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Freshers 2012!
Captains" Column!
Hi trampers,!
Hello all and welcome back to the CUTC for term
2! We hope you all made good use of the Easter
break period to get out and about tramping. Tobi
got away to Mt Owen in Kaurangi National Park
while Euan spent the three days over Easter
watching planes fly up and down in circles in
Wanaka. Hopefully what ever you have been up
has got you recharged and ready for another term
of CUTC action!!
Term one was jam packed with trips that kicked off
with an initially wet Freshers weekend with 90 odd
of us crowding into Jollie Brook Stream. Luckily
the weather forecast was correct and the rain did
eventually stop giving us a great sunny Sunday for
the walk out and some river crossing instruction.
Lakes, stunning scenery with some fresh snow on
the tops, and plenty of good food kept spirits pretty
high, and the river crossing course hopefully gave
everyone some important experience about when
(not) to cross rivers in NZ. If you have missed the
course, just talk to a more experienced tramper on
a trip, we are more than happy to lay down the
basics and show you how safe river crossing is
done.!
Following on from Freshers we had trips going
away to Mt Oxford, Mt Herbert and Pudding Hill
Stream. Not to mention Bushcraft and the pine
pulling trips, great to see so many members keen
to get involved with NZ conservation by
demolishing some of the pine tree menace. No
Front Page Sunset, West Coast
Tramping, Wouter van Beerschoten!
Back Page Freshers 2012!
CUTC + Buses = fail!
Editor Ellen Ashmore
[email protected]!
Contributors Tom Alton, Sophie
Kerr, Dave Manning, Laura
Hollingsworth, Tess Grynoch, The
Committee 2012, photos borrowed
permanently from facebook.!
Publication Dates Term 1, Term 2,
Term 3, Term 4. A pdf version is
available at www.cutc.org.nz!
more Green Needles! Our very own Avoca Hut
also got some attention with two groups going in
over a weekend on two different routes. There is
still a lot of maintenance work to be done so we
will be running more trips into the Avoca Valley this
year.!
What"s happening in term 2? Well, Kerry will have
the usual mix of tramping trips lined up for you but
the biggest event of the term will the 47th running
of TWALK on the 5-6th May. Hopefully you have
all heard about the crazy fun madness that is
TWALK # by now and have got yourself a team
together. If not the basic gist is: it is a twenty four
hour event involving running around the
countryside looking for markers using only a map,
cryptic clues and your wits. Entries are open so
head on over to www.cutc.orgnz/twalk for more
info and to enter now. There are only two weekly
meetings between the start of term 2 and the
TWALK weekend, so have your teams and money
ready on one of the next two Wednesdays. Note
that there will be a regular weekly meeting on
ANZAC day (25/4)!!
Lastly we would like to extend a warm welcome to
our newly elected committee members Terra,
Gabby, and Nick as our new social, publicity, and
TROG officers respectively. Also a welcome back
to Alex as our new Technowizard. Great to have
you all on board, less stuff for us captains to worry
about!!
Euan & Tobi!
Publisher Canterbury University
Tramping Club, c/o UCSA, PO Box
31-311, Christchurch, New Zealand!
The Canterbury University
Tramping Club Magazine is
published and distributed to club
members four times per year (see
above). Subscriptions to the club
are $20 per year.!
The magazine invites contributions
to the publication by submitting
articles, news, reviews and photos
to [email protected].
Inclusion is at the discretion of the
editor.!
The entire contents of the
Canterbury University Tramping
Club Magazine are © copyright and
may not be reproduced in any form,
in whole or part, without the
express and written permission of
the publisher. The publisher
accepts no responsibility for the
contents and thoughts outlined by
the contributors. Apologies for any
spelling mistakes, grammatical
errors or omission of the names of
contributors. Some format changes
were made to submitted content.!
Presidential News!
Hello everyone and welcome back to Term 2!!
I hope that all of you had a good Easter break
with plenty of tramping. While writing this my feet
are still sore from four days of rubbing in wet
boots, my calves stiff from the 60km we walked,
my quads aching from the 3500 vertical meter
ascended and knees sore from the 3500 vertical
meters descended. My hips and shoulders are
rubbed raw from the backpack, my arms sore
from pulling myself up on trees, roots, grass and
rocks and my hands itch from the sandfly bites.
My head is still tired from the 42 hours we spent
walking in the bush. As you probably understand I
had a pretty damn good Easter trip! The views
from the west coast tops were stunning and the
scenery of the lush green valleys was amazing.!
As some of you probably have noticed, hiring
gear from the club was not as easy as it should
be. Before last years earthquakes we had our
gear nicely stored in the UCSA building on
campus. That venue got closed due to quake
damage and over the past year we have found
temporary storage in several garages. Last year
several long-term storage options were discussed
in the committee meetings and in November the
CUTC applied for a UCSA grant towards the
purchase of a 20ft storage container. The idea
was to place this container at the university
grounds so that we could have easy access to all
our gear again. But a lot of emails and four
months later we were notified by the UCSA that
our application had been rejected. Further
discussion with the UCSA resulted in a meeting
where we were told that they understood the
urgency of the situation and would work hard to
find a solution. They would look into purchasing a
larger container which several clubs could use to
store gear. This was over a month ago and I just
received confirmation from the UCSA that our
gear is going to be back on campus at the start of
Term 2! You"ll hear further details once we have
our new gear locker operating.!
I hope to see many of you at the meetings, social
events, TWALK and of course the tramping trips!!
Wouter!
TWALK is nearly here!!
Got a ton of assignments? Exams only 5 weeks away? Feeling like you"d rather dress up in a silly
costume and play treasure hunt in the hills at night time? Well, here"s some great news. T"Walk 2012
is less than 2 weeks away! So if you haven"t checked it out already, now"s a great time to head to the
website (cutc.org.nz/twalk) and check out the finer points for yourself... and ENTER! Because if you
don"t... well, you"ll be missing the biggest event of the CUTC year, and that"s no fun is it?!
The basics: TWALK is a twenty-four hour orienteering event. It is split in to five legs, each around 15
km long. Each leg has around 10 - 20 controls, which will be hidden on features marked on the map
and described by a cryptic clue.!
The first leg is compulsory, as it leads from where you are dropped off to the Hash House. From there,
competitors may choose to participate in as many or few legs as they choose, leaving when they like
(there is a compulsory 30 minute break between legs). Legs two - five form loops which end up back
at the Hash House, and can be cut short if required.!
The event begins at around 8am on Saturday the 5th of May at the UCSA carpark off Ilam Road. After
the buses drop us at the mystery location, (and oh what a mystery location it is... excellent scenery, a
good mix of terrain, loads of sheep) event kick-off should be around midday. We will arrive back at the
UCSA carpark by bus before 6pm on Sunday the 6th of May.!
The Hash House is the base of operations. It has hot food cooked around the clock by our volunteer
cooks (amazing people!), fresh water and a space for tents. All legs start and end at the Hash House
(except leg one), and teams must check in and out of each leg. There will be music, socialising and a
live scoreboard all night!!
Aaand the last but perhaps most important point: COSTUMES, people! A key tradition of TWALK is
dressing up so come up with a costume theme for your team. The best dressed team gets a prize!
And there are plenty of other race related and spot prizes from R&R sport so come along to get
yourself some sweet outdoors gear and vouchers.!
Grab yourself a team of fellow outdoors lovers, summon your flatmates, your family, or if you"re having
trouble just talk to some folks at the meeting or on the facebook page and I"m sure we can set you up
with some people. Teams can be from 2-10 people (or more, though you have to remember that this
could create some good arguments relating to just which bushes you should be looking in for that
pesky control) so once you"re sorted, enter on the website and check out the rules and we"ll see you
there for the most epic weekend of the year!!
Sharon,!
T"Walk Nutcase!
Term 2 Instruction!
Summary of Courses!
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Basic Snowcraft!
Snowcraft is the most popular instruction course of the CUTC. On this course you will learn the
basics of tramping in winter, such as how to walk in snow, how to use ice axe and crampons,
and how to avoid getting yourself and others into trouble. This is a weekend course, that
includes a night camping in the snow or sleeping in your own snow cave if weather allows! Some
snow balls have been known to be thrown, and it is CUTC tradition that you take some gluhwein
(= mulled wine) up for your instructor. All the technical gear will be provided, but you will need to
have all our personal winter tramping gear.!
When: 16/17 June!
Cost: $15 to $25, depending on the location. Perhaps more if a lodge is hired due to weather.!
Note: this course depends on snow conditions at the time. If conditions are unfavourable, the
course will take place in Term 3.!
Ivor!
[email protected]!
The Interview – Past Club Captains!
Name: Laura Hollingsworth!
Year of Captaincy: 2008 (I think)!
Other committee positions held at CUTC:
Officially I jumped straight into captain and
followed that with president in 2009.!
How did you come to be a member of
CUTC? !
I first signed up to the CUTC on a clubs day
during my undergrad. I wasn"t very involved
with the club back then, partly because I was
scared I wasn"t hard-core enough and partly
because I was pre-occupied with all the
assignments that were always due. I then did
a year of my PhD in the UK and came to
realise how awesome NZ actually is. When I
got back to Canterbury, I signed up to the
club again - but this time actually got involved
with the club and went tramping lots!!
Why did you originally join CUTC? While I
didn"t come from a particularly $outdoorsy"
family, I loved every tramping/kayaking/
camping/abseiling/extreme-outdoorsy
experience I had while I was growing up. I
wanted more of that.!
Where are you now and what do you do? I
live in Wellington and work for A J Park, an
intellectual property law firm. I specialise in
mechanical/engineering-type patents and
(since I seem to be addicted to studying) am
studying towards qualification as a patent
attorney (one exam to go – woohoo).!
Why did you become captain?!
I was originally planning to take a more
backseat role on the committee, but
somehow had my arm twisted to do captain.
It was a spur of the moment agreement maybe I"d had a few drinks that night.!
#What did you gain from being captain? It
was a good opportunity to develop
organisational and leadership skills.
Not
necessarily from being $captain", but through
being involved in the CUTC, I made some
really good friends - some became flatmates
and my surrogate family.!
What did you lose from being captain?!
It was a significant time commitment, so my
research suffered a bit. But it was a worthy
investment. I honestly think if it wasn"t for the
CUTC I wouldn"t have survived and finished
my PhD, it kept me sane!!
##!
Do you have a favourite CUTC event?!
TWALK – awesome costumes, amazing food,
24 hours of prancing around getting lost and
frustrated with your team mates - what more
could you want from a weekend?!
Funniest/best memory of your time at
CUTC? !
So many… Going to set up camp on a
freshers trip and finding out my tent buddy
Monica had left the tent fly at home to save
weight. Snowcraft. Teaching Americans how
to cook pasta.
Watching kegs (TWALK
costumes) get stuck in doorways and pinned
upside down on the floor....!
What is your favourite tramp of all time?!
I love the Mt Cook region – Ball pass and
Fitzgerald pass are both at the top of my list.!
What was the most outrageous scandal
during your time at CUTC?!
I lost track of all the scandals. Flatting with
both Volker and Ivor while they went through
their divorce was, um, awkward. !
What is the best meal you have ever
cooked whilst tramping? I"ve had some
amazing curries, washed down with a good
drop of red, mmmm.
Freshly baked
chocolate cake is also up there.!
I don"t go tramping without... !
Good company, good food, gaiters and my
fold-up bowl.!
#Do you still go tramping and where did you last go? Not as
often as I used to - only really during long weekends or when I"m
on holiday. Other weekends I keep occupied by biking up and
down Wellington hills. !
A few weeks ago Tom, Lindsey, Volker and Matze came to visit and
we went tramping in the Tararuas. We indended to do an easy
overnight trip (I had an injured bottom and Lindsey and Tom
fancied some Wellington sight-seeing), but mid-day-ish Sunday we
decided to turn the tramp into a loop trip and add an extra night.
That meant an 11 hour day, walking in the dark, and crackers for
dinner. Just like old times.!
What is your dream trip that you have yet to do? I really want
to do the dragon"s teeth in Kahurangi. It"s tantalisingly close to my
parent"s house – I just haven"t managed to organise it yet (and I
keep entering bike races that are on while I"m home).!
No Green Needles'
by Charlotte Stephen-Brownie!
A fine day had dawned, we were up with the lark,!
!met shortly thereafter at Yaldhurst car park.!
We drove to Flock Hill; t"was our site for the day,!
!and thousands of wildlings, we saw with dismay.!
A prep. talk was given: “We"ll triumph, it"s great!,!
!the wildlings are browning; it isn"t too late!”!
We each chose our weapon; axe, loppers or saw,!
“No Green Needles” the cry, “we"ll fight tooth and claw!”!
Thus boosted, instructed, fluoro vested and armed,!
!sallied forth up the hillside; the trees were alarmed.!
For hours we battled, $gainst foes of all strengths,!
!from mouse-sized to house-sized; they came in all lengths. !
The cavalry aided our frenzied attack,!
!their chain-saws were snarling, they never held back.!
Together we let not one tree last the blitz,!
!renewed strength from snow berries kept us our wits.!
Come mid-afternoon we were tired and sore,!
!but when called back to base, seemed we still wanted more.!
We could not pass a pine without having a hack,!
!no wonder the next day some clutched at their back.!
For days subsequent, and in dreams o"er that night,!
!if a pine tree was spotted you"d hear us recite:!
Green needles, begone! No green needles allowed!!
!We"ll stop their invasion, we proudly avowed.!
The work will continue for some years to come,!
!keep wildlings in check, so our hills won"t succumb.!
It"s important for Canterbury and NZ too,!
!that we help out the natives which on those hills grew.!
The pines are controlling, and drain nutrients,!
!defined as a $pest", these trees are not Ents.!
The fight"s not yet over, the battle"s not won,!
!though our efforts weren"t fruitless, and, we thought, fun.!
I Went There and Came Back!
A TROG Article by Tess Grynoch, Written on Bushcraft 2012!
!“Wait up, Cody!” Kat gasped, out of breath as she scrambled up the side of Mt.
Thomas. Even the lizard crossing her path did not seem to worry, as her voice was carried
away by the wind. A bad omen, she thought as Cody continued his progress undaunted by the
steep slope. I!ll just chalk it up to learning experience. Next time he!s carrying the tent."
!Kat settled down for a break and was astounded by the view of rolling hills and the
waving grass. It reminded her of the wheat fields around her cabin. Starring determinedly at
the next orange marker she strode on, the view becoming increasingly breathtaking. Though,
in truth, the lack of air may have been due to the climb to get to the top. !
!“There you are!” Cody exclaimed as he leaped out of the grass, startling her. !
!“Yes, I"m here finally.” She replied in an exhausted heap on the ground. “Wherever $here" is.”!
!“Didn"t you listen to the leaders explaining how to use a compass and map? I mean
why are you carrying one if you don"t know how to use it?”!
!“You"re right. From now on you are designated map reader and compass holder.” Kat
states passing him the tools.!
!“What if I"m not there?”!
!“I"ll ask Tom.”!
!“What if the leaders and I aren"t there?”!
!“ I"ll be hopelessly lost but able to tell the weather. Like right now. Those big, dark, fluffy
clouds are approaching us at quite a clip and I know I"d rather be in my tent when they get
here.”!
!“Sounds like a plan. I"ll race you to the bottom!” Cody shouted, racing back down the trail.!
Kat groaned as her sore feet protested the stuttering footsteps down the hill. Suddenly she
heard the sound of a minor rock slide and could see Cody shouting expletives as he had
landed ass first in the river at the bottom of the track.!
!“Slow and steady, slow and steady,…” Kat murmured as she traipsed past.!
Term 2 Trips$
Subject to change, contact [email protected] for%
updated details or read the weekly club email!
28th – 29th April!
North Canterbury,
Daytrip!
Time: 3-4 hr return !
Grade: Medium!
Rakaia
Gorge
Walkway,
The walkway passes through several forest and
shrub communities before climbing the gorselined historic ferryman"s track. Continue along one
of several glacial and river-carved terraces to a
good lookout point. The walkway follows the rim
of the gorge through spectacular geological
areas, showing lava flows of rhyolite, pitchstone
and andesite. It then descends into a gully under
a canopy of montane forest and shrub, to the site
of the Snowdon coal mines. The entrances to
several coal mine tunnels can be seen here, and
the remains of equipment used for extraction. !
The track then climbs out of the creek to a signposted junction.!
Marlborough, Whites Bay, Mount Robertson
Track, Overnight!
Time: 8-9 hr return !
Grade: Medium – Hard!
The Loop Track climbs through regenerating and
mature forest to a junction at about 700 metres
altitude where the Mt Robertson Track begins.
From here the track follows an obvious ridge to
the summit through beech forest. This last section
of the track takes about two hours. There is no
water supply on the track so make sure you take
water with you. At 1036 metres above sea level,
Mt Robertson (Toko Maru) dominates the Scenic
Reserve to which it gives its name. !
Marlborough, Mt Richmond, Richmond Saddle
Hut, Overnight!
Time: 11 hours return !
Grade: Medium – Hard!
Mt Richmond can be approached from either Top
Valley Stream (6 hours from Jubilee Flat) or
Timms Creek (11 hours). It is possible to climb it
in a day from the Top Valley side. A good level of
fitness is essential. The Timms/Top Valley circuit
makes a good weekend trip. !
5th – 6th May!
TWALK!
Why would you want to do anything else?!
12th – 13th May !
North, Canterbury, Cave Stream Scenic Reserve,
Daytrip!
Time: Cave walk takes 1 hr !
Distance: Cave is 594 m long !
Two short tracks lead from the reserve carpark to
the cave entrances. The track to the upstream
entrance goes north, through a diverse karst
(limestone) landscape of solution holes,
rillenkarren (water-grooved rocks) and sculptured
rock formations.%
The other track leads to the edge of a terrace
overlooking the outflow entrance of the cave. It
drops down the face of the terrace to the junction
of Cave Stream and Broken River. !
Arthurs Pass National Park, Otehake Hot Pools!
Time: 5 hours one-way!
Grade: Easy – Medium!
A classic CUTC trip! There are several possible
routes to Otehake Hot Pools. One begins up the
Taramakau valley then follows the track past the
pitqeresque Lake Kaurapataka. From there, a
short section of track leads to the Otehake River,
which is followed up to the hot Pools. A second
group could take a 'hard' route, approaching the
Otehake via Mt Pfeifer if desired!!
Arthurs Pass National Park, Avoca Hut, Overnight!
Time: 2 days!
Grade: Medium – Hard!
A route via Bealey Spur up to Jordan saddle
provides a spectacular but straight-forward route
(in good conditions). The true-right tributary of
Galilee Stream is followed down to the Avoca
River, which is followed to Avoca Hut. This route
can take 9-11 hours, so unless you prefer a
harder trip, camping at Bealey Spur Hut on Friday
night is recommended. The route back via Sphinx
Saddle (actually, the saddle 200m W of the one
marked) should take 6-8 hours.!
19th – 20th May!
Banks Peninsula, Pigeon Bay Walkway, Daytrip!
Time: 4-5 hours return !
Cass Lagoon saddle loop!
Time: 2 days!
Grade: Easy
!
!
The walking track starts at the end of Wharf Road,
by the yacht club building. It is about 14 km long,
well signposted and follows a grassy vehicle track
of easy grade. Features include spectacular
coastal views, t&toki trees, akeake, and native
passion vine/k'hia at their southern limits. !
A pleasant walk through beech forest on a well
formed track. Hamilton Hut has to be one of the
best big huts around. Good views to the upper
Waimack from Lagoon saddle and then the
Craigieburns from Cass saddle. Do the loop
anticlockwise to ensure you are going gently down
hill for most of the time.!
Westland National Park, Welcome Flat Hut!
Time: 6 hours one-way!
Grade: Easy – Medium!
The Copland track to Welcome Flat hut is a very
popular medium tramp, with some large natural
hotpools next to the hut.!
Whataroa, Top Butler Hut, Ice Lake, Weekend!
Time: 8 - 9 hours one-way to Top Butler Hut. Ice
Lake from Top Butler Hut 4 hours return. !
Grade: Hard!
From the flats of the lower Whataroa River, the
network of tramping tracks and routes weave up
the three river systems into the heart of the
mountains. Rainforest, raging rivers, massive
boulders, snowy mountain tops and native flora
and fauna feature strongly throughout journeys in
this backcountry area.!
26th – 27th May!
Mid Canterbury, Mt Somers, Woolshed Creek Hut,
Overnight!
Miners Track to Woolshed Creek Hut !
Time: 7 hours one-way!
Mt Somers in mid-Canterbury features rugged
bush, open sub-alpine tussock lands, historic
coalmines, impressive volcanic formations, deep
canyons; it's also home to a fantastic walkway,
created by a group of keen locals called the Mt
Somers Walkways Society.!
!
April 25th%
ANZAC Day - Treasure hunt, Easter themed. A
great chance to practice your TWALK skills%
May 2nd!
TWALK presentation and signing up to the event
(do not miss out!)%
May 9th!
Post-TWALK reminiscing , skills evening and/or
!!
2nd – 3rd June!
Paparoa National Park, Punakaiki, Weekend
Getaway!
Time: Range from 1 hour to 4 hours return!
Grade: Easy – Medium!
Multiple short days walks available in the area
including, Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki Cavern and
many others. !
Paparoa National Park, Punakaiki, Inland Pack
Track !
Time: 2-3 days%
Grade: Medium !
Built in 1867 during the gold-rush to avoid
dangerous coastal travel, the track gives access to
some of the finest features of Paparoa National
Park. There are no huts along the way, but there is
sheltered camping under the Ballroom Overhang,
where there is a toilet. The track is best walked
from the southern or Punakaiki end, as this makes
creekbed navigation at the northern (or Fox River)
end much simpler. !
16th – 17th June!
Snowcraft!
See Instructions page for details!
Meetings Agenda for Term 2!
Every Wednesday night: sign up for the coming
weekend"s trips!!
!
mystery speaker%
May 16th!
Games night%
May 23rd!
Tim Kerr (environmental speaker)%
May 30th!
Clip $n" Climb/climbing night!
CUTC Socials$
The only social calendar you need!
Hello all you wonderful people, I am Terra, your
social officer this year! I have multiple social trips
and parties planned, as outlined below- I hope you
enjoy! !
PARTAY! April 27th!
A good nights dancing and shenanigans! There will
be music, strobe light, lasers and even a smoke
machine!!! It will be a great time for everyone to
get to know each other and have some fun. Trust
me, great tramping plans come out of drunken
nights ;) So put on your dancing shoes, party
frocks and come along! Please check out the info
on FaceBook and invite yourself if you can make
it. More details, including the venue location, will
be announced soon.!
Cocktail Party in the mountains! May 19 - 20th!
A fabulous day of tramping in Arthurs Pass
followed by a gourmet dinner, desserts and of
course cocktails! To cater for different fitness levels
I am planning on holding this at Crow Hut:!
* Easy option: up the Waimakariri and Crow river
that will be a few hours on flat terrain!
* Medium option: over Avalanche Peak. This will
involve a 1000m climb and off track travel above
bush line.!
* Extreme option: go in Fri night, then climb
something on Sat such as Mt. Guinevere, Mt.
Lancelot or Mt. Rolleston.!
# Then everyone can party together on Sat night!
There will be prizes for best dinner, best dessert,
best cocktail and best dressed male and female!
So I expect quality food and drinks and some
appropriate cocktail attire! :)!
PARTAY 2! July - the Friday after Freshers II!
An excuse to dance till you drop and get to know
all the new members!!
#Bush Ball! October 6th - 7th!
Thats right - a ball in the bush! This is an epic
traditional event that is not to be missed! # There
will be music, drinks and general craziness! So
dust off those ball gowns and iron those shirts! The
exact location has not yet been confirmed, but it
will probably be a hut in the Arthurs Pass area. !
Hot Pool Gourmet! Oct 13th - 16th:!
Come along and celebrate the end of your classes
west coast styles! We will head down to the
Welcome Flat hot pools to cook up some feasts
and lounge in some nice warm water!!
#Afterwards there will be lots of chances to go out
on other adventures such as:!
*Ice climbing on the glaciers (no experience
required! Come along and learn to climb).!
* Climb Sefton (this is a serious mountain - so if
you want to do this make sure you have good
alpine, navigation and snow skills and
experience!).!
* Copland Pass (one of New Zealands most
famous alpine pass routes. You need to be
confident on snow, the alpine environment and be
good at navigation to undertake this adventure).!
*Other west coast tramping or climbing!! There are
many many possibilities....!
Tramping Recipes!
By Sophie Kerr and Dave Manning!
This collection of recipes is designed to show how a little extra effort can pay off with your tramping
cuisine. If you are looking to break the monotony of instant noodles and mashed potato, these tried and
tested recipes (note there was no mention of successful) will do the trick.!
Bush Craft Spring Rolls!
Pork Mince!
Mushrooms!
Ginger!
Spring Onion!
Red Wine !
Sugar!
Pastry Sheets!
Oil!
Supplies:!
Wok!
Knife!
Cutting Board!
Grater!
Cook mince mushroom and spring onion up in the wok, wrap
mixture in pastry sheets and fry in oil. To make a dipping sauce
heat red wine with grated ginger, add sugar to taste (quite a lot).!
This recipe requires quite a lot of equipment, to help make room in
your pack we suggest; taking extra wine means you can carry less
water. Leaving your tent behind can save a lot of room, this works
out especially well if it doesn"t rain. Spare clothes can be nice but
sacrificing them for a quality wok makes for nice crispy spring rolls.!
Freshers Tomato Risotto!
Feeds: 100!
2 Bulbs Garlic!
25 Onions!
25 Cans Tomatoes!
100 Mushrooms!
12 Lemon!
50 Cups Rice!
Parsley!
Salt & Pepper!
This should be cooked in batches of 20
servings in a wok, this will maximising
cooking time and ensure the rice burns to the
bottom giving the meal a nice smoky flavour.!
First fry the garlic in some oil, putting all the
garlic in the first batch will provide a handy
reminder to split your ingredients in 5. Then
add onion, tomatoes, mushroom, rice and
Lemon juice. Top up with water and wait for it
to boil. This won"t happen as your little gas
cookers cant heat it up fast enough and many
hours later you will be able to serve some half
cooked rice!!
Bush Ball Tiramisu!
Cream!
Eggs!
Instant Coffee!
Sponge!
Chocolate!
Equipment:!
Two large bowls!
One pot!
One tiny whisk!
Start by making some coffee in which to soak
the sponge, while this is soaking separate
your eggs. Beat the egg whites in one of your
bowls. Due to the tiny whisk this will take
approximately half an hour at which point you
will have slightly frothy eggs. In your pot
gently heat the yolks while beating vigorously.
Due to the tiny whisk and tiny gas burner your
yolks will quickly scramble, this greatly
speeds the thickening process. Using you
other bowl beat the cream if you are
particularly patient this might actually work.
Fold the yolk mixture into the cream then fold
in the egg white mixture. Mix in a spot of
alcohol, this should be easily obtained and
layer mixture with sponge. To finish grate
chocolate of the top. If the tiramisu is quite
runny leave outside overnight to set,
unfortunately your dessert may look a bit
suspicious the next morning given the
occasion.!
Shelter against the elements!
By Tom Alton!
How to choose what type of shelter (tent,
bivvy or tarp) is best for you.!
Tent, bivvy bag or tarp?:!
This often comes down to personal preference,
but there are a number of things to consider.
Tents are usually heavier than a bivvy bag or
tarp, even when shared between 2 or more
people. Unless of course you hire a yak
(boyfriend). However, a tent can offer better
protection from the ground and elements when
camping in#exposed places. It also gives much
more room than a bivvy bag to manoeuvre
when its wet, although if pitched right a tarp
makes the ultimate cooking shelter. A tent# is
easier to erect than a tarp when in areas
where# there is little to hang it from# and
generally requires less experience# once you
are familiar with your particular model. If
spending the night on small ledges half way up
a mountain is your idea of fun, then I would
definitely recommend a bivvy bag.!
Number of people:!
How many people are going to be using it? Just
you, a few friends or maybe#you#need to leave
space for getting lucky? A bivvy bag can work
well for one person. A tent of some description
is probably the most common choice for 2 or
more, but the only limit with a tarp is how high
you're prepared to stack the bodies. Most tents
suitable for using in the mountains don't sleep
many more than 4 ppl. Or if they do they are
often heavy or too large to split up between a
group easily. It is harder to find suitable places
to pitch larger tents and they can be more
susceptible to bad weather due to their
increased height etc.!
Space:!
Do you want to be able to store your gear
inside#the tent? Or just in the vestibule (porch)?
Or are you happy just to put everything in your
pack liner#and leave it completely outside? You
won't be getting much more than you and your
teddy into a bivvy bag, so if you want space for
having sex then the extra investment in a tent is
definitely worth while (a tarp is a little exposed,
unless you're in a secluded area). Check the
tent when erected in a shop before you
purchase, some manufacturers claims of the
capacity are quite exaggerated and vice versa.!
Conditions:!
What time of year do you want to be using your
shelter? If you intend to use it in winter or plan to
go camping when you know there is likely to be
bad weather you will want a more sturdy shelter
than if you don't. Even if you do want to
occasionally use it during winter, there might not
be any point in carrying around lots of extra
weight, when 90% of the time you will be using it
during the summer.!
Poles:!
Unless it's a bivvy bag you're going to need them.
And even some of the fancier models of those
have them, which can help keep the bag off your
face therefore making it less claustrophobic and
aiding ventilation[3]. '
One-pole tent!
Walking pole tent!
If you're pitching a tarp where there are no trees etc
then walking poles and some good guy ropes can
work well. Mountain Hardwear once made a tent
that used only a walking pole[4], although the
recent models (Hoopster and Hoopla) do have one
further pole. And one day I plan to make a "proper"
tent that uses only two walking poles. Until then,
look for aluminium alloy poles[5] rather than
fibreglass ones[6] as they are much lighter.
Generally speaking, the more poles the sturdier the
tent will be.!
Aluminium alloy poles!
Fibreglass poles!
Ventilation:!
Good ventilation is key at almost any time of year, particularly if your tent-mate farts lots. Even in the middle
of winter the moisture from your breath can make the inside of a tent quite wet (frosty) if there is not enough
air flow out of the inner tent. A few well placed mesh panels are key in this regard. Bivvy bags can make you
think you've woken up in the Waimak, so a beathable fabric is probably worth considering if you intend to
use it often. In terms of good ventilation a tarp surely wins hands down though?!
Tent types:!
Very few tents use only one pole; mostly only lightweight single person models[7]. A lot of tunnel tents (such
as the Macpac Minnaret[8]) and simple dome tents[9] use two poles, which are strong enough for most
weather conditions if well guy roped out. Some 3/4 season tents use three poles in a myriad of variations on
the simple dome[10], which add some extra strength. Or if you want to go the whole way then look for full
geodesic dome tents using four poles or more. E.g. Mountain Hardwear Trango2[11]. 'A' frame tents with
straight rigid poles have mostly gone out of fashion, but if you find a cheap Vango Force Ten tent[12] it would
probably be worth its weight in gold, which would be a great deal more than Marryatt's pay rise.!
Single-poled one man tent!
Macpac Minnaret!
Dome tent!
Vango Force Ten!
( season dome!
Mountain Hardwear Trango2!
Pegs:!
Pretty key too, but don't base your buying decision on the pegs. If they're not what you want you can always
get a different set for not much money. You will probably have to buy "extra" pegs when you first get your
tent anyway, as most manufacturers are sneaky and never give you enough for all the pegging and guying
points - either because it would cost them more or because they can make the packed weight of the tent
look less on their spec sheet if they leave them out. Alloy ones are much lighter than steel and worth the
money. If you are worried about them being strong enough to spear possums with then look for ones with a
profiled cross-section[2] (as opposed to a round cross-section like wire ones have[1]), such as a v-shape.
Also make sure the point is well sharpened to pierce the tough skin.!
Round wire pegs!
V-shape!
Ground sheet:!
A good ground sheet is essential in the wet. If you're looking for one in
a tent, then they will usually be built into the inner. A "bath tub" style[13],
where the ground sheet rises up at the edges by# approx 10cm, is the
way to go. Look for waterproof seams that are sealed, usually with
tape. The thicker the material the more robust it will be, but there is an
inevitable trade off against weight.!
“bath tub” ground sheet!
Windows:!
Waste of time in my opinion. What do you need a window for when you can reach the door from
practically any position? If a tent does have them, then just be sure they are properly UV resistant and
won't crack and degrade in the sun. Reading some reviews is usually a good place to find out for real.!
Flysheet:!
Make sure it is well constructed and pretty waterproof. If seams are not sealed or taped, you can buy
silicone and do them yourself and if its waterproofness deteriorates over time, then reproofing is often a
good idea. The more lines of stitching the better, especially around stress points such as pegging and
guying points. There's nothing that will stop a Kea if it decides it wants to investigate the contents of
your tent, so just make sure you get enough good photos of it being mischievous that you can sell them
to pay for repairing the damage[14].!
Flysheet damage!
Inner:!
Apart from ventilation and ground sheets (discussed earlier)
look at what shape will suit you best. If you're tall and lanky
then look for a long thin shape. If you look more like a potato
then short and wide will be more your cup of tea (3 sugars?).
Pockets are also good for keeping everything organised - so
you can find your head torch when you're desperate for a piss
in the night.!
Guy ropes:!
The more attachment points the better and some of them at
least want to be relatively high on the tent. You can always
take some off if you want to save weight, but they are pretty
important in keeping a tent up in high winds. Just make sure
they have been tied on before you first use the tent, or that
you know how to tie them on, as to save money some
manufacturers don't do this for you. Don't make any buying
decisions based on the type or length of guy line. For very
little you can always change them to super light, glow in the
dark (they exist[15]), Kevlar, Teflon coated, miracle guy lines if
you want. I don't think I've ever seen a guy line break though.
It's always the tent (or the owner) that goes first.#!
Happy camping!!
Glow in the dark lines!
Rogaining!
When meeting and getting to know new people, a
fairly common question is "Do you play any
sports?" Apart from one surprising case, my
answer of "I'm pretty keen on rogaining" is always
met with a response like "Rogaining?", "Ro-whatnow?", or "Is that something to do with hair loss?”!
The answer is no - rogaining is an awesome
sport that you should get yourself involved with,
pronto.!
A short description of rogaining might be: "Long
distance strategic cross-country navigation
sport". Personally, I like to call it a cross between
tramping and a treasure hunt. If you're familiar
with orienteering, hashing, or TWALK, rogaining
is a similar sport. The general idea is that teams
are given a map of the event area shortly before
the start, this map has circles on it showing the
location of the checkpoints ('controls'). Each team
then uses the time before the start to plan a route
that maximises the number of points they can
collect within the period of the event - short
rogaines tend to be around three hours long, and
long ones can be up to 24 hours in length.!
Rogaining differs from orienteering, hashing, and
to a lesser extent TWALK in that strategy plays a
big part in the success of a team. It is very
feasible for a very fit and fast team to be beaten
by a slower team that has a much better route
plan. Being able to adjust the plan during the
event is also important. Controls have different
point values - for example, a control up on top of
a hill or in an awkward location might be worth 90
points while a control on the side of a main track
might only be worth 10 points. This adds another
consideration when planning a route.!
Some history of the sport: Rogaining was
invented in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1940's,
and shares some heritage with the CUTC's
TWALK event, which was also first run in
Melbourne. Despite their foresight in creating
such a fantastic sport, the founders' still named
their new sport using the time-honoured method
of eight-year-olds: take a few letters from each
person's name and chuck them together. Thus
ROd, GAIl, and NEil dubbed their new event a
'rogaine'.!
This year's world championship event in the
Czech Republic is the 10th such event. The 9th
event, in 2010, was held just up the road from us,
in Cheviot, and the 2000 event was held near
Christchurch. New Zealand (and particularly
Christchurch) loves its rogaining. Aside from
Australia and NZ, rogaining seems to have a
foothold mainly in Eastern Europe, with some
activity also in USA.!
Rogaines tend not to be on every weekend, since
they take some time to organise (although there's
a pretty good weekly series in New Plymouth),
but the NZ Rogaining Association keeps a pretty
useful calendar of events on their website
(www.rogaine.org.nz). If you think rogaining
sounds like a bit of you (and let's be honest, it
does, because it's so much fun you'll never need
sex again), then feel free to talk to someone at a
club meeting about it - the rogainers I'm aware of
on the committee are Tobi, Euan, Wouter,
Sharon, Charlotte, and myself, with varying
amounts of experience. There are also other
rogainers hiding out amongst the rank and file of
the club, so keep your eyes open...!
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