Are you prepared for Travers Saddle?

That sounds ominous! What a way to put the shits up the tourists :) Well it worked on me! But it turned out to be a bit steep, but so easy compared with Mt Rintoul on the last section! Just up a bit, and down a fair bit more. ( I don’t envy people coming up the other way! ) But amazing views! We must have walked and re-walked the first few kms several times, taking video then walking back to re-take the shot for blog photos ;) All worth it though.
Ha ha, this seems so ridiculous in retrospect after crossing Waiau Pass. Travers Saddle seems sooo easy in comparison! Maybe in means be prepared for bad changeable weather, we were lucky enough to have clear skies this morning, looks like it’s going to be scorchio.
Wed 16th Feb
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Basin before climb up to Saddle

Wed 16th Feb
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Climbing underneath the face of Mt Travers

Wed 16th Feb
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Giant Dieter, the Super Fast Belgian Doctor

“Not freakishly-big, but at the far end of reasonably-normal-big.”
“Bigger than Nik Roope?”
“Yeh, way.”

Brief assessment: There’s NO WAY we’re going to be able to keep-up with this guy. Unless Cookie sprints, and I sneak a lift in Dieter’s rucksack while he’s not looking. He’s just a monster.

So with that in mind, just *imagine* how big this mountain is.

Wed 16th Feb
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Nicky Crossing Boulder Field

Wed 16th Feb
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The Awesome Mt Travers!

And he’s a mean bugger too! Just look at those crags. And some snow still clinging on in the creases even though it’s the equivalent of August here. How is that possible? Amazing to saunter past, but just imagine how rock-hard you’d have to be to climb that. I think even our Meachin would have second thoughts about that!
I’d been paying attention to hand written route notes in the hut book describing the ascent of Mt Travers from the saddle, “Sometimes steep, sometimes exposed, but rarely both and the same time.” Maybe I’m looking at it from the wrong angle, but that looks steep and exposed ALL of the time. I decided to head up to a much smaller bump on the south ridge to take a few pictures instead.
Wed 16th Feb
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View down to Travers Saddle

Wed 16th Feb
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Nicky coming down the other side

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Nicky Boulder Hopping, Mt Cupola in the distance

Wed 16th Feb
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Descending into the Valley

From Travers we drop 1000m steeply to the Sabine River East Branch (bottom left of the picture). I was expecting to cross this river on a large standard issue DOC swing bridge, but actually it was a tiny wooden bridge over a narrow crack that was almost jumpable. Not that you’d want too, what it lacked in width it more than made up for in height. You could barely see it (hence no picture) but far below the river coursed through one of the deepest and narrowest gorges I’ve ever seen.

Wed 16th Feb
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