Serpentine Range

15-18 January 2024

Traversing the Serpentine Range had been on my bucket list for many years and recently a weather window of three days provided the opportunity to finally complete the trip. Last year I realised traversing the tops is generally more difficult than one assumes and the fact that traversing the Serpentine Range was difficult, proved this to be so, although it was highly rewarding. Because of the glaciated rock outcrops and numerous small bluffs it is not a range to traverse during inclement conditions and poor visibility.

Around midday, Raymond, Linda and me set off from the Routeburn Shelter towards Harris Saddle. We passed numerous groups of trampers, many with guides, stopping at the Routeburn Falls Hut for a breather after the seven hundred plus metres of steady climb. Above the hut the landscape was all new to me. When I walked the track in 2014 this section of the track had been covered in murk. The track sidles around wetlands and looking back from the saddle we admired the Route Burn meandering through the flats within high, vertical rock walls. Above Lake Harris we were treated to great views up to the ‘Valley of the Trolls’.

At Harris Saddle we left the main track. A muddy track indicated the route was a popular choice for trampers, many camping by the outlet of Lake Wilson. We sidled around Lake Harris into the Valley of the Trolls. Finding a dry campsite was tricky on the boggy flats and our party wasn’t keen to climb the two hundred metres up the steep gully to camp with the crowd at Lake Wilson. Fortunately we found, what must be, the only dry spot in the valley. To top off a wonderful day and delightful evening, Raymond cooked up a delicious gourmet dinner of laksa with salmon, prawns and tofu. After a cold, clear evening, we woke the next morning to frost.

The gut on the true left of the waterfall seems to offer a daunting two hundred metre, steep climb to Lake Wilson, however it was relatively easy and quick. The only tricky bit was a climb over a rock that slopes downwards with limited holds. There is good camping by the lake. A large boulder above the lake outlet provides excellent views back over the Valley of the Trolls to Harris Saddle plus the vast expanse of the Lake Wilson basin and the surrounding mountains.

We were keen on mountain views so decided to traverse the tops to the south and west of the lake, up to point 1561, over to points 1680 and 1772. Most trampers seem to take the eastern route below Mt Erebus. Once on the tops everywhere we looked there were mountains and we enjoyed spectacular views of the lake back to the Routeburn as far away as Lake McKellar, the Hollyford Valley, Darran Mountains to Martins Bay and the Humbolt Mountains.

Several times during our traverse we became bluffed and searched for an alternative route that required either descending or ascending. Point 1680 appeared to be an obstacle until we found a straightforward route on the west side of the peak, about 20 to 30m below the summit. At the western end of the basin stands point 1807. The summit is a jumble of boulders. On top were three trampers, who recently completed a pack-rafting trip round the Pyke and Hollyford. They knew of the Peninsula Tramping Club and were impressed by the trips offered and mentioned they’d considered joining.

We continued along the glaciated tops for another three kilometres to our intended campsite at the tarn below point 1550, ascending and descending rocky outcrops, then sidling through tussock, snow-grass and boulder scree slopes. At one point we discussed whether to push through to point 1550 or camp on the flatter areas around points 1489 and 1410. We decided, however, to carry on in case the forecasted weather came earlier than predicted, to avoid being caught in murk. 

By late afternoon a westerly wind started to pick up and by chance, just north of point 1697 we happened upon small tarns nestled among rock outcrops that offered a small but relatively sheltered campsite. We dropped packs and wandered along the tops to the large tarn, looking for better campsites and were surprised to find a point 1550 tarn around a hundred metres below us. With not a lot of choice, the former campsite was the unanimous preference. Shortly after dinner the stiff breeze chased us into our tents and kept us awake for most of the night.

Despite our fears of inclement weather we awoke to a clear morning. Cloud, however, began to roll in from the west and shrouded the tops, obscuring our views. The large tarn below point 1550 had a number of good, well-used campsites, including one with a rock wall shelter. The south-west spur provided the easiest route up the large slabs of rock to the top of point 1550. Just north of 1550 we encountered a large bluff. This feature doesn’t show on the topographic map, and is recorded only as a contour line. There didn’t appear to be many options for descent. We spent a bit of time looking for a way down and managed to scramble safely down a steep, rocky gut, then ascend around point 1555.

Cloud was beginning to cover the range. As we approached North Col, we picked our way towards a rocky bench, about 1600m on the east side of point 1796. Occasional cairns began to increase in frequency, reassuring us we were on the right route as we approached and descended to North Col. A large boulder offered some respite from the wind and entertainment arrived in the form of a cheeky and very inquisitive juvenile kea that willingly posed for the camera.

The descent from North Col was straightforward as the snow banks had diminished and weren’t an obstacle. Travel down the valley was a bit slower than we had expected. Cairns in or on the banks often led nowhere, and much of the former track was overgrown. In many places the river offered easier travel. With the cloud and the wind left behind at the Col, the afternoon became sunny and hot and we were enticed into the river for a dip to cool down. We carried on down the north branch and camped in a lovely spot beside the beech forest, next to the river until sandflies chased us into our tents after dinner.

Next morning, we were greeted by a cloudy sky and rain. The rain began to set in as we arrived back on the RouteBurn Track. Within a few hours we’d walked to the car and headed off to ‘civilisation'—Fergburgers in Queenstown. We were: Raymond Ford (Leader), Linda Lilburne and Sonja Risa.   (SR)