Date: October 28 - 29, 2023
Location: Rees Valley, Mount Aspiring National Park, Glenorchy, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: Bike - 15.31 mi / 24.63 km | Climb - 15 mi / 24 km Total Elevation Gain: Bike - 493 ft / 150 m | Climb - 6,300 ft / 1,920 m
Trip Duration: 2 Days
Team: Solo
Field Notes: An absolutely brilliant trip up the Rees Valley with easy access via Clarke Slip. Biking up the valley on the 4wd track saves hours of walking, although beware of the river crossings after periods of heavy rain or high melt. There is a bivy rock just out of Clarke Slip at 1,300 meters with plenty of water but it will not provide adequate cover in rough weather. The ascent to the summit of Mount Clarke is straightforward with the south ridge as ones guide.
Rating: 1, I
How does one describe the things that happen in the lofty places of the world? Truly, it is an impossible task. I've found my greatest pleasures in life to be in the high places. Yes, amazing women, delicious bread, and roasted meat is another story. But the hills are something totally beyond scope...
"The non-climber will never understand it...but we who climb know what life really means...not till you have been to the edge of the abyss can you know how good life is and what a lovely place is the world." - Hermann Buhl
The trip started with a bike up the stunning Rees valley. Massive snow capped peaks glistened above. I had about 14-15 km to get to Clarke slip and I could get most of them done by following the 4wd track that goes up the valley. At the first river crossing, I completely lost the 4wd track and spent the next two hours biking over untracked land (side note: I did find the correct track on the way back and the GPX file is correct!).
After countless river crossings I came across the 4wd track for the final 15-minutes. At this point I stashed the bike in the woods and set off on foot. I walked through stunning beech forest and couldn't help myself from taking a ton of photos.
New Zealand is other-worldly. From biking through an open valley with towering peaks, crystal clear blue waters of glacial runoff, to a pristine forest filled with greens of every shade. I refreshed myself with a cold drink from the mountain spring and continued onward. Eventually I ended up at Slip Flat where I was to ascend up the southeastern slopes of Mount Clarke. This is obvious, and I think the best ascent / descent route goes up towards the end of the slip. I followed this straight up with easy travel through the forest for a few hundred meters until it turned into a rock field. Travel was significantly easier on the way up than down.
Towards the top of the slip I met bluffs straight overhead. From here, the route angles up and to the climbers right still following the rock gully. I climbed onto the ridge, bashed through some scrub on my way upwards, and once passed the bluffs, went to the climbers left and gained the south facing slopes of Mount Clarke. As far as off-route travel goes, this was not bad at all.
My next objective was finding the bivy rock. I knew there was one up here but I had no beta on it. With a perfect forecast and zero rain for the next few days, I didn't bring a shelter but brought my winter mountaineering bag (which I did not regret). As I traveled upwards I found it! It was a nice little cutout and perfectly flat. There is room for two people and I would not recommend staying here in rough weather.
For the next few hours I focused on hydration and refueling. As the sun dipped behind the mountains, I watched in awe as clouds danced around the summits of Mount Earnslaw. A truly stunning peak. As night fell, the moon replaced the job of the sun and cast its spotlight on the peaks. Every time I opened my eyes I said out loud "this isn't even real!" Mount Earnslaw was completely lit up by the moon and a few stars twinkled above. Magic.
At 5 am I turned on the stove to brew some coffee. First light was at six and I wanted to be on the move at that time. I figured: three hours to the summit, thirty minutes of rest time, and an hour and a half down.
Travel is straightforward to gain the snowfields. I followed the south facing slopes, always trending to be near the prominent ridge but never on it directly. At 1,500 - 1,600 meters it was time for crampons. After this brief transition I kept moving. Alpenglow made its appearance on the peaks above.
Two hours of plodding along the sun finally broke above the south ridge - thank you. Mount Head and Moira Peak were absolutely stunning. From my perspective they looked virtually impossible to climb!
I kept moving up the gentle slopes of Mount Clarke and traversed across the face and gained a col to the West. From here, I traveled up along the west facing ridge until I met the final few meters of the summit ridge. It was iced over and had a "knife edge" look to it. I drove my ice axe into the ridge and took the final steps to the top of the peak. What lay ahead of me was hard to take in. The views to the northeast had so many peaks of such incredible scale my head spun. The Snowdrift Range, the Peaks of the East Matukituki, and the Lord of the Bonar Glacier - Mount Aspiring - reached up towards the heavens. It seemed as if there were thousands of peaks in front of my eyes.
The cold summit wind brought me back into the present and I backed off the summit and hid behind the ridge to refuel. I applied sunscreen, rehydrated and ate some trail mix. After snapping a dozen photos and videos I made my way off the peak.
Getting back to the snow-free ridge was fast. It took me an hour to get back to the place where I had originally put my crampons on. Where the soft snow had slowed my approach up the peak, the soft snow made for very fast travel downwards. I couldn't help but keeping looking back at Mount Head and Moira Peak - wow.
Back at the bivy I packed up camp. I knew I still had a fair few hours of travel until I could get back to my car. The route back was pretty uneventful but I will make a quick note: make sure to go slow and choose the best route back to top of Clarke Slip. I rushed it and kept bashing my way through steep bush which was totally unnecessary. I also ate shit and took a hard fall while descending the top of the slip.
At the bottom of the slip I gained the main trail and headed south back to my bike. Walking through the shaded forest one final time was a treat.
It had been eight hours on the move so far and I was glad to be at the bike. As I peddled back to my car I was fired up to be on the 4wd track the entire time and I took care to not lose it when doing river crossings. Being on the correct track saved me about thirty minutes.
At the final river crossing I stripped off all of my clothing and went for my ritual cold plunge. I sat on the warm stones completely naked and let the sun warm my body while I took in my final views of Mount Clarke. What a trip this had been. I love these types of adventures that require multiple disciplines: biking, river crossings, route navigation, bushwhacking, bivying, and mountaineering. This was my type of trip. This is why I am back in New Zealand. This is why I may never leave. Happy days...
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