I started from the Deer Valley campsite, a slightly inauspicious start by managing to get the car stuck in the mud for 10 minutes and making it even dirtier than it was with all the silt dust from Christchurch still covering it. I followed the pleasant Rolleston Track up to Lewis Pass - much better than walking alongside the highway. From the pass itself I picked up the St James as far as the swing bridge, where some other Trampers were setting off up the walkway. There was very little snow left at this altitude.
Tree stump - Rolleston Track.
First section of the St James at Lewis Pass.
Having visited the Zampa Tarn at the start of the year, I knew the first part of the route up towards Henry Saddle well and made good progress. However as I gained attitude steadily the snow depth increased at a much more impressive rate, the drifts made deeper by the narrower confined valley. There was a number of small avalanche debris trails that had come down over the last couple of weeks.
Avalanche debris on the southern gullies of Zampa.
Climbing up through the trees towards Henry Saddle by forward progress basically stopped. Every step was knee deep in completely unsupportive snow and most of the time I was up to my waist. In places where the snow had bent the trees to the ground I regularly fell through in to a gap underneath the snow between the tree and the ground. Climbing the 200m to the saddle took two hours and a huge amount of energy.
Looking down towards the Henry River from Henry Saddle.
Travel over the saddle itself was a bit easier and I made better progress down to the flats the otherside, but then the snow - still knee deep at around 1100m became unsupportive and soggy. After another hour or so heading down valley I decided a change of plan was in order and headed back to a nice bush line campsite that I had spotted on the way down. Remarkably there was one level patch of ground with no snow just big enough to fit the tent on.
Point 1724 from the first flats of the Henry River.
Sunday dawned a much better day weather wise and rather than retracing my route I climbed to Trovatore.
Bushline campsite.
Mountain stream below Henry Saddle.
Henry River Flats.
The route up from Henry Saddle was steep for about 400m or so and probably much easier in the snow than the alpine scrub that would be covering it in the summer. The snow was steep and hard enough to require the ice axe, but kicking steps gave sufficient purchase without using the crampons.
Climbing to Point 1724.
Looking down to Henry Saddle.
Point 1724 gave a great view back down the Henry River and of Philosopher's Knob but after that I was in and out of the cloud for most of the time above 1700m. The snow conditions here were pretty variable, ranging from bullet hard to a breakable crust, to completely soft. After traversing 1755m I arrived on Trovatore with it's aerials and solar panels, before heading down the south west ridge with good views over the Lewis Pass and back towards Traver's Peak.
The Henry River and Philosopher's Knob.
Point 1724m appears in a break in the cloud.
Looking towards The Spencer Mountains.
The Zampa Tarn (middle left).
On the ascent of Trovatore.
Trovatore disappears into the cloud.
The Lewis Pass from the sw ridge of Trovatore.
The descent through the bush was straightforward with an easy gully at the top providing a fun opportunity to slide down followed by a steep descent through surprisingly open bush. This brought me back to the Rolleston Track about 1km from the campsite. A return trip to visit the Anne Hut in somewhat easier conditions is definitely in order.
