Twenty Thirty Five and Twenty Twenty Five (2035m & 2025m)
With Greg on NZAC camp 2005 & Rob (not "officially" on NZAC camp 2005)

Immediately across the river from Hagen's Hut tumbled a long scree slope up to a ridge, behind which some snow and rocky peaks peeped. Too tempting to ignore! Today was a "lazy start" day in which we could leave the rope and axes at home and go clambering about on the choss that passes for rocks in these parts. First of course we had to wade across the Ahuriri.

 
That's a long scree slope... from river, to treeline, through tussock, to rock. It looks strangely shorter in the photo (above left) than my knees seem to recall following our descent later that afternoon. After much scrambling we arrived at the fork in the scree, took the left turn and gained the ridge. We traversed along this in a Southerly direction to the summit of 2035m (a nameless peak), then headed back along the ridge Northwards and Eastwards to sit on top of 2025m (yet another nameless peak). We've got to find some names for these little tops. Two more "first ascents" - yeah, yeah, I know they are pretty easy :-)
Above is Greg on the summit of 2035m. Here is Greg walking down from the summit of 2025m. He looks very excited to have made this first ascent.

A good day was had by all except for our knees and my boots. We had a few minor spills as we attempted to ski down the scree slope back to the hut. My old hiking boots were a little more trashed at the bottom than they had been at the top. The same is true for my knees. They then got a second dunking that day in the icy Ahuriri River as we crossed back to the hut for a freezing wash in the river, a hot fire and food.

Should I mention our "underwear tree"? I guess the internet is not really the place to talk about such things.

 

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