Paparoa's Traverse: Euclid to Faraday

I was able to pick some beaut autumn weather for the 4^th and final section of my northern Paparoa’s traverse, and this was to be the longest and hardest one.  Starting out in the late afternoon from Costello Hill I made quick time on the old logging road and track to the bush line below Fleming.  After a good night under the trees it was all go on a spectacular West Coast morning.  Standing on Fleming with the ultimate goals of Mendel and Faraday far in the distance, it was time to simply concentrate on the immediate route ahead of me.

Looking south from Fleming

I reached the base of Euclid quickly enough and from here it was going to be all new territory until Faraday.  The basins on the southern side of Euclid proved to be good going, and it wasn’t long before I was back on the main range climbing to Pt 1405.

Tarn below Euclid

Looking back at the impressive south face of Euclid

On the Three Sisters

Travel was straight forward on the western side of Rutherford and over the Three Sisters.  By mid-afternoon I was approaching Einstein, which proved somewhat slower going, and fatigue was starting to set in.  From here I could see the route to Mendel, which looked liked it was going to be the crux, and would possibly require some serious route finding.  With the afternoon quickly advancing achieving my goal of reaching the tarn below Mendel for the night was looking uncertain.

The north ridge of Mendel

I continued on and found good going on the eastern side of the ridge to Mendel, and was stoked to reach the top in fading light.  After taking a few moments to reflect on a great day, I began the slow and careful descent to the tarn.

The ridge from Mendel to Faraday

Fine weather the next morning, and only the relatively short distance to Faraday remaining to be covered, resulted in a much more relaxed mood during the 4 hours to the tarns below Faraday.  I found good going on the eastern side of Currie, but would consider going over the ridge in future.  The last stretch from Currie is a little slow going but otherwise straight forward.

Tarn below Faraday

Currie from the south

With still a day to spare it was time to have a well earned rest before heading up to the top of Faraday to catch the evening light and enjoy the see of rugged peaks.  

Northern Paparoa range from Faraday. Done!

Sleeping high in the basins below Faraday wasn’t such a good decision, as a strong northerly came up during the night, and by morning rain was looking imminent.  Having climbed Faraday on a previous trip the route along the main ridge and down to the Nile River was familiar.  After an hour along the river I joined up with the old logging road located on the southern terraces.  By this stage the rain had eased and the weather was looking a lot brighter.  So after 4 trips over 15 months the northern Paparoa’s traverse was complete, and it was time to start thinking about where to go next.