Hawdon Valley 10/11 August 2024
Friday afternoon saw 3 members leave town bound for Arthur’s Pass. The forecast was reasonable given the time of year with just some low temperature predicted for Saturday morning. A lucky decision saw us stop in Ashburton for dinner rather than a stop in Springfield. The latter being completely shut by the time we drove through.
We arrived at the Hawdon shelter by 9.00 and quickly erected our tents and put the billy on for a cuppa after which we settled in for what promised to be a chilly night. We all got up before daybreak and it was pretty cold so without mucking around we got on with it and by 7.15 we were donning packs and heading up the Hawdon Valley. It was misty but as the sun crested the surrounding hills it didn’t take too long to burn off. The river crossings were deep and cold enough though and the grass and tussock was white and crispy. The track is a 4wd track until the confluence of the East Hawdon, after which it becomes more foresty through mostly beech forest. The peaks around were spectacular with a good covering of snow. We reached the Hawdon Hut within 3 hours, found no-one there and got our gear sorted before an early lunch was had. With just daypacks we headed on to Walker Pass. This is one of 3 passes when traveling to the Edwards River, or one of 2 if going west to the West Otehake. The rock faces were rimed up with ice on the way there which made for some tricky moves to avoid slipping. We followed a snowy little track for some distance where the route flattens out and bird prints later identified as kiwi led the way for a remarkably long way. After passing the small lake which had a very low water level we reached Walker Pass and stopped for a look and photos. A nice place but offering no decent places for any camping for anyone contemplating this. The return to the hut took about the same time and we found a few other trampers had arrived. More folk kept trickling in throughout the remaining afternoon and by evening the 25 bunk hut was mostly full. A pleasant evening followed although Five Crowns was not played due to 2 members who left home with packs of cards not taking them for a walk in, a minor hitch.
The morning saw us first up and away from the hut crowd and the weather was still ok and the walk back out was enjoyable. It meant an early departure from the Hawdon Shelter and an early arrival home after a 4.5h drive.
A very enjoyable winter trip with some good company.
Those who came were Julian, Lorena and Robbie
