We decided to leave on Friday evening and stopped for dinner with Sue Lake in Te Anau before carrying to Homer Hut where we spent the night. The sky was clear as we left there at 4.00 AM for the final run to Milford Sound. We drove to Fisherman’s Wharf at Deep Water basin and quickly loaded our sea kayaks. Then we were paddling out in the dark past Mitre Peak towards the entrance to Milford Sound. The night faded when we were abreast of the Stirling Falls as we flew our sails and moved swiftly along to Dale Point. The Milford Wanderer passed us as we turned the point and we headed north to Thurso. The sea was calm with a small chop and we landed at the beach through a modest surge. Here we changed into our mountaineering gear and carried our kayak up the beach and tied them to a large driftwood log.
Thurso River was open and bouldery for about a kilometer when the bush closed in. Good deer trails took us up the river to the 500-meter level. I was moving along quietly when I saw a large gray deer staring at me a short distance ahead. It had spikes of antlers and ran towards me to see me better which startled me. Simon hissed and it suddenly took off. We climbed up the right hand side of the main creek and then swung around up the face towards Pembroke. Good deer trials took us up to the 1000-meter level where we left the bush and climbed up slabs and tussock to camp at 1100 meters. As the tops were in cloud we postponed a summit bid till Sunday. Simon went off to check out his old route up a pinnacle ridge further south on a previous unsuccessful attempt.
We set the alarm for 5.00 AM next morning and started climbing shortly afterwards. Easy buttresses and snow slopes led to the ridge at 1779 meters. Then it was an easy glacier walk to the summit at 2015 meters.
The day was perfect with almost no wind and clear visibility from Mt Aspiring in the north to Mt Tutoko to Mt Coronation in the far south. At 9.30 AM we left the summit and quickly descended to our camp and loaded up for the descent. This time we took a more direct route to the valley floor that went well though we did descend some small cliffs. After an uneventful walk back to Thurso Beach we launched our kayaks each of us collecting a wave in the face as we broke out to sea.
The sea was calm to Dale point with a gently westerly as we flew our sails. However in the outer fjord we ran into a very strong onshore wind that rose to maybe 30 knots and made sailing impossible. Simon is more relaxed in these conditions but I had to work hard to stay upright. Great gusts of wind would sweep up behind me and skew the kayak broadside on the wind waves. A swift stern rudder would correct this. At 8.00PM we finally made it back the wharf.
Thurso River was open and bouldery for about a kilometer when the bush closed in. Good deer trails took us up the river to the 500-meter level. I was moving along quietly when I saw a large gray deer staring at me a short distance ahead. It had spikes of antlers and ran towards me to see me better which startled me. Simon hissed and it suddenly took off. We climbed up the right hand side of the main creek and then swung around up the face towards Pembroke. Good deer trials took us up to the 1000-meter level where we left the bush and climbed up slabs and tussock to camp at 1100 meters. As the tops were in cloud we postponed a summit bid till Sunday. Simon went off to check out his old route up a pinnacle ridge further south on a previous unsuccessful attempt.
We set the alarm for 5.00 AM next morning and started climbing shortly afterwards. Easy buttresses and snow slopes led to the ridge at 1779 meters. Then it was an easy glacier walk to the summit at 2015 meters.
The day was perfect with almost no wind and clear visibility from Mt Aspiring in the north to Mt Tutoko to Mt Coronation in the far south. At 9.30 AM we left the summit and quickly descended to our camp and loaded up for the descent. This time we took a more direct route to the valley floor that went well though we did descend some small cliffs. After an uneventful walk back to Thurso Beach we launched our kayaks each of us collecting a wave in the face as we broke out to sea.
The sea was calm to Dale point with a gently westerly as we flew our sails. However in the outer fjord we ran into a very strong onshore wind that rose to maybe 30 knots and made sailing impossible. Simon is more relaxed in these conditions but I had to work hard to stay upright. Great gusts of wind would sweep up behind me and skew the kayak broadside on the wind waves. A swift stern rudder would correct this. At 8.00PM we finally made it back the wharf.
An ascent of Mt Pembroke via Thurso River by Simon Marwick and Stanley Mulvany on 30/31 October 2010
2 comments:
Stanley-- sorry you had to room with a fat elderly american-- there are several of us! great to read your adventures-- someday we'll be back down there.
This is what I need
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