridge over Coal stream has been removed (I think this marks a route through to the bridge at the main Waiohine road end). The bush alternates between beech with mossy ground and open scrub patches. Finally the track decides to jump up to 899m.

Low scrub at the top allows views across the Wairarapa. To the west and north the peaks of the Southern Crossing disappear into cloud and the jagged profile of Neill Ridge is also shrouded at the top and looks thoroughly uninviting. Here, and in the Wairarapa, though, it is clear and sunny.

A quick text, and (out of mild interest) a short fossick in the scrub for a geocache, burns a few minutes at the top. As the going has been good, and the weather looks like it will hold in line with the forecast, the trip down to Tutuwai is on.

The track meanders west, along and down slowly for a little over half a km, through open scrub, then drops into the bush, and starts to descend. The descent is easy for a while so a reasonable speed is possible. So much so in fact, that as I come hurtling around a corner the leading lady in a group coming up the track shrieks in terror. They had apparently noted a pig wallow in the track and been following the culprit’s trit-trotting prints up the ridge. Heart rates are up all around.

Between 700 and 600m the slope eases then it drops steeply from 500m to emerge beside the hut at 300m.

A party of two women is booting up to head down to Kaitoke (and hopefully find their car); two other chaps are a bit slower, and are also heading out the same way. It’s a good excuse to stop for 25 minutes to have a chat, fill in the log book, have an OSM and drink, and look across the Tauherenikau River at the foot of the Marchant Ridge. The sky is clear and blue apart from the occasional cloud drifting over Marchant and dissipating in the sun. The roof steams as it heats in the morning sun.

But procrastination can only be spun out for so long. The 600m climb is not particularly inviting but has to be tackled. Running is not really an option now so it is first a bit of a ladder climb through the humus under the moist lower slope forest then into the easier going and less steep mossy beech then on and up through drier under-storey and finally the clay and rock on the upper slopes. The last half km in the sun to the top is a little slow.

At the top the three trampers are just about to get on their way again. They have been using mirrors to flash their friends down near Greytown (successfully). Their car is at the usual Waiohine road end and they are taking a track that runs down the Coal Stream catchment. It is not marked on my map but they say it is easy to follow. Sounds like a good round trip.

There’s not much more to be said about the trip down. Tired legs make the footing even more tricky but eventually the pines are behind and it’s some ginger picking down through the cattle churned paddock to the farm track and back to the car.

Track notes

It was easy to find the start. It’s a bit rough for the first wee while but at around 300m it develops into a solid track up the winding ridge which is easy to follow. There are occasional wind falls but nothing dramatic. A few boggy patches around the tops didn’t look like they would get too bad. The East side is a bit rougher due to the steepness and a few more windfalls but again is well formed and easy to follow.

Gear notes

Running in old cycle shorts, light merino top, off-road runners, cap and gloves at the start to maintain body temperature until warmed up. Rolled sleeves up and down depending on heat. Started to cool off at the top but not too bad. 4.7Kg Camel back: full water, 2 squeeze gel, 2 OSM, balaclava, running tights, gloves, jacket, 2nd light merino top, over trou, emergency kit, map, compass, cash, cell phone (good cover at top and probably for most if not all the trip up Eastern side).

Body notes

Felt the early signs of a cold coming on the night before but felt OK in the morning. Blisters from previous weekend were fine, bruised big toe joint still annoying but didn’t affect running. Managed to jog pretty much wherever track conditions made it possible; knees were fairly sore on the eastern (final) descent making it a bit exciting on the slippery surface. West side mostly too steep to jog but a good fast walk is possible on the way up. A bit of warning cramps from the back on a couple of stumbles.

Eating and drinking

Ate an OSM at Tutuwai; drank about half the water and although no problems it was probably not quite enough. Need to start sipping earlier!

Waiohine - Kime

Waiohine - Kime

2-4 June 2012; Queens Birthday





Solo

The Plan: A light tramp, with no extra kit and surviving on One Square Meal (OSM) bars. Head in from Waiohine car-park to Bull Mound via Cone Hut and on to Alpha hut; evaluate and head on for Kime hut for the night if going well, otherwise night over at Alpha. The next day head to Mt Hector and down Neill Ridge to Cone ridge then to Waiohine car-park via Cone saddle. Not quite what happened though…

Forecast: Good weather in the Wairarapa and Hutt; some showers from the northwest on the Kapiti coast. No weather warnings. But again, not quite what happened…

Saturday 2 June: Waiohine – Alpha - Kime

At 0740 the car is locked and it’s time to head up the ridge towards Cone Saddle (after noting a club van that must have arrived not long before). The morning is frosty and misty but cloudless and still.

The track climbs quickly the first 250m, meeting the dawn as it drifts down the ridge. The grade eases slowly up to 680m and after sometime there is a well posted turn west and down to Cone Hut, arriving at 0905, somewhat under DoC’s 2½ hr estimate.

There is only one river crossing today so it’s doesn’t take much to decide to remove boots and socks despite the hard frost in the Tauherenikau Valley. This gives dry feet for the trip up Bull Mound, 730m above the valley floor. There are patches of snow and ice on the hilltop bog as the track ducks in and out of Dracophyllum, leather wood and beech scrub. The Wairarapa is clear but Neill Ridge to the north is ominous; a hogs back cloud pushes up against the ridge from the north, spilling over into the upper Tauherenikau.

The track eventually dives back into the bush and drops precious meters only to climb again up out of Hells Gate. It is 1130 when Alpha Hut appears and the weather is starting to close in. Half an hour is enough to text home (I know there's coverage from previous experience), have a bite to eat, don a few more layers of clothes, and write a note in the log book. By now, any previous thoughts of going further than Kime hut have been dropped. The hut notice board says it’s 3-4 hrs to Kime and in this weather it would be foolhardy to commit to anything else.

A wiry, older Maori chap turns up. He is doing a one day from Kaitoke to Otaki and leaves Alpha a few minutes ahead. We trade the lead across the tops and it is a comfort to know that there is someone else about, particularly as he has done this route 4 times already this year.

On the tops the wind quickly gets up, the temperature drops and the extra layers are put to good use (although I should have taken a little extra time to drag out over mitts and adjust my new coat). Glasses are quickly rendered worse than useless and stashed in a pocket on the grounds that seeing everything fuzzily is better than seeing nothing clearly.  The track is mostly pretty easy to follow though and the other chap is in view much of the time.

The wind howls across the ridge from either side upsetting balance and occasionally throwing in sleet or freezing rain. The track wends over interminable knobs and peaks; at times covered in snow.  It is about an hour to the top of Aston and a sign saying 3-4 hrs to Kime; slightly demoralising given the same time estimate at Alpha Hut. As well as the driving rain, boots are soon soaked through from the ice encrusted puddles. Footing is invisible beneath the tussock which hides slick mud and sudden drop offs. The result is drunken lurching with the wind adding an unhelpful push at inopportune moments.

With head down and concentrating on the track ahead it is a pleasant surprise when the cross on Mt Hector appears in the snow. It’s a bit too miserable to spare more than a passing thought for the trampers killed in WWII. However on the other side the wind drops away and we head down through the mist, over Field Peak arriving at Kime at 1450. Here my nameless companion says goodbye, calls his transport, and sets off for Otaki forks. It will probably be dark by the time he gets there.

There are a few parties in the hut; a couple of Outdoor Pursuits women doing crosswords, a lone bloke and a party of youngish chaps. It’s cold inside without a fire, and the idea of drying clothes by wearing them is soon given up as a bad job. By 1700 the sleeping bags are out and it’s only a trip to the loo that will shift me. A chocolate OSM serves for dinner.

There's little wind here so the mist sits; the moon peeks fitfully through the clag but later in the night the wind comes up and showers of rain roll through. The temperature in the hut drops to about 5 degrees overnight but the new light weight sleeping bag holds up well.

Sunday 3 June: Kime – Alpha - Cone

The hut starts stirring at 0700. The single bloke is off first for Otaki forks. The two women are going to head for Elder Hut and the other party to Alpha Hut.

At 0820 the sopping, cold gear warms slowly on the way up Field Peak to Mt Hector. The wind and driving rain soon makes a nuisance of itself but the new coat performs well and it’s warm enough.

At Mt Hector, the start of the track to Neill Ridge is not obvious but there is only really one possible direction. The wind is fierce making it difficult to stand, let alone travel in a straight line. As the rounded top of Mt Hector gives way to a razor edged ridge it becomes easy to follow the route, although the track is not always that obvious. Once again the nuisance glasses are rendered opaque and consigned to a pocket (there is also a realistic fear that they will be whipped away).

The map doesn't show the myriad small knobs that adorn the ridge and in the flying, shredded cloud it is difficult to judge progress. Each knob clambered over gives way to another saddle with the wind howling through. Occasionally a small cairn passes within myopic range confirming the route.

Eventually, however it is apparent that there have been no cairns for a while and no signs of tracks in the tussock; it is time to stop and take stock in the lee of a boulder. Sure enough, the compass and altimeter confirm that the ridge being descended is heading in the wrong direction. The climb back up to the last cairn is depressingly steep.

Even there the next cairn is not to be seen and the lack of visibility makes it difficult to reconcile the map to the terrain. Where I think the track should go seems to drop off impossibly steeply (I find out later that it does). There is more than one option open so after a bit of dithering and a couple of unsure starts, discretion wins over valour, and the only guaranteed direction is selected – back to Mt Hector.

The wind is still blasting across the ridge and its very difficult regaining the lost meters so the sight of the cross at Mt Hector looming through the clag is (once again) welcome. Now it's just the Southern Crossing to contend with.

The wind and rain have put paid to most of the snow, but not the mud. Fortunately the track is largely easy to follow, so it’s head down and plug on. The up-hills are reduced to a trudge and finding secure footing is an ongoing niggle. The level of swearing at errant wind gusts, slips, and recalcitrant gear indicates that a level of fatigue is setting in.

Finally it is clear that the descent from Alpha has started and at long last the bush line heralds Alpha Hut around 1320. A couple have just come up from Tutuwai and are sheltering in their sleeping bags. It is not difficult to talk them out of considering the crossing to Kime. They provide a hot, sweet cocoa which helps immeasurably.

After putting a note in the look book and texting the changed intentions home (including the likelihood of an extra night out), it’s back into the bush a little before 1400.

It is pleasant and peaceful below the bush line and a reasonable rate is possible although the up-hills are still slow. The open areas on Bull Mound are windy and give a view of just how horrible Neill Ridge is. The track drops off the Mound into the bush again then it’s all downhill.

By a third of the way down, reaching the car-park before dark is looking highly unlikely. At the bottom, the river is up and a stick helps stability.  However the legs are pretty tired now and at 1600 Cone Hut is extremely welcome. With light already getting dim I decide to stay the night; wet gear is peeled off; dry clothes donned and it's straight into the sleeping bag.

A little after 1700 a hunter turns up; he plus dog have been up Cone Ridge and had nosed up Neill Ridge but rapidly decided it wasn't the place to be. He takes pity and provides a hot drink which finishes off the warming up process. Later I find out there was also a club trip that had intended to go up Niell Ridge but turned back because of the conditions on the tops and ended up bivvying out below the bush line.

The hunter chats as he eats and settles in for the night.  In the course of discussion the story comes out that last night he accidentally let a shot off in the hut while cleaning his rifle, much to the surprise of a father and 2 sons that were present. Fortunately he was pointing the gun up and out the door at the time. He says something about the safety having been knocked off and the first time it had occurred in 30 years of hunting.

Cone Hut has always been a hut seen en passant and barely spared a glance, with its dirt floor, rough sawn planks for the sleeping platform and appearance of rotting quietly into the landscape. However it is pleasant by candle light and comfortable even without a fire to warm it. From now on I will not hear a bad word about it.

An OSM for dinner washed down with water fills the stomach but the aches and pains are enough to keep sleep hovering. Enthusiastic snoring from the other side of the platform guarantees it. Jethro the dog is pretty well behaved except when he tries to change sleeping companions a couple of times during the night and has to be firmly discouraged.

Monday 4 June: Cone - Waiohine

A little before 6 a loud alarm goes off. The hunter goes through his morning routine and offers another brew as he gets his kit together for a dawn hunt, down the right bank towards block XVI. Jethro has had more then enough of sleeping and is ready to be up and about, although he apparently doesn’t assist with the hunt apart from in a moral support capacity.

By 0700 it is getting towards light enough, so an OSM for breakfast; a quick squeeze to get rid of the worst of the water; into kit and out the door.

At 0730 it's, light under the canopy and quiet; the ground is relatively dry. First off is a climb of a little over 300m which is done in half an hour, then a long traverse along the ridge before dropping into the Waiohine. White mist fills the Tauherenikau Valley as it drops behind, while in front the sun rises over Waiohine to filter horizontally through the trees. One foot is sporting a pressure bruise from a fold in the boot making it more of a hobble than a stride this morning.

It’s a relief to reach the car just after 9am; remove boots and hunt for the car key. It’s not far to Aidan and Janne’s for breakfast, shower, inspect the mangled feet then lunch.  OSMs are all very well but a bit of home cooking is very welcome after a weekend of them.

Gear Notes

Time for new boots; painful feet just aren’t necessary.  Also time to get disposable contact lenses, glasses are a hassle on the tops in bad weather.

The new Macpac 40L Torlesse pack is a good sized weekend-staying-in-huts bag. There are a few down sides: a pack that needs a rain cover is a bit of a nuisance; the top attachment for the cover is not great; the hip belt is a bit insubstantial and the “water proof” lining doesn’t look set to last. But it’s good value at $90.

My old gaiters pretty much disintegrated; they are literally on their last legs.

The new Hollyford, Event membrane raincoat performed well; a good solid shell and reasonably adjustable with a handy map pocket.

The Macpac Express light weight sleeping bag performs well with a layer of under clothes at 5 degrees in Kime hut.

Under-Armour leggings performed extremely well. Comfortable walking and beat off the wind and driving rain; get another pair.

DoC hut tickets are available at Featherston Mobil. They were open about 0700.