The Garden of Eden and Allah Ice Plateaus

The next day we found that apparently getting off the Lambert Glacier wasn’t going to be straight forward either. The line to exit via the O’Neil Glacier we first attempted involved a little too much rock climbing and a massive chasm (it’s denoted as a glacier on the map).

We ended up backtracking and then having a discussion about our plan. We could try and get out to the east via Lambert Col or try to continue up a steep snow slope to gain the O’Neil Glacier.

I was keen to avoid the problem of high rivers as in 2024, as were the others, so we found a route upwards that looked doable.

It involved a mixture of climbing up a steep snow slope and wedging ourselves into snow shelves next to rocks. The consequences of a fall here were constantly in the back of my mind so I was making sure every step was locked in before I moved again.

Once at the top of this climb, we were on the O’Neil Glacier and able to relax again for a bit before we needed more teamwork to get up an awkward climb over a rock step.

Mathew scaled up and gave Emily and me a bit of a helping hand. The rain then increased and the visibility decreased as we traversed around Mt Stoddart on scree terrain.

When we were past pt 1544 the terrain flattened off but what once would have been a nice camping area next to the stream was strewn with boulders. We continued with a Type 2 bush bash through dracophyllum trees on a very steep descent to the Lord River.

It was a whole-body workout with some rather funny moments such as when my pack got caught above my head while trying to squeeze under a tree and Emily watched me inadvertently do two backflips while losing my balance trying to climb over a branch.

By the time we got to the Lord River we were very glad to have the bush bash behind us and get out of the rain and into dry clothes. Although we had managed to get down, it would have been nearly impossible, and certainly miserable to go up that route.

Mad Water was running fast and furious the next morning after a night of continual rain but we all managed to get across safely.

I did some more cursing at all the large and slippery boulders in the stream bed as we climbed towards the sidle to False Blue Lookout, but luckily a circus of kea turned up to distract us. I think they were cackling away at me constantly falling over on all the boulders

I was very glad once we were back in tussock on the sidle, Emily pointing out a rock wren along the way. With the tussock being wet and on steep terrain, we had to ensure we didn’t go for a slide.

Getting to Blue Lookout was like trying to find our way through a maze of huge boulders that dwarfed us all.

At Blue Lookout I think we all felt a real sense of achievement over what we had done over the last few days. The hard work was now behind us as we would be back on tracks for the rest of the trip.

We decided to each do the descent to Hunters Hut at our own paces. Mathew sped down with Emily not long behind him and with me doing my best impression of being a ‘downhill nana’ that I’m well known for, and doing a bit of first aid along the way as the chafing on my legs was still painful with each step.

After not seeing anyone since our first day, we suddenly had a lot of company in the hut with another group also on their way out from an epic trip.

We had fun with the cableway the next morning and enjoyed spotting a few whio paddling along peacefully in the Wanganui River.

Before the road we passed by some natural hot pools in a side stream of the Wanganui River and took a well-deserved soak.

Making it into the Adams Wilderness Area to traverse the Garden of Eden and Garden of Allah all in one day still feels a bit surreal.

The entire trip was the most challenging and rewarding trip I have done as a baby dinosaur.  I shredded two pairs of gloves and finished the trip covered in bruises, cuts and grazes but it was absolutely worth it all.

I think this trip has encouraged us to dream big and aim for more trans-alpine tramps, and that the best view really does come after the hardest climb.