An Ascent of Mt Hedin

Mt Hedin lies in the Barrier Range to the west of the Dart River above Daley’s Flat. At Easter Paula Macfarlane and I climbed to Seal Col on the other side of the Margaret Glacier and noted a straightforward route up it on the other side of the Margaret Burn.

On 11 April 2008 Paula, Simon Marwick and I arrived at Chinamans Bluff and set off up to Daley’s Flat where there is a swing bridge crossing the Dart. We left our packrafts hidden near the bridge and continued up easy slopes to the bush line on Hedin. After several hundred metres we entered an odd area of rocky outcrops and mini canyons in the bush similar to what we found below Seal Col. We called it ‘Middle Earth’ and it was slow going amid thick bush and fallen timber. We found some old red tin blazes on trees and eventually reached bush line. We found a nice campsite a bit higher.

The weather was perfect and we had a frost that night. We were away early next day and climbed up tussock slopes among scattered rock outcrops and deep holes. Higher up we reached rocky slopes, which took us to the glacier on Hedin. This we straightforward though quite crevassed in places. We cruised up to the summit at 2135 metres hoping to traverse to Mt Albert at 2353 metres, the highest peak in the Barriers. Our hopes were dashed once we saw the big drop off Mt Hedin to the connecting ridge. The glacier on Albert was also badly crevassed and it looked like serious climbing. We spent some time up there before heading off down. Paula saw some animals ? goats or tar in the Dredge Burn.

We headed down valley that evening and camped just down from Daley’s flat. Next morning Paula set off to walk out and Simon and I blew up our packrafts and set off on an exciting trip down the Dart. Downstream of Sandy Bluff we entered an area of huge rocks in the river where the river takes sharp turns and here I capsized. I surfaced and grabbed my raft and got washed down another rapid before I was able to get out. The rest of the trip was rather chilly and it was a relief to reach the sun. At 10.30 AM we pulled into Chinamans Flat at the same time as Paula.

The Barrier Range is a neglected range of alpine peaks with all grades of difficulty and very accessible. Get a packraft for an effortless return!!

Thanks to Paula and Simon for a great trip

Stanley Mulvany
Invercagill