Holding on to your pantaloons on the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track

Tony and I found this written on a DOC track marker at a steeper and frozen section of the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track. Of course, we then held tightly onto our pantaloons as we continued down the track and it became a running joke for the rest of the trip.

We had planned to do a traverse of the Black Range from Mt Bruce through to Cass Saddle before looping back around on the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track.

From Cora Lynn Road the track took us up the hill in a gentle gradient through beautiful beech forest. Before the bush edge it changed into pine forest, then we were soon out among the tussock slopes which offered great views down into the Waimakariri River.

We decided to spend the night at Lagoon Saddle Hut or rather the “Garden Shed” as I nicknamed it as it got no winter sun so everything around it was frozen and the hut was very dark inside from a total lack of windows and only one small skylight.

We had hoped to get a fire going outside the hut to toast sausage, garlic bread and marshmallows but one quick look at all the frozen wood convinced us that it wouldn’t be worth the effort.

After defrosting ourselves the next morning we ventured back up the hill, leaving the track near the tree edge so we could walk around the western flanks of Mt Bruce. We soon realised we would have to climb further up Mt Bruce rather than aiming directly for the saddle between Bruce and Point 1672 as planned because the scree in a deep gully was frozen and too dangerous to cross.

We ended up not being too far off the summit and I teased Tony that we should just climb to the top but he was determined not to – simply to taunt “Brucey” he claimed.

On the southern side we found some hard snow that was good cramponing, but at the lower edge all the scree slopes down to the saddle were also frozen.

We both decided that for safety we needed to abandon our plan of traversing the Black Range as the frozen scree was simply too dodgy as it would have been like trying to walk on marbles on ice and there would likely be a lot more of it to come.

These conditions have had fatal consequences before in New Zealand. If there had been more snow coverage, it would have been possible to crampon down but winter conditions always demand flexibility and often a Plan B for safety.

We decided to retrace our steps and head down and camp among the beech trees near the “Lagoon Tarn” – our name for it since it didn’t fit the definition of a lagoon but rather a tarn.

We found a little island of beech trees near the tarn and set up camp. This time there was plenty of dry fire wood to get a fire going to toast our dinner all the while listening to the frogs calling from the nearby partially frozen tarns.

Once back on the track again next morning we found it very easy through beech forest although with quite a bit of tree-fall to clamber over. Tony had an unexpected dip in a creek after a slip while crossing. I was caught between laughter and horror. [Mostly laughter. – Ed.] But he quickly dried out in the sun during our lunch break at West Harper Hut.

We had a visit from a kea and some bell birds in the afternoon, and made the side trip up to Mirror Tarn which was partially frozen. We both enjoyed looking out from the viewpoint to the Craigieburn Range with Hamilton Peak and Nervous Knob that we had both climbed and Tony had skied off a few years ago.

At Hamilton Hut we decided to call it a day. Tony and I took turns splitting firewood and by the time we had finished we had a roaring fire going and plenty of wood to leave in the hut for the next occupants.

We ended up pulling mattresses around and sleeping in front of the fire and the fire was still going the next morning!

From Hamilton Hut we started climbing towards Cass Saddle. The saddle is through avalanche pathways so the amount of snow and avalanche risk must be considered but at the time we were up there was no accumulated snow above the saddle so it was perfectly safe.

We had great views from the saddle in all directions. We stopped for lunch at Cass Saddle Hut and I sneakily hid Tony’s walking pole in the chimney and enjoyed watching him try to remember where he had put it for a few minutes. [Going on Sarah trips is not always easy. – Ed.]

Cass Saddle Hut is in great condition and would be a nice place to spend a night. From here we decided to see how long it would take us to walk out to Cass on whether we camped or hitched around to our car at Bealey Hut and stay the night there.

It was an easy downhill walk to the river. We both felt like the final few kms out to SH73 seemed never ending, but when we finally got there and Tony tried hitching, we were rewarded with the very first car that drove past stopping to give him a ride around to our car back at Cora Lynn Road.

Highly recommended