Here's the full story...!
We set off from Christchurch early Saturday morning, and drove just north of Murchison. Following the Owen River Valley, we were planning to hike up to Mt. Owen and depending on weather conditions, perhaps over to Granity Pass Hut and back out via another track. After five river crossings, the track climbs steeply up through the forest until just beneath Sunrise Peak. We found a small emergency shelter in the forest, which was basic to say the least, but would definitely be welcome if there weren't any other options! Above the bushline there is no track, and we bush-bashed our way across the face covered in roots and spaniards, before a short snow climb with ice axe and crampons to the top. My first time using ice axe & crampons! It was good fun, and not too difficult, yet I did think coming down might not be so comfortable.
We set up camp just below Sunrise Peak, where the views were magnificent over the valley area and towards the higher peaks. We continued on along the ridge, bouldering a little and scrambling up towards Mt. Owen. The area is beautiful - part of Lord of the Rings was filmed here and standing on the rocky outcrops amongst snow-covered peaks made us feel on top of the world! We didn't have enough time to make the top of Mt. Owen that night but returned to the tents and had dinner just before the rain set in.
It poured all night and the wind was pretty strong - our tent was not exactly top quality, and I definitely wonder why I picked the side at the bottom of the slope - half of my sleeping bag was pretty wet in the morning but luckily it wasn't too cold up there. We re-considered our options while sitting in the tent waiting for the weather to clear...and played several games of A to Z, memory, and rummy. Eventually we decided to head back the way we'd come and find something else to do on the Monday, so we made a 'run for it' and packed up quickly during the next pause in rain. It had already started again before we got going, so we were wet and cold to begin with which wasn't great. I wasn't really looking forward to the initial section because it was so steep and the conditions made the ground really wet, muddy and slippy.
Every step was slow and cautious going down the steep open section we'd climbed up, and I knew I'd be happy to reach the ridge just above the bushline. Unfortunately that didn't happen for a while. Dave, Patrick & I wore crampons to descend the first section, and we were all wearing helmets and using our ice axes for a bit of extra grip. Visibility was about 25 metres at most so we were taking it really slowly and shouting to each other every so often. Anthony was at the back of the group, and must have just slipped on the wet grass - the hill was basically covered in tussocky grass and spaniard bushes, and at about a 45 degree angle. With the weight of his pack nothing could stop him from falling for a long way, and it was about 130 metres before something finally did. I felt frozen to the mountain seeing him go right past me, and although my legs were already shaking a bit with cold, they were certainly shaking twice as much after that. The next half hour before we reached him felt like a day.
Dave was well prepared (thank goodness), and after setting up a tent to get Anthony into (it was still raining), the four of us managed to move him slowly inside. He wasn't able to talk when we first reached him, although he was still conscious, and he could move his legs so I knew there wasn't any spinal damage. Moving him was difficult (he's a big guy!) and obviously quite painful for him, but we didn't have a lot of choice. However, the slope was so steep that for us to get in and out of the tent was difficult, and we were still in a pretty dangerous position. Dave and Anthony both had climbing harnesses with them so we attached one to Anthony (not the easiest thing to do when he couldn't move himself and every time we tried to adjust him it was causing him pain). Dave anchored his rope into the hill with ice axes, then connected his rope to the harness and we got Anthony into a slightly more comfortable position.
We took it in turns to talk to him, adjust sleeping bags, thermorests and jackets around him, support him from outside the tent (Marcel & Patrick mainly - I don't know how they didn't freeze or cramp) and fix the "shelter" we'd set up around him. We were extremely lucky because my mobile phone got a small amount of reception, which allowed us to contact the emergency services, and although I couldn't hear much they said, we at least knew they were aware of the situation. As the afternoon wore on and the weather didn't change much, we knew the chances of a rescue helicopter making it up to us that day were slight, but we hoped a rescue team might be sent by foot as well.
We cut our brightly coloured pack liners up to mark out the area in case a helicopter tried to reach us, and made some hot drinks in an attempt to stay warm. We'd used a lot of our gear to try and keep Anthony warm so we knew that two people would probably have to walk out that night, while the other two would stay with Anthony. Nobody had arrived by 5:30pm (he fell around 11:45am) and we needed to get going if we were to make the river crossings at the bottom before dark. The boys made a unanimous vote for me to walk out (which in retrospect I'm really glad about) because I was pretty cold and shivering a lot. Dave came with me, while Marcel & Patrick drew the short straws to stay overnight. It was a nervy crossing through bush and tussocks before we reached the ridge, and then a long and steep climb down through the forest - at this point it felt much safer though, because despite it being slippery and us falling a couple of times, there were plenty of trees to grab onto and stop us from going very far!
Seeing the three men and two dogs on their way up was a massive relief - I felt that especially for Marcel & Patrick who would have help with Anthony. We were told another team with paramedics were to be heading up later that night, but it looked like a helicopter wouldn't be able to get there until the morning. The river crossings were slightly harder than the previous day - they were now above our waists as opposed to our knees and the current was flowing faster. We linked arms through the waistband of each other's packs (my first time using river crossing techniques as well!), and whether or not that actually made a difference, I think we felt safer crossing together just due to the situation we were in. Making it back to the car was a great feeling, and a police officer was arriving just as we got there. After waiting for "Team 2" and giving the paramedics some information on the accident and Anthony's condition, we headed to the police station. I thought I might hug the lady when she said there was a shower and hot food, but then I felt really guilty for the other two on the hill. (I was a bit jealous the next morning when we thought they were going to get lifted out by the helicopter though...but that didn't happen in the end!)
After spending the night in the backpackers, we hung around Murchison the next day, hoping the weather would clear and waiting for news on Anthony's condition. 
The chopper couldn't get in for low clouds still, although the rain had stopped the evening before, and we were told Marcel & Patrick were starting to walk out with some of the rescue team. Shortly after they made it back to Murchison (and had their well-deserved hot shower and food!) we heard the helicopter had managed to winch Anthony out on the stretcher and was on its way to Nelson - RELIEF!!! He was incredibly lucky to come through without any serious injuries, and not even a broken bone - thanks to the helmet, the pack and whatever eventually stopped his fall.
Now its over it all seems very exciting, but it was certainly pretty scary at the time. I'm not planning anything too savage for this weekend - maybe just spinning and running so there's not too far to fall. Plus a few celebratory drinks which I think we all deserve - especially after the police statement in the paper said that we "did everything right". Well done guys!
The overview...
Where do I start? This was a slightly SCARY weekend to say the least...but all's well that ends well.
The Owen Valley area is beautiful, and on Saturday the weather was good, making the hike up to Sunrise Peak a good one. After a steep climb, and a short section using ice axes and crampons (my first time - exciting!) we scrambled and bouldered along the ridge towards the top of Mt. Owen, then returned to camp just beneath Sunrise Peak for the night.
Unfortunately the weather changed dramatically over night so our plans did too,
and the next morning we decided to hike down the way. The conditions were bad - rain, wind and poor visibility, making the ground muddy and slippy, so we put on crampons again to make our way down the steep slope. I remember thinking I would definitely be happy to reach the ridge track above the bushline again, but six hours later we were still on the side of the mountain. Anthony had a bad fall, and after an extremely slow and shaky descent to reach him, we realised that getting down the mountain was not going to be our only challenge of the afternoon.
In some ways luck was on our side - my mobile phone had some reception so the rescue services were alerted, and although a helicopter couldn't get to the site that day (due to the poor visibility), a couple of teams with paramedics were sent up to help. Having used most of our gear to keep Anthony warm, there wasn't enough for everyone to stay another night, and in the cold and pouring rain it seemed more sensible for two people to get out anyway. Dave and I walked out that night, while Marcel & Patrick stayed on the hill with Anthony and the rescue teams. I don't think I relaxed my quad muscles the entire way down because I was so nervous, and they hurt for three days afterwards!
We were VERY relieved to see the rescue teams on their way up as we made our way down, and to know that Anthony would be okay. He was winched out the next day at 2:30pm (when the clouds finally cleared a little) and flown to Nelson hospital, and apart from a few broken teeth, he amazingly escaped any serious injuries. I think we're all planning a quiet couple of days this weekend!
See more pics!
