Southern Alps Traverse | Aoraki to Arthurs Pass

“Guurrrh”, a pained wheeze drifted up from the gloom behind me. I cast my eyes down the valley and saw Darius’ hunched form in the 4am twilight, staggering upwards. Four steps, retch, another four. We’d been at this for hours, ten days of waking in the dark and finishing in the dark had taken its toll. I gave my best motivating ‘woohoo’, the sound swallowed by oblivion. COVID had dampened even his endless supply of enthusiasm. I returned to my ascent, swapping with Adam as we made our boot pack up the seemingly endless Baker Saddle. Dawn broke over Aoraki as we crested, banishing the shadows. An engaging downclimb and a long march stood between us and our salvation from the oncoming storm. Empress Hut.

Preparation

When Darius, Adam and I had convinced ourselves that the logical next step in our fledgling mountaineering careers was to link Aoraki National Park and Arthur’s Pass National Park through the Southern Alps, we were full of optimism. The goal of this trip was to develop our skills, push our limits while being fully immersed in the mountains. Our enthusiasm was immediately tempered by the scale of the expedition. Hours each week of route planning, food preparation, gear organisation and food drops quickly swallowed our lives. In the 6 months leading up to the trip, preparation became its own expedition. Evenings vanished into gear tests on the Port Hills, where we’d argue over every gram (“do we need gear if we don’t fall?”) and weekends to lug the much-needed food into position. However, at last by the end of October we were finally ready to get under way.

The Challenges

We had always expected the trip to be challenging but right from the outset it tested all our skills and determination. We were faced with meters of rain and unyielding whiteouts, waist deep snow, high avalanche danger, and on top of this Darius had caught COVID just before departure. Fresh legs and the joy of the mountains pushed us to make steady progress towards the Landsborough, up the West Coast before crossing back to the east to Empress Hut on the Hooker Glacier. We fought through West Coast bush, frozen toes, 21-hour days, 2am starts, waking up in a foot of water, and deep snow. The shared joy of a warm Back Country Cuisine became the highlight of the day. Every meter was earned.

Despite the challenges, soul searching of why we were here and concealed tears, we eventually managed to find a rhythm. Progress became less forced allowing us to really appreciate our paradise and connect with the mountains in a way that we hadn't been able to previously in shorter “weekend warrior style” trips. The pace of life slowed. It was beautiful to spend every day exploring new places we’d only dreamt of - imagining only from the rough squiggles on a TOPO map. From the expansive glaciers of Aoraki Mt Cook to the wide braided rivers of the Godley, the frustratingly dense west coast bush then the hanging snow fields of the Gardens of Eden and Allah we became locked in a waking dream each day exploring a new paradise.

Achieving the Goal

The final steps of our pilgrimage brought us back to our homeland and the headwaters of the Waimakariri in Arthurs Pass National Park. As we travelled down the river, the car park and state highway drawing ever closer it felt like an allegory of our journey, the feeling of distance and remoteness receding as we all prepared to re-enter civilisation. We had gained a new appreciation for our country and its wild places as well as an immense sense of satisfaction that can only be achieved by completing a goal that you were not sure you were capable of when you set off.