Thread: Hunting in the Snow

Got caught up there in a blizzard up there back in the 70's. Wet snow is something a lot of overseas visitors struggle to understand. On a good day you can see both coasts from the Tops of the Tararuas or Ruahines. That close to the coasts, any snow stays wet, and keeps all your gear saturated and slightly below zero. Far from acting as an insulator as it can in Northern America and Europe, it acts as a refrigerator, pumping all the heat out of you.

Anywho, great day going in on Saturday. Not a bit of snow anywhere.

Half way though Saturday night the sound of the stream outside Triangle hut stopped... Its snowing heavily.

Up on the tops in a wet snow storm, howling southerly gale. Turn back to the hut after about 20 minutes after hitting the Tops...and our footprints had disappeared in less than 50 yards. Headed down out of the gale into the headwaters of the Mangawharariki stream. Stopped and built a snow shelter to which we attempted to attach our fly to. Thermal mats had only just become a 'thing', so only about half of us had them. So it was two people per sleeping bag, second bag thrown over the top, those with bivvie bags (Ha!!! big orange plastic bags to keep you wet all night from condensation) and we chattered and froze all through the night.

As soon as it was light we were up and out of there. Blue sky. Heaps of snow that only just took your weight, till you broke through and skinned your shins on it. 15 minutes of that and swap around and let someone else have a go and forging a path through the snow. An hour later a fixed wing flew over, spotted us, waggled its wings and buggered off. Our parents come to see how we were getting on!

Didn't stop at Rangi for long, as it was always a cold hole unless you spent considerable time foraging for firewood.

I think the Rangi Hut has been replaced at least twice since these photos were taken.