I read about this route a year or two ago and was interested in trying it out. I had not known it was even possible but it appeared that it could be done without a rope and some scrambling. This face is situated at the southern end of the Keith Bush camp valley and tucked behind Monks Cowl. Our first attempt was abandoned before it even started as heavy rain spoilt all the plans, so we planned it over three days at the beginning of June. A big cold front hit days before the hike accompanied by substantial snow in some places, so we were unsure of what to expect. However, it cleared up on the day and we were encouraged to see mostly clear mountains on our walk in to Keith Bush Camp, although snow was still evident on the escarpment. There were 7 of us and Paul very kindly volunteered to look after our tents while we would be away. This was very much appreciated as it was likely to be a long tiring day and would be a huge bonus not to have to set up tents again on our return. The sun set early and temperatures plummeted – I was not amongst those braver souls who sat outside chatting and was in my sleeping bag early!
We made an early start the following morning and carried a small backpack with the essentials. It was a three hour slog up to the head of the valley and the going was rough, huge boulder beds, scree, and bush that was determined to make our path as difficult as possible was the order of the day. We had observed a frozen waterfall coming down the left hand face from the camp, and it became more of a concern the closer we got. The route upwards initially involved a scramble up towards a rocky ledge that then traversed out onto the first grassy section. Tony and Thora went up to check it out and came back with bad news………….the icy waterfall was coming right over the rock slab that we needed to get over, and aside from water coming down, was thick with ice. This would make traversing across it next to impossible if not even suicidal. What sealed it was Tony declaring that even he would not attempt it! Our only other option was to try the Southern gully which looked doable. Although it has been done, no one had knowledge of the exact route and there was always the possibility that we could be stuck further along with another icy problem. So we had to call it a day – we were all pretty disappointed, but it was definitely the right decision.
We made our way back down the valley to our tents where a chilled afternoon was enjoyed.
Although we had not achieved our objective, any time spent in the mountains is always enjoyed.
Although we had not achieved our objective, any time spent in the mountains is always enjoyed.
And ……………….there is always Part 2 to look forward to.
Watch this space!
Thanks to Tony, Paul and Roger for the use of their photos
Tony and Thora on the scramble up to the ledge
The icy ledge we needed to get across
