Mt. Somers
20th-21st August 2016
A weekend to Mt Somers/Pinnacles Hut in fine weather was a much more attractive option than the scheduled trip two weeks previously which was postponed
A party of nine with some new faces met at North Oamaru and set off at 8.15am heading for the Staveley entrance to the Mt Somers Track.
Many cars greeted us at the carpark and there was some doubt as to whether we would all get a bed at the Pinnacles Hut for the night.
With heavy packs loaded with great desserts for our pot-luck feast the party split into two groups, the main one taking the walkway valley track while Uwe, Jane M and Maurice ventured along the South Face and up to the Mt Somers summit
.For the main party a snack was taken on Duke Knob before descending to the Bowyers Stream where progress on the well used trail was much slower because of compacted snow which made conditions very slippery in places.
.Meanwhile, the summit party had donned crampons and reached the peak to take in the perfect views all around. Radio contact was made between each other to make sure all was well and after about 1km of plodding in deep soft snow the summit party located the cairn indicating the place to descend a steep face with bluffs and gullies to connect with the walking track on a saddle above the Pinnacles Hut.
The main party were now installed in the hut and had it to themselves.With some help from Robbie and Phyllis back up on a saddle some advice was offered via radio on the best route down for the summit party who eventually arrived at the hut ready for a hot brew. John and Neville had the fire going which made for a very comfortable time as we prepared dinner and produced the special pot-luck desserts.
A great variety was forthcoming with cheesecakes,marshmallows dipped in chocolate,custard sponges dried apricots, chocolate coated ginger,a mixture of cranberries,crushed meringues and cream,chocolate coated rum treats from Germany complete with candles, a bottle of port and last but not least John’s speciality, a can of cream which seemed to get sprayed on most things edible.
With much hilarity and bulging stomachs we bedded down for the night.
On Sunday, Uwe, Fiona and Maurice left to go back out to the Staveley carpark and drove around to the Woolshed Creek carpark to pick up the rest of the group which had walked through from the Pinnacles Hut via Woolshed Creek Hut and the Miners Track.
Snowy conditions both ways made for a cautious walk with a few slips and face-plants but all arriving safely.
With an ice-cream/coffee stop in Geraldine we arrived back in Oamaru mid afternoon after an enjoyable weekend in the company of John, Jane M, Jane G, Neville, Robbie, Fiona, Uwe, Phyllis and Maurice.
