Christmas in the Alps*
It was Christmas eve and I'd loaded up the little Runner with enough of my supplies to last Me enough time to head off into
the National Park around 5 hours drive across the Country on my first armed tramp with a fully loaded backpack and magazine!
The anticipation was heavy, as You could imagine after first cutting my teeth only 3 weeks prior in the same Valley to get a
feel for what I was in for!
The day went well and I ended up i nthe familiar Campground with many RV campervans lined up and many different languages all
squabbling between one an other aswell as the local sandfly team out in force wreking havok on all with any exposed skin.
I got in fairly late and promtly set up the bigger pop up tent for a quick bite a cuppa and onto the mat tucked up in the
sleeping bag.. that was until the KEA decided to pick on my #### just on dark and so I was out and given them a What For!!
Without doubt DoCs biggest PEST !
The morning dawned and I was up at the sparrows Fart, beating the Kea to the nest and just in time for a barrage of sandflys
to roll up in the dewy tent, which was quickly stuffed in the back of the boot whilst the billy boiled.
a short drive up the Valley saw me at the road end where I gathered all my stuff an double checked i had what I needed,
unknowingly at the time that I'd double packed several items which around 8 hours into the "5 hour" walk became quite obvious
as I pulled up and thought- "I've got to ditch some weight from this Pack" !!
into the garbage bag went a pack of excess Tent pegs from tent #1.... an extra pair of complete top to bottom clothing, several
heavy tech bits that wouldnt be needed until the following days, a pack of Ammo that was going to be useless in the Valley as
the Deer sign just was not there! aswell as some extra food supplies- which would later come in handy!
around an Hour and a half later I'd ended up in the valley of the Chosen Hut and had walked up to the door an almost kicked it
in out of pure exthaustion, I was met with a "Hello"... a Solo Lady tramper had come in the day prior and was spending the day
doing SFA as the 'scrub was too thick to reach the tops", so i greeted here with a "Thank #### im here, Merry Christmas hey"...
She was conservatinve in conversation and late revealed she indeed worked for DoC... that came about after me whinging to her
about the Lack of deer sign and that I'd just sped $120 bucks on a hut pass only to find out a majority of planned huts were-
according to their website "Free to use"... Seems to the Way- but happy to Donate to DoCs cause as the Huts truely are a Blessing
in the Backcountry.
We discussed a fair bit about the Animals, the use of Poisons and where Australia is at with their 'Deer problem' and what the future
may hold, if Hunters arnt able to keep up with the Demands.. from whom it is that is demanding the deer are lowered.
anyway, the morning peace was disturbed by a whole lot of scrambling and packing of plastic bags that make that horrid sound at 6am
with a short but sweet- "sorry about the Noise" - to which I didnt answer back however smiled to myself.
- as i remembered
from my first trip in to avoid this I made it known to the other hut goers that i would pack up that night to minimise any noise
in the AM... tis good manners but not neccesity.
That day i slept right in and did SFA until after lunch when I went about 'running in the new rifle', which consisted of strrait up
fouling the gun with one shot and then proceeding to sight it in...
i chased a few holes around for half a pack of Ammo and called it sweet..Somewhere aoubt 2.5-4 inches high at last check..
Then i raced back down the trail to retrieve my further belongings which were
stowed just off the Trail, out of sight- hoping no possums had taken to my noodles!
alas all was good and the bag untouched. It felt great to bring back a backpack with only a quater of the initial weight!
I lay all of my gear out an disected what will be needed to assend to the Tops the following morning, with the Ladys description
of the Route up the close wall behind the hut being a bit how-ya-goin i decided to re read the hut book which had an alternative route
back down the track 15 minutes and Up an old Slip from 2015... I began thinkin how much re growth would have grown back since then
an decided a reccy trip upstream would allow me a glassing option to check out the slip- to my suprise it was fairly open all the
way up with a fairly steep top section-
whilst all of this I couldnt help but think about my Family at Home, back in Aussie- all going about the usual Christmas festivities
with a fairly solid lump in the throat that didnt seem to want to swallow..
That night i anticipated,presummed ,ummed and arred yet i was anxious and nervous about the Climb up, i already felt sore in the knees
and thighs! but at 6am I was eager as a wet beaver to don the Pack and set off for my first "Climb to the Tops"!!!
a much lighter Pack with about 4 days supplies and about 8 .270 bullets i thought would do the trick.
The climb took me from River to ridgeline in only an Hour an a Half, even I was impressed with my own efforts- as i felt it was goin
to be a half day mission at least!
As i broke the Tops country I was imediatley met by a Harsh brown scrub about knee deep with boulders hidden under all scattered
around the place , covered in moss and made the Going absolute hell- but i found a flat rock to kneel down on, unpack and Scream
"#### yeah I Done it" and had a chuckle to myself while taking in the Views-- it felt so Surreal!! and it had only just began!
As per the hut book, there were Cairns in a couple of spots to locate the route back down, as once up there it all looked the Same
brown scrub then trees an then a view of the opposite side! as if you could just ride a motorbike off the top and land in the river
from any angle you tried!!
I didnt see any animals immediately and the place looked rather dead, in hindsight my yahooing and carry on no doubt pushed any
Game to the far side of the ridge, into the prevailing winds as it would be alot more comforting than What this Aussie was
carrying on about....
I slogged it up to the top section , which soon busted out into the lower typical snow grass that we assosciate with the tops
from looking in the pictures of fellow Kiwi hunters in their own paradise.
i sat down for a Cuppa and made a quick video to send off to my Son , as i said i would do once i got to the top of the mountain!
with the Glass on the eyes I still hadnt seen any movement from any of the faces which lay further up the mountain range and began
to think- where would I be if i were an animal???
Patches of Snow scattered the tops with many trenches and ditches of running water leading from Tarns on higher ground , it really
looked quite impressive- with the high peaks being of exposed grey Rocks..quite an eyesight.
I reached a flat spot up by two Tarns an dropped my pack, unsure of what to do next actually, a ridge about 40m high besude me begged
for me to pop over and have a look, just as any hunters feels- "What is around the next corner/ridgeline"..
So i raced up with my Binos only and began glassing some amazing looking 'rolling hills' country with a magnificent backdrop of
Mount Aspiring National Park on the horizons!
it was about 15 minutes later that I spied a light brown figure sleeking around on the chew about 800meters away and down
about 400m elevation, I was fairy beside myself and raced back to the backpack to Grab a Camera, range finder and a Rifle!!
I regained contact with the Critter an fairly surely identified it as a Chamois, just a lone animal which by now was feeding
up the hill into a tight little gut, then deciding to sit down for a while.. during this time I got that keen I almost ran down to
it but had to Check myself before i Wrecked myself!!
with not long until 'dark' and no Camp set up I thought it wise to make Camp quickly and worry about the Chamois tomorrow morning,
i figured it wouldnt move too far.
within 10 minutes i had the Tent up an pack all emptied out, 5 rounds in the magazine and boots tied up... i climbed the ridge
again just to watch this unique Southern Alps Antelope go about its business..
within 15 minutes of that I had talked myself into putting on a Stalk on the animal before Dark, if i could close the gap enough
whilst keeping it in sight I may be able to put a hole in it before dark- atleast thats what I rekoned..
sure enough im sliding on my ass down the snow grass slope trying to grab a handful to slow down or kick a rock to prop me up
when i reliased i had no socks on and that this was goin to be an interesting event.
Sure enough my calculations were not too bad and i ended up slightly above, but across from the animal in the gut around 400m away
So It was Game on if i could close 100m or so to the high lump of ground infront of Me..
I made it there an noted the Chamois was back up and right in the gut slightly further up the ditch feeding broadside with head
to my right/uphill.
I ranged it at 330m twice and thought, Yep- 330m away....... I chambered a 130gr Hornady interlock into my Brand New Mossberg
patriot rifle and put my gloves on some clump of grasses and quickly stripped away a handful of grass so as not to interferre
with the projectile- a few big breathes and my crosshairs were dead still a few inches above the animals Backline- one of the
most surreal-est moments to date... squeeeeze and Kaboooooom- the animal didnt take a step but rather lifted its Head
stood there and began to sway as if momentarily Shocked--- then began to walk up hill like a tough old veteran soldier after taking
a non fatal blast from a close by grenade!
I admired the Chamois strength and will as the shot felt good and sounded even better- so i chambered another round and let rip,
this time making him dance a bit more before he made it to a rocky outcrop meters away and sat down!
i thought "one more for good luck" and give him a coupe de grace and another solid connect which turned his lights off for good.
The shots seemed to fade off into the Valley without notice and the sound of the Wind which broke the peace was back in the chill
mountain air.... What had just happened? I sat and looked for a moment through the Scope--motionless-- Surrealism... Elation-
I had just Glassed-Stalked-and-Taken My First New Zealand Southern Alps Antelope AKA the Chamois!!
without messing around I began to make my way back up the Ridgeline an into camp before the Darkness beat Me, I made a Cuppa
an boiled some Noodles for dinner- which all tasted fantastic and without much Rocking I was lights out myself!!
Closing out an Absolute Cracking first day on the "Tops"!!
TBC
*few bonus photos for CGN
It was Christmas eve and I'd loaded up the little Runner with enough of my supplies to last Me enough time to head off into
the National Park around 5 hours drive across the Country on my first armed tramp with a fully loaded backpack and magazine!
The anticipation was heavy, as You could imagine after first cutting my teeth only 3 weeks prior in the same Valley to get a
feel for what I was in for!
The day went well and I ended up i nthe familiar Campground with many RV campervans lined up and many different languages all
squabbling between one an other aswell as the local sandfly team out in force wreking havok on all with any exposed skin.
I got in fairly late and promtly set up the bigger pop up tent for a quick bite a cuppa and onto the mat tucked up in the
sleeping bag.. that was until the KEA decided to pick on my #### just on dark and so I was out and given them a What For!!
Without doubt DoCs biggest PEST !
The morning dawned and I was up at the sparrows Fart, beating the Kea to the nest and just in time for a barrage of sandflys
to roll up in the dewy tent, which was quickly stuffed in the back of the boot whilst the billy boiled.
a short drive up the Valley saw me at the road end where I gathered all my stuff an double checked i had what I needed,
unknowingly at the time that I'd double packed several items which around 8 hours into the "5 hour" walk became quite obvious
as I pulled up and thought- "I've got to ditch some weight from this Pack" !!
into the garbage bag went a pack of excess Tent pegs from tent #1.... an extra pair of complete top to bottom clothing, several
heavy tech bits that wouldnt be needed until the following days, a pack of Ammo that was going to be useless in the Valley as
the Deer sign just was not there! aswell as some extra food supplies- which would later come in handy!
around an Hour and a half later I'd ended up in the valley of the Chosen Hut and had walked up to the door an almost kicked it
in out of pure exthaustion, I was met with a "Hello"... a Solo Lady tramper had come in the day prior and was spending the day
doing SFA as the 'scrub was too thick to reach the tops", so i greeted here with a "Thank #### im here, Merry Christmas hey"...
She was conservatinve in conversation and late revealed she indeed worked for DoC... that came about after me whinging to her
about the Lack of deer sign and that I'd just sped $120 bucks on a hut pass only to find out a majority of planned huts were-
according to their website "Free to use"... Seems to the Way- but happy to Donate to DoCs cause as the Huts truely are a Blessing
in the Backcountry.
We discussed a fair bit about the Animals, the use of Poisons and where Australia is at with their 'Deer problem' and what the future
may hold, if Hunters arnt able to keep up with the Demands.. from whom it is that is demanding the deer are lowered.
anyway, the morning peace was disturbed by a whole lot of scrambling and packing of plastic bags that make that horrid sound at 6am
with a short but sweet- "sorry about the Noise" - to which I didnt answer back however smiled to myself.
- as i rememberedfrom my first trip in to avoid this I made it known to the other hut goers that i would pack up that night to minimise any noise
in the AM... tis good manners
but not neccesity.That day i slept right in and did SFA until after lunch when I went about 'running in the new rifle', which consisted of strrait up
fouling the gun with one shot and then proceeding to sight it in...
i chased a few holes around for half a pack of Ammo and called it sweet..Somewhere aoubt 2.5-4 inches high at last check..
Then i raced back down the trail to retrieve my further belongings which were
stowed just off the Trail, out of sight- hoping no possums had taken to my noodles!
alas all was good and the bag untouched. It felt great to bring back a backpack with only a quater of the initial weight!
I lay all of my gear out an disected what will be needed to assend to the Tops the following morning, with the Ladys description
of the Route up the close wall behind the hut being a bit how-ya-goin i decided to re read the hut book which had an alternative route
back down the track 15 minutes and Up an old Slip from 2015... I began thinkin how much re growth would have grown back since then
an decided a reccy trip upstream would allow me a glassing option to check out the slip- to my suprise it was fairly open all the
way up with a fairly steep top section-
whilst all of this I couldnt help but think about my Family at Home, back in Aussie- all going about the usual Christmas festivities
with a fairly solid lump in the throat that didnt seem to want to swallow..
That night i anticipated,presummed ,ummed and arred yet i was anxious and nervous about the Climb up, i already felt sore in the knees
and thighs! but at 6am I was eager as a wet beaver to don the Pack and set off for my first "Climb to the Tops"!!!
a much lighter Pack with about 4 days supplies and about 8 .270 bullets i thought would do the trick.
The climb took me from River to ridgeline in only an Hour an a Half, even I was impressed with my own efforts- as i felt it was goin
to be a half day mission at least!
As i broke the Tops country I was imediatley met by a Harsh brown scrub about knee deep with boulders hidden under all scattered
around the place , covered in moss and made the Going absolute hell- but i found a flat rock to kneel down on, unpack and Scream
"#### yeah I Done it" and had a chuckle to myself while taking in the Views-- it felt so Surreal!! and it had only just began!
As per the hut book, there were Cairns in a couple of spots to locate the route back down, as once up there it all looked the Same
brown scrub then trees an then a view of the opposite side! as if you could just ride a motorbike off the top and land in the river
from any angle you tried!!
I didnt see any animals immediately and the place looked rather dead, in hindsight my yahooing and carry on no doubt pushed any
Game to the far side of the ridge, into the prevailing winds as it would be alot more comforting than What this Aussie was
carrying on about....
I slogged it up to the top section , which soon busted out into the lower typical snow grass that we assosciate with the tops
from looking in the pictures of fellow Kiwi hunters in their own paradise.
i sat down for a Cuppa and made a quick video to send off to my Son , as i said i would do once i got to the top of the mountain!
with the Glass on the eyes I still hadnt seen any movement from any of the faces which lay further up the mountain range and began
to think- where would I be if i were an animal???
Patches of Snow scattered the tops with many trenches and ditches of running water leading from Tarns on higher ground , it really
looked quite impressive- with the high peaks being of exposed grey Rocks..quite an eyesight.
I reached a flat spot up by two Tarns an dropped my pack, unsure of what to do next actually, a ridge about 40m high besude me begged
for me to pop over and have a look, just as any hunters feels- "What is around the next corner/ridgeline"..
So i raced up with my Binos only and began glassing some amazing looking 'rolling hills' country with a magnificent backdrop of
Mount Aspiring National Park on the horizons!
it was about 15 minutes later that I spied a light brown figure sleeking around on the chew about 800meters away and down
about 400m elevation, I was fairy beside myself and raced back to the backpack to Grab a Camera, range finder and a Rifle!!
I regained contact with the Critter an fairly surely identified it as a Chamois, just a lone animal which by now was feeding
up the hill into a tight little gut, then deciding to sit down for a while.. during this time I got that keen I almost ran down to
it but had to Check myself before i Wrecked myself!!
with not long until 'dark' and no Camp set up I thought it wise to make Camp quickly and worry about the Chamois tomorrow morning,
i figured it wouldnt move too far.
within 10 minutes i had the Tent up an pack all emptied out, 5 rounds in the magazine and boots tied up... i climbed the ridge
again just to watch this unique Southern Alps Antelope go about its business..
within 15 minutes of that I had talked myself into putting on a Stalk on the animal before Dark, if i could close the gap enough
whilst keeping it in sight I may be able to put a hole in it before dark- atleast thats what I rekoned..
sure enough im sliding on my ass down the snow grass slope trying to grab a handful to slow down or kick a rock to prop me up
when i reliased i had no socks on and that this was goin to be an interesting event.
Sure enough my calculations were not too bad and i ended up slightly above, but across from the animal in the gut around 400m away
So It was Game on if i could close 100m or so to the high lump of ground infront of Me..
I made it there an noted the Chamois was back up and right in the gut slightly further up the ditch feeding broadside with head
to my right/uphill.
I ranged it at 330m twice and thought, Yep- 330m away....... I chambered a 130gr Hornady interlock into my Brand New Mossberg
patriot rifle and put my gloves on some clump of grasses and quickly stripped away a handful of grass so as not to interferre
with the projectile- a few big breathes and my crosshairs were dead still a few inches above the animals Backline- one of the
most surreal-est moments to date... squeeeeze and Kaboooooom- the animal didnt take a step but rather lifted its Head
stood there and began to sway as if momentarily Shocked--- then began to walk up hill like a tough old veteran soldier after taking
a non fatal blast from a close by grenade!
I admired the Chamois strength and will as the shot felt good and sounded even better- so i chambered another round and let rip,
this time making him dance a bit more before he made it to a rocky outcrop meters away and sat down!
i thought "one more for good luck" and give him a coupe de grace and another solid connect which turned his lights off for good.
The shots seemed to fade off into the Valley without notice and the sound of the Wind which broke the peace was back in the chill
mountain air.... What had just happened? I sat and looked for a moment through the Scope--motionless-- Surrealism... Elation-
I had just Glassed-Stalked-and-Taken My First New Zealand Southern Alps Antelope AKA the Chamois!!
without messing around I began to make my way back up the Ridgeline an into camp before the Darkness beat Me, I made a Cuppa
an boiled some Noodles for dinner- which all tasted fantastic and without much Rocking I was lights out myself!!
Closing out an Absolute Cracking first day on the "Tops"!!
TBC
*few bonus photos for CGN
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