Newsletter 44
Southland Sea Kayakers
6 April 2008
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Most of the action in the southern sea kayaking has been by overseas folk this summer. First we had Freya Hoffmeister coming through in January and in February Babs Lindman from Sweden also circumnavigating the South Island. We hosted Babs during her stay in Southland and had an informal evening and talk by her for interested SSKN members. Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw from the UK were next on the scene and Jacqui and Tim Anderson hosted them during their sojourn here. They were the third party to circumnavigate the South Island this summer. Last month Misha Hoichman from Israel did a solo kayaking trip around the Fiordland Coast in 13 days from Te Waewae Bay to Milford Sound. In February Simon Marwick and Stanley did an 18 day kayaking/ packraft/climbing trip around the Middle Fjords of Fiordland covering a distance of 206 Kilometre, 60 kilometres of sea kayaking, 54 kilometres of packrafting and 12,000 metres of combined ascent and descent. Currently Max and Melanie(Melz) Grant, Ian and Bob are making their way from Doubtful Sound to Te Waewae Bay. You can follow their route on their website http://www.q-kayaks.co.nz/pages/news.asp.
Expedition blog They are raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation which they are sponsoring. There is a link on their blog site to make a donation and Id encourage folk using the site to contribute.
Meetings:
15 April Gumotex 2 Expedition:
Combined Southland Section of the Alpine Club and Southland Sea Kayaking Network Meeting Tuesday 15 April at 7.30PM
A Presentation on the Gumotex 2 expedition by Stanley Mulvany with a demonstration of the packrafts used on the trip plus stunning photography of remote places in Middle Fiordland. Where: The Invercargill City Library Meeting Room, upstairs top of elevator and turn around. Access is via the alley between the Tuatara Backpackers and the Speights Ale House. Parking can be had at the back of the building in Leven Street. The library is open then so access is by front door. There is a door charge of $3.00PP
22 April Fiordland Expedition by Misha Hoichman
Presentation by Misha Hoichman on Tuesday evening 22 April at 7.30 PM at the Mulvanys, 96 Redmayne Road, Myross Bush.
Our address is 96 Redmayne Road., Myross Bush, Invercargill ph 2157263
Directions: From Invercargil going north along Queens Drive turn right into Bainfield Road. Take the 3rd road on the left called Redmayne road and we are the 3rd house on the right past counting the corner house. From Winton turn left at the first traffic lights on North road into Bainfield road and go straight through the roundabout and take the 3rd road on the left into Redmayne road.
Kayaks for Sale
I received this message from Alon Ohad. If interested contact please contact Alon at [email protected]
Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw are now circumnavigating the South Island (NZ) http://www.cackletv.com/new-zealand.html.
The boats were given to them by Nigel Dennis, it is two NDK Explorer: http://www.seakayakinguk.com/kayaks/range/explorer.html I am not sure about the color.
Nigel Dennis is now looking for someone in NZ to buy the boats. They were new in the beginning of the trip, and should be in a fairly good condition.
So Please spread the word and I will make the connection with Nigel (who is currently in Australia).
All the best
Alon
Stanleys Fujita 500Ex folding kayak Teal Deck and Charcoal hull. Expedition material. Rudder. Sea Sock and own backpack. 5 Metres length, 63 cm beam, weight 18kg (minus rudder). Carrying capacity 160kg, packed size 100x37x35 cm, assembly time 15-30 minutes, 3 yrs old and in excellent condition as hardly used. Price $2500.00. Contact Stanley Mulvany [email protected] or phone 03-2157263.
As a matter of interest folding kayaks are approximately double the cost of hard shell kayaks and their main attributes are easy of transportation and lightness. My one is a good buy.
Didymo:
I have just received the following email from Martin Genet with some good news on Didymo.
Hi Stan,
A few months back I sent you an article about the didymo in Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri and the risk of people including kayakers transferring this into the tributaries of these lakes. I also mentioned that none of the Eastern tributaries are didymo infected and would update you on any resampling that we do. I am pleased to be able to say that following an extensive sampling programme covering North, South, East and Western Fiordland we have not found didymo present in any more rivers. This leaves only the Eglinton, Hollyford, Wairaurihiri and the Deep Cove Tail Race as the only known rivers in Fiordland to contain didymo. Long may it last!
Feel free to pass this news on amongst KASK if you wish.
Thanks,
Martin
Martin Genet | Ranger, Biodiversity | Department of Conservation
Lakefront Drive, P.O.Box 29, Te Anau 9640
Ph: (03) 249 0200 | email: [email protected]
Cold Water Immersion
This is a summary of an excellent article on this pertinent subject in the February edition of American Sea Kayaker magazine by Chris Brooks.
Water does not need to be drastically cold to kill you. You can drown quickly if you are not mentally and physically prepared for cold immersion. There are 4 recognised stages
Cold Shock- kills in 3-5 minutes
Swimming failure- Kills in 5-30 minuts
Hypothermia- Kills in 30 minutes
Post-rescue collapse-kills during or hours after rescue
The first two causes account for about 50% of fatalities. Cold Shock occurs mostly in water below 15 C ( common locally in the surrounding ocean and nearly always in our Great Southern lakes). The colder the water the more severe and faster the onset of cold shock. You cannot will it not to happen. It begins with rapid skin cooling. Then there is an huge inspiratory gasp followed by severe hyperventilation ( up to 65 resp/minute). In water < 15C your breath holding ability is reduced by up to 50% and if near zero it may be as low as 12 seconds. Hyperventilation will make you dizzy, cause muscle spasms in limbs and chest and risk inspirating water. It only takes 150 mls of water in the upper airways to cause drowning which is a combination of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. Cold shock lasts only a few minutes so if you can survive that we have the next hurdle Swimming Failure.
Swimming Failure is caused by rapid cooling of muscles and nerves and can kill in 5-30 minutes after immersion. It is caused when the mouth and nose can no longer be kept above the surface. It is very dangerous to swim in cold water. Normally the angle of the body swimming is about 18 but this increases as the body cools so that it becomes more vertical as the person becomes more exhausted. Shouting for help decreases buoyancy and causes the body to sit vertically in the water. Without a PFD the person sinks beneath the waves. The rapid onset of weakness and cold induced incoordination makes rescue that much harder. Simple tasks now become incredibly difficult to perform.
Psychology of Survival.
In an emergency situation situation our ability to process information is severely curtailed so rescue or capsize recovery should be well thought out in advance. There is little time to loose as the life clock ticks away. Therefore regular practice of self and assisted rescue is so vital for sea kayakers. Then there is the Self Denial mentality, it will never happen to me. Wrong! do enough sea kayaking like mountain climbing and you will have a life threatening situation.
Prevention.
Dress for the water temperature not the air temperature. What you are wearing at the time of cold water immersion is critical. If you experience any symptoms of cold shock the object of the first few minutes is to keep your nose and mouth out of the water and to activate you well thought out schema of survival. You can acclimatise yourself for a cold water paddle by taking daily cold showers for abut 3 weeks prior to the trip. This will reduce the symptoms of cold shock for up to a year. In a capsize be sure to have your PFD on and to hold onto your kayak. Its an old adage never to abandon your boat and to get as much of your body as possible out of the water to lessen the onset of hypothermia. Practice you self and assisted rescue techniques regularly. Learn to roll and do re-enty and roll so you never have to wet exit.
Trip Reports:
The Gumotex 2 Expedition
This is an account of a traverse of middle Fiordland, circumambulating Mt Irene by Simon Marwick and Stan Mulvany 2-18 February 2008. They covered a distance of 200 kilometres by kayak, tramping, climbing and packraft. The combined ascent and descent was 12000 metres mostly on deer trails. 55 kilometres were covered in their packrafts.
This is the continuation of a journey which started in the summer of 2005/06 across remote mountains and fjords of Southern New Zealand. On the Gumotex 1 expedition Simon and Stanley used a small Gumotex inflatable kayak and traversed a series of lakes across the southern part of Fiordland from Lake Hauroko to Preservation Sound in the extreme southwest corner and then made their way northwards to Doubtful Sound. The next journey took them to the middle fjords in a great arc around the lofty peak of Mt Irene, Guardian of Middle Fiordland.
This time they decided to take two Alaskan packrafts instead of the heavier Gumotex kayak used previously. Inspection of the map of Fiordland shows the Murchison Mountains occupying a great wedge between the South and Middle Fiords of Lake Te Anau and Mount Irene sitting on its western boundary. To the west are five narrow fjords, Bradshaw, Nancy, Charles, Caswell and George Sounds. Their plan was to strike westwards along the southern axis to Bradshaw Sound and then move northwards, climbing across the mountain ranges between each of the sounds and to encircle Mt Irene from the east and finish by crossing the Murchison Mountains back to the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau. Part of their route was in the restricted Murchison Mountains for which they were granted a special permit by the Department of Conservation.
On the first day they kayaked from Te Anau to the Gorge Burn at the head of the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau. There they beached their kayaks and sorted out their packs. When all was ready they left their kayaks and set off. The valley rises in a series of elevations each of which has a small lake. The day was blisteringly hot so at the first level they stripped off and jumped into the river. Then it was a slow plod on deer trails to Lake Cecil. Here they unfolded their packrafts and paddled across the one kilometre long lake. On the other side it was short walk to Lake Boomerang.
Next morning the boys set off early for Fowler Pass climbing a steep bluff to reach open tussock higher up. From here there was a great view of the valley below and higher up a gentle valley rose to Fowler Pass at 1085 metres. It was overcast and starting to drizzle and once on the pass it was cold and windy.
A long way below was Lake Tuaraki and a strong westerly wind was driving across it. The boys decided not to paddle across but to drop almost to lake level and then climb a bluff on the true left of the lake. The rock gut on the other side of this looked evil and slippery so the lads cautiously descended the snowgrass bluff beside it and used their rope to lower their packs to the bottom. Once past this they descended to the forest of the Tuaraki. Good deer trail took them down the valley to a long difficult sidle across a spur to the Camelot Valley.
Next day dawned clear as they set off. There was good travel on the numerous deer trails in the valley. They passed the Bevidere Falls which was quite impressive and found no sign of Murrells hut site. On they walked for several hours till they reached a wide slow part of the river and here they decided to inflate the packafts. They drifted down the final two kilometres of river to the estuary. There was a strong wind blowing down the valley. Then they set off in the small rafts closely following the shore at first and later striking further out into the sound. The wind at their backs helped a lot and they covered the 8 kilometres in about 2.5-3 hours of paddling. Landing at Rum Creek they set up camp a little up river.
Another fine day as the boys had breakfast and broke camp. The going was easy at first but entering the Toddy they met a tangle of huge rocks and gullies covered in thick vines and scrub. After a while they broke clear of this and started to climb towards the Toddy Saddle. The going was hard higher through a band of leatherwood. At 4.30 PM they reached the saddle and camped. Across the valley rose the Trios Peaks and Mt Namu.
Next day Simon set off to climb the peaks and Stan had a rest day. Later in the day they descended to Heel Cove to their first food cache. The cache was near an old hunters camp where they stayed.
Next day they packrafted over to Toe Cove. Here they landed on tidal flats and quickly packed up their packrafts and set off into the forest. Again deer trails provided the easiest going and took them over the mountains to the Windward and Charles Sound. The entrance was cliff bound so they sidled around till they found easier access to the sound. Here they launched the packrafts and paddled out to a small island. As there was no fresh water on the island they decided to carry on for another kilometre to a beach on the true right of the fjord against a strong wind.
The wind was strong so they slept in next morning. Later it seemed to ease off so they left at 9.30 AM. However once past Fanny Island the wind gusts grew stronger and progress was at a snails pace. The waves grew larger but the rafts rode over the swells easily. Then they could see the open sea on a grey morning with waves driven in by the northerly wind. Ahead was Eleanor Island and Friendship Point and here they really battled the seas to get around into Emelius Arm. Then they carried on up the sound with the wind on their back. It was a hard push up the Irene River for about 1.5 kilometres to a pleasant campsite in the tall forest under the Marjorie Ridge.
The rain stopped overnight and they had a late start next day. They started up the ridge behind camp and found easy progress at first up a gently ridge climbing towards Marjorie Creek. This climbed up to 300 metres where the going became more difficult eventually reaching Marjorie creek at about 340 metres. There was a steep descent into it and a straightforward climb on big boulders up to the hanging valley above. It was grey and drizzling. They found deer trails that took them up to Shirley Saddle at 780 metres at 3.30 PM. It rained all day and the lads were cold and wet. The lowest point of the saddle did not look promising for camping so they turned left up a steep gully onto an open plateau still in the bush with several good campsites. Lake Shirley was 150 metres below them. They had a pleasant camp on the ridge.
The route on Google Earth and on their maps appeared to be to the left of the saddle so they set off on a deer trail in that direction. After a while they decided to head straight down and although steep proved straightforward. They got down to a beach at the head of the lake and blew up their rafts. It was a pleasant paddle down the 2 kilometre long lake. There were stunning reflections of the forest on the hillsides in the dark waters. At the end of the lake which they renamed Lago Alpacka in tribute to their packraft maker they headed off to the left and had lunch on some granite domes at the 630 metres level. From here there was a fantastic view of the whole length of Caswell Sound from the ocean to the head. They set off along the line of the domes and at the end of them dropped straight down to Caswell Sound. The forest was very steep in places and in one spot they stumbled on a nest of bees which attacked them speeding up their descent. They came out on a rocky stream bed on the sound just as the rain came on. Packrafts were speedily launched and a slow paddle was made in pouring rain to the head of the sound. The current was strong in the river at the head and they paddled up this to the first rapid to land near the Caswell Sound hut. This venerable historic hut was built in 1949 by Colonel J K Howard Wapiti Expedition. In the summer of 2007 Ken Bradley and Grant Tremain restored the hut as it was in danger of collapse. It is a wonderful old place and a welcome refuge in the pouring rain. They got a fire going and welcome hot drink and then it was a bath in the river. The rain bucketed down that evening.
They awoke to a grey day but at least the rain had stopped. At lunchtime they decided to set off up the river to Lake Marchant. There was no wind and the lake was huge and hemmed in by massive cliffs to the south. They paddled up the Stillwater which ran slow and deep beneath high banks. They were able to paddle the best part of 3 kilometres up river before the current stopped them. Then it was a tramp up the true left of the river towards the Knob. Navigation was difficult. Light was fading as they slowly made their way through the swamp in the saddle. On the far side they made camp in the forest on the banks of the Stillwater.
The next day dawned fine and the lads were moving by 8.00 AM. They made slow progress up valley through boggy flats and dense bush. Below Ethne Saddle they reached a gorge and found no sign of the walkwire. Eventually they packrafted across. On the far side they found a deer trail, which they followed all the way to the saddle at 270 metres. Then it was a straightforward descent to the South West Arm of George Sound, which they reached later in the afternoon. There was a nice beach there and as it was hot the lads went for a swim. They picked up their food cache including a previous one put in one and a half years previous. They loading all the buckets into the packrafts and started the six kilometre paddle to George Sound hut.
They decided to have a rest day at George Sound hut the following day. Simon went for a look to Lake Alice. It rained off and on. They left at 9.00 AM next day for Henry Saddle. It was hot and overcast and thankfully the rain had stopped. They arrived early afternoon. Then it was a descent to Deadwood Lagoon. Here there were some awesome mudholes and the track was very wet. They carried on down the valley arriving at Lake Thompson Hut at 7.30 PM.
Next day they continued down the valley. At lake Thompson Simon elected to paddle down in his packraft while Stanley walked around. Below the lake is an awesome walkwire. They arrived at Lake Hankinson Hut and there launched their packrafts into the river to paddle down to the lake. There a very rough lake stirred up by the southerly wind greeted them. It was difficult to make progress at first against the big waves. The only hope was to claw their way around the shoreline, which they managed. It was an easy carry over to Lake Te Anau. Here there was a big wind blowing up the lake. They were going to camp but late evening it eased off so they set off in the rafts. It was hard work in the waves and wind but they made slow but steady progress. The plan was to get around into the South West Arm but night caught them short of the corner so they turned around and surfed back to a beach not far from the junction. This was a good spot so they camped there.
Next morning it was still very windy as Simon set off first. Stanley found just getting off the beach a battle as the waves swamped the raft several times. The junction was not far but it was a huge struggle just getting there as the gusts blew him backwards. Then he noticed his raft seemed to be loosing air as the pack strapped on the front deck was slowly sinking into the waves. It was not looking too good for some time till he was able to claw around the corner and call over Simon who was able to blow up the leaking valve which had worked loose. After this it was a breeze literally as the wind was on their backs and they moved along steadily down the arm. They reached the Junction Burn Hut in a few hours. Then it was up the Woodrow Burn on a good track. There were a few gorges to negotiate but it was pretty easy after their previous route. At 6.30 PM they stopped to camp at a flat just past a tricky gorge at 580 metres.
It was cool that night and clear next day as they set of up the valley. There were tantalising glimpses of snow covered mountains at the head of the valley. There were extensive clearings and excellent going. Eventually they reached a small lake and a bit further on the disked route ended. Up ahead was a gorge and Simon found a good deer trail up the true left of this. They stopped for lunch above the bushline. They traversed around a shoulder of Mt Irene at 1000 metres and sidled across to a small tarn just northeast of Robin Saddle were they camped. As it was early afternoon Simon set off on a reconnaissance of Mt Irene returning successful at dusk.
Next morning the lads were up at 5.00 AM getting breakfast and packing up camp. There had been a light frost during the night. They left most of their gear and rapidly climbed up a ridge straight above their camp, which took them across a sort of plateau with several small tarns and then over another ridge to a larger tarn below the main bulk of Mt Irene. There was a massive cliff here with amazing stratification. The dawn had arrived with a lovely alpenglow. Down below them the valley was shrouded in cloud and an easterly wind blew clouds over the passes to the west where the ephemeral strands dissolved into thin air. On they pressed to sidle around the cliffs to the south of Mr Irene where a break let them scramble upwards onto talus slopes to the summit. Here there was a superlative view all around. In a huge 200 kilometre circle was their route over the past two weeks laid out below them. It felt like a homecoming to a sacred mountain lording it over the lesser peaks of Middle Fiordland. Our two adventurers felt very privileged to be there. On top was a VHF repeater and a small shed with lots of batteries and electronic gear. A freezing wind blew across the summit as they sheltered in the lee of this dogbox to have some lunch. Then it was a round of photos before descending back to camp. Here they packed up and set off down the bluffs into the Esk valley and on to lake Duncan and down to Te Au Hut.
Next day the lads started early and sped across the saddle to the Mckenzie Burn. Then it was down to the McKenzie Hut where they had lunch. From here it was a short walk to the lake where they paddled across to the mouth of the Gorge Burn. Their kayaks were in the bush as they had left them 18 days previous. These were hastily loaded as the sandflies were bad. An easterly wind blew up the lake as they set off but this later eased off. Several hours later they were crossing Lake Te Anau where they spotted the welcome sight of Sue waiting on the shore. Simon did two victory rolls in the lake just before they landed for the last time.
An account of the first traverse of a new route through Middle Fiordland circumambulating Mt Irene by Simon Marwick and Stan Mulvany 2-18 February 2008
Acknowledgments: Sue Lake, Lloyd Matheson, DOC staffers at Te Anau for invaluable assistance. I acknowledge Simon Marwick who is a stalwart companion on these trips, who carries the heaviest load without complaint and who is so patient when I am struggling to keep up. Lastly but not the least my long suffering wife Belinda who never complains when I dream up these mad expeditions.
Stanley Mulvany
Invercargill
Safe kayaking
Stanley
6 April 2008
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Most of the action in the southern sea kayaking has been by overseas folk this summer. First we had Freya Hoffmeister coming through in January and in February Babs Lindman from Sweden also circumnavigating the South Island. We hosted Babs during her stay in Southland and had an informal evening and talk by her for interested SSKN members. Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw from the UK were next on the scene and Jacqui and Tim Anderson hosted them during their sojourn here. They were the third party to circumnavigate the South Island this summer. Last month Misha Hoichman from Israel did a solo kayaking trip around the Fiordland Coast in 13 days from Te Waewae Bay to Milford Sound. In February Simon Marwick and Stanley did an 18 day kayaking/ packraft/climbing trip around the Middle Fjords of Fiordland covering a distance of 206 Kilometre, 60 kilometres of sea kayaking, 54 kilometres of packrafting and 12,000 metres of combined ascent and descent. Currently Max and Melanie(Melz) Grant, Ian and Bob are making their way from Doubtful Sound to Te Waewae Bay. You can follow their route on their website http://www.q-kayaks.co.nz/pages/news.asp.
Expedition blog They are raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation which they are sponsoring. There is a link on their blog site to make a donation and Id encourage folk using the site to contribute.
Meetings:
15 April Gumotex 2 Expedition:
Combined Southland Section of the Alpine Club and Southland Sea Kayaking Network Meeting Tuesday 15 April at 7.30PM
A Presentation on the Gumotex 2 expedition by Stanley Mulvany with a demonstration of the packrafts used on the trip plus stunning photography of remote places in Middle Fiordland. Where: The Invercargill City Library Meeting Room, upstairs top of elevator and turn around. Access is via the alley between the Tuatara Backpackers and the Speights Ale House. Parking can be had at the back of the building in Leven Street. The library is open then so access is by front door. There is a door charge of $3.00PP
22 April Fiordland Expedition by Misha Hoichman
Presentation by Misha Hoichman on Tuesday evening 22 April at 7.30 PM at the Mulvanys, 96 Redmayne Road, Myross Bush.
Our address is 96 Redmayne Road., Myross Bush, Invercargill ph 2157263
Directions: From Invercargil going north along Queens Drive turn right into Bainfield Road. Take the 3rd road on the left called Redmayne road and we are the 3rd house on the right past counting the corner house. From Winton turn left at the first traffic lights on North road into Bainfield road and go straight through the roundabout and take the 3rd road on the left into Redmayne road.
Kayaks for Sale
I received this message from Alon Ohad. If interested contact please contact Alon at [email protected]
Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw are now circumnavigating the South Island (NZ) http://www.cackletv.com/new-zealand.html.
The boats were given to them by Nigel Dennis, it is two NDK Explorer: http://www.seakayakinguk.com/kayaks/range/explorer.html I am not sure about the color.
Nigel Dennis is now looking for someone in NZ to buy the boats. They were new in the beginning of the trip, and should be in a fairly good condition.
So Please spread the word and I will make the connection with Nigel (who is currently in Australia).
All the best
Alon
Stanleys Fujita 500Ex folding kayak Teal Deck and Charcoal hull. Expedition material. Rudder. Sea Sock and own backpack. 5 Metres length, 63 cm beam, weight 18kg (minus rudder). Carrying capacity 160kg, packed size 100x37x35 cm, assembly time 15-30 minutes, 3 yrs old and in excellent condition as hardly used. Price $2500.00. Contact Stanley Mulvany [email protected] or phone 03-2157263.
As a matter of interest folding kayaks are approximately double the cost of hard shell kayaks and their main attributes are easy of transportation and lightness. My one is a good buy.
Didymo:
I have just received the following email from Martin Genet with some good news on Didymo.
Hi Stan,
A few months back I sent you an article about the didymo in Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri and the risk of people including kayakers transferring this into the tributaries of these lakes. I also mentioned that none of the Eastern tributaries are didymo infected and would update you on any resampling that we do. I am pleased to be able to say that following an extensive sampling programme covering North, South, East and Western Fiordland we have not found didymo present in any more rivers. This leaves only the Eglinton, Hollyford, Wairaurihiri and the Deep Cove Tail Race as the only known rivers in Fiordland to contain didymo. Long may it last!
Feel free to pass this news on amongst KASK if you wish.
Thanks,
Martin
Martin Genet | Ranger, Biodiversity | Department of Conservation
Lakefront Drive, P.O.Box 29, Te Anau 9640
Ph: (03) 249 0200 | email: [email protected]
Cold Water Immersion
This is a summary of an excellent article on this pertinent subject in the February edition of American Sea Kayaker magazine by Chris Brooks.
Water does not need to be drastically cold to kill you. You can drown quickly if you are not mentally and physically prepared for cold immersion. There are 4 recognised stages
Cold Shock- kills in 3-5 minutes
Swimming failure- Kills in 5-30 minuts
Hypothermia- Kills in 30 minutes
Post-rescue collapse-kills during or hours after rescue
The first two causes account for about 50% of fatalities. Cold Shock occurs mostly in water below 15 C ( common locally in the surrounding ocean and nearly always in our Great Southern lakes). The colder the water the more severe and faster the onset of cold shock. You cannot will it not to happen. It begins with rapid skin cooling. Then there is an huge inspiratory gasp followed by severe hyperventilation ( up to 65 resp/minute). In water < 15C your breath holding ability is reduced by up to 50% and if near zero it may be as low as 12 seconds. Hyperventilation will make you dizzy, cause muscle spasms in limbs and chest and risk inspirating water. It only takes 150 mls of water in the upper airways to cause drowning which is a combination of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. Cold shock lasts only a few minutes so if you can survive that we have the next hurdle Swimming Failure.
Swimming Failure is caused by rapid cooling of muscles and nerves and can kill in 5-30 minutes after immersion. It is caused when the mouth and nose can no longer be kept above the surface. It is very dangerous to swim in cold water. Normally the angle of the body swimming is about 18 but this increases as the body cools so that it becomes more vertical as the person becomes more exhausted. Shouting for help decreases buoyancy and causes the body to sit vertically in the water. Without a PFD the person sinks beneath the waves. The rapid onset of weakness and cold induced incoordination makes rescue that much harder. Simple tasks now become incredibly difficult to perform.
Psychology of Survival.
In an emergency situation situation our ability to process information is severely curtailed so rescue or capsize recovery should be well thought out in advance. There is little time to loose as the life clock ticks away. Therefore regular practice of self and assisted rescue is so vital for sea kayakers. Then there is the Self Denial mentality, it will never happen to me. Wrong! do enough sea kayaking like mountain climbing and you will have a life threatening situation.
Prevention.
Dress for the water temperature not the air temperature. What you are wearing at the time of cold water immersion is critical. If you experience any symptoms of cold shock the object of the first few minutes is to keep your nose and mouth out of the water and to activate you well thought out schema of survival. You can acclimatise yourself for a cold water paddle by taking daily cold showers for abut 3 weeks prior to the trip. This will reduce the symptoms of cold shock for up to a year. In a capsize be sure to have your PFD on and to hold onto your kayak. Its an old adage never to abandon your boat and to get as much of your body as possible out of the water to lessen the onset of hypothermia. Practice you self and assisted rescue techniques regularly. Learn to roll and do re-enty and roll so you never have to wet exit.
Trip Reports:
The Gumotex 2 Expedition
This is an account of a traverse of middle Fiordland, circumambulating Mt Irene by Simon Marwick and Stan Mulvany 2-18 February 2008. They covered a distance of 200 kilometres by kayak, tramping, climbing and packraft. The combined ascent and descent was 12000 metres mostly on deer trails. 55 kilometres were covered in their packrafts.
This is the continuation of a journey which started in the summer of 2005/06 across remote mountains and fjords of Southern New Zealand. On the Gumotex 1 expedition Simon and Stanley used a small Gumotex inflatable kayak and traversed a series of lakes across the southern part of Fiordland from Lake Hauroko to Preservation Sound in the extreme southwest corner and then made their way northwards to Doubtful Sound. The next journey took them to the middle fjords in a great arc around the lofty peak of Mt Irene, Guardian of Middle Fiordland.
This time they decided to take two Alaskan packrafts instead of the heavier Gumotex kayak used previously. Inspection of the map of Fiordland shows the Murchison Mountains occupying a great wedge between the South and Middle Fiords of Lake Te Anau and Mount Irene sitting on its western boundary. To the west are five narrow fjords, Bradshaw, Nancy, Charles, Caswell and George Sounds. Their plan was to strike westwards along the southern axis to Bradshaw Sound and then move northwards, climbing across the mountain ranges between each of the sounds and to encircle Mt Irene from the east and finish by crossing the Murchison Mountains back to the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau. Part of their route was in the restricted Murchison Mountains for which they were granted a special permit by the Department of Conservation.
On the first day they kayaked from Te Anau to the Gorge Burn at the head of the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau. There they beached their kayaks and sorted out their packs. When all was ready they left their kayaks and set off. The valley rises in a series of elevations each of which has a small lake. The day was blisteringly hot so at the first level they stripped off and jumped into the river. Then it was a slow plod on deer trails to Lake Cecil. Here they unfolded their packrafts and paddled across the one kilometre long lake. On the other side it was short walk to Lake Boomerang.
Next morning the boys set off early for Fowler Pass climbing a steep bluff to reach open tussock higher up. From here there was a great view of the valley below and higher up a gentle valley rose to Fowler Pass at 1085 metres. It was overcast and starting to drizzle and once on the pass it was cold and windy.
A long way below was Lake Tuaraki and a strong westerly wind was driving across it. The boys decided not to paddle across but to drop almost to lake level and then climb a bluff on the true left of the lake. The rock gut on the other side of this looked evil and slippery so the lads cautiously descended the snowgrass bluff beside it and used their rope to lower their packs to the bottom. Once past this they descended to the forest of the Tuaraki. Good deer trail took them down the valley to a long difficult sidle across a spur to the Camelot Valley.
Next day dawned clear as they set off. There was good travel on the numerous deer trails in the valley. They passed the Bevidere Falls which was quite impressive and found no sign of Murrells hut site. On they walked for several hours till they reached a wide slow part of the river and here they decided to inflate the packafts. They drifted down the final two kilometres of river to the estuary. There was a strong wind blowing down the valley. Then they set off in the small rafts closely following the shore at first and later striking further out into the sound. The wind at their backs helped a lot and they covered the 8 kilometres in about 2.5-3 hours of paddling. Landing at Rum Creek they set up camp a little up river.
Another fine day as the boys had breakfast and broke camp. The going was easy at first but entering the Toddy they met a tangle of huge rocks and gullies covered in thick vines and scrub. After a while they broke clear of this and started to climb towards the Toddy Saddle. The going was hard higher through a band of leatherwood. At 4.30 PM they reached the saddle and camped. Across the valley rose the Trios Peaks and Mt Namu.
Next day Simon set off to climb the peaks and Stan had a rest day. Later in the day they descended to Heel Cove to their first food cache. The cache was near an old hunters camp where they stayed.
Next day they packrafted over to Toe Cove. Here they landed on tidal flats and quickly packed up their packrafts and set off into the forest. Again deer trails provided the easiest going and took them over the mountains to the Windward and Charles Sound. The entrance was cliff bound so they sidled around till they found easier access to the sound. Here they launched the packrafts and paddled out to a small island. As there was no fresh water on the island they decided to carry on for another kilometre to a beach on the true right of the fjord against a strong wind.
The wind was strong so they slept in next morning. Later it seemed to ease off so they left at 9.30 AM. However once past Fanny Island the wind gusts grew stronger and progress was at a snails pace. The waves grew larger but the rafts rode over the swells easily. Then they could see the open sea on a grey morning with waves driven in by the northerly wind. Ahead was Eleanor Island and Friendship Point and here they really battled the seas to get around into Emelius Arm. Then they carried on up the sound with the wind on their back. It was a hard push up the Irene River for about 1.5 kilometres to a pleasant campsite in the tall forest under the Marjorie Ridge.
The rain stopped overnight and they had a late start next day. They started up the ridge behind camp and found easy progress at first up a gently ridge climbing towards Marjorie Creek. This climbed up to 300 metres where the going became more difficult eventually reaching Marjorie creek at about 340 metres. There was a steep descent into it and a straightforward climb on big boulders up to the hanging valley above. It was grey and drizzling. They found deer trails that took them up to Shirley Saddle at 780 metres at 3.30 PM. It rained all day and the lads were cold and wet. The lowest point of the saddle did not look promising for camping so they turned left up a steep gully onto an open plateau still in the bush with several good campsites. Lake Shirley was 150 metres below them. They had a pleasant camp on the ridge.
The route on Google Earth and on their maps appeared to be to the left of the saddle so they set off on a deer trail in that direction. After a while they decided to head straight down and although steep proved straightforward. They got down to a beach at the head of the lake and blew up their rafts. It was a pleasant paddle down the 2 kilometre long lake. There were stunning reflections of the forest on the hillsides in the dark waters. At the end of the lake which they renamed Lago Alpacka in tribute to their packraft maker they headed off to the left and had lunch on some granite domes at the 630 metres level. From here there was a fantastic view of the whole length of Caswell Sound from the ocean to the head. They set off along the line of the domes and at the end of them dropped straight down to Caswell Sound. The forest was very steep in places and in one spot they stumbled on a nest of bees which attacked them speeding up their descent. They came out on a rocky stream bed on the sound just as the rain came on. Packrafts were speedily launched and a slow paddle was made in pouring rain to the head of the sound. The current was strong in the river at the head and they paddled up this to the first rapid to land near the Caswell Sound hut. This venerable historic hut was built in 1949 by Colonel J K Howard Wapiti Expedition. In the summer of 2007 Ken Bradley and Grant Tremain restored the hut as it was in danger of collapse. It is a wonderful old place and a welcome refuge in the pouring rain. They got a fire going and welcome hot drink and then it was a bath in the river. The rain bucketed down that evening.
They awoke to a grey day but at least the rain had stopped. At lunchtime they decided to set off up the river to Lake Marchant. There was no wind and the lake was huge and hemmed in by massive cliffs to the south. They paddled up the Stillwater which ran slow and deep beneath high banks. They were able to paddle the best part of 3 kilometres up river before the current stopped them. Then it was a tramp up the true left of the river towards the Knob. Navigation was difficult. Light was fading as they slowly made their way through the swamp in the saddle. On the far side they made camp in the forest on the banks of the Stillwater.
The next day dawned fine and the lads were moving by 8.00 AM. They made slow progress up valley through boggy flats and dense bush. Below Ethne Saddle they reached a gorge and found no sign of the walkwire. Eventually they packrafted across. On the far side they found a deer trail, which they followed all the way to the saddle at 270 metres. Then it was a straightforward descent to the South West Arm of George Sound, which they reached later in the afternoon. There was a nice beach there and as it was hot the lads went for a swim. They picked up their food cache including a previous one put in one and a half years previous. They loading all the buckets into the packrafts and started the six kilometre paddle to George Sound hut.
They decided to have a rest day at George Sound hut the following day. Simon went for a look to Lake Alice. It rained off and on. They left at 9.00 AM next day for Henry Saddle. It was hot and overcast and thankfully the rain had stopped. They arrived early afternoon. Then it was a descent to Deadwood Lagoon. Here there were some awesome mudholes and the track was very wet. They carried on down the valley arriving at Lake Thompson Hut at 7.30 PM.
Next day they continued down the valley. At lake Thompson Simon elected to paddle down in his packraft while Stanley walked around. Below the lake is an awesome walkwire. They arrived at Lake Hankinson Hut and there launched their packrafts into the river to paddle down to the lake. There a very rough lake stirred up by the southerly wind greeted them. It was difficult to make progress at first against the big waves. The only hope was to claw their way around the shoreline, which they managed. It was an easy carry over to Lake Te Anau. Here there was a big wind blowing up the lake. They were going to camp but late evening it eased off so they set off in the rafts. It was hard work in the waves and wind but they made slow but steady progress. The plan was to get around into the South West Arm but night caught them short of the corner so they turned around and surfed back to a beach not far from the junction. This was a good spot so they camped there.
Next morning it was still very windy as Simon set off first. Stanley found just getting off the beach a battle as the waves swamped the raft several times. The junction was not far but it was a huge struggle just getting there as the gusts blew him backwards. Then he noticed his raft seemed to be loosing air as the pack strapped on the front deck was slowly sinking into the waves. It was not looking too good for some time till he was able to claw around the corner and call over Simon who was able to blow up the leaking valve which had worked loose. After this it was a breeze literally as the wind was on their backs and they moved along steadily down the arm. They reached the Junction Burn Hut in a few hours. Then it was up the Woodrow Burn on a good track. There were a few gorges to negotiate but it was pretty easy after their previous route. At 6.30 PM they stopped to camp at a flat just past a tricky gorge at 580 metres.
It was cool that night and clear next day as they set of up the valley. There were tantalising glimpses of snow covered mountains at the head of the valley. There were extensive clearings and excellent going. Eventually they reached a small lake and a bit further on the disked route ended. Up ahead was a gorge and Simon found a good deer trail up the true left of this. They stopped for lunch above the bushline. They traversed around a shoulder of Mt Irene at 1000 metres and sidled across to a small tarn just northeast of Robin Saddle were they camped. As it was early afternoon Simon set off on a reconnaissance of Mt Irene returning successful at dusk.
Next morning the lads were up at 5.00 AM getting breakfast and packing up camp. There had been a light frost during the night. They left most of their gear and rapidly climbed up a ridge straight above their camp, which took them across a sort of plateau with several small tarns and then over another ridge to a larger tarn below the main bulk of Mt Irene. There was a massive cliff here with amazing stratification. The dawn had arrived with a lovely alpenglow. Down below them the valley was shrouded in cloud and an easterly wind blew clouds over the passes to the west where the ephemeral strands dissolved into thin air. On they pressed to sidle around the cliffs to the south of Mr Irene where a break let them scramble upwards onto talus slopes to the summit. Here there was a superlative view all around. In a huge 200 kilometre circle was their route over the past two weeks laid out below them. It felt like a homecoming to a sacred mountain lording it over the lesser peaks of Middle Fiordland. Our two adventurers felt very privileged to be there. On top was a VHF repeater and a small shed with lots of batteries and electronic gear. A freezing wind blew across the summit as they sheltered in the lee of this dogbox to have some lunch. Then it was a round of photos before descending back to camp. Here they packed up and set off down the bluffs into the Esk valley and on to lake Duncan and down to Te Au Hut.
Next day the lads started early and sped across the saddle to the Mckenzie Burn. Then it was down to the McKenzie Hut where they had lunch. From here it was a short walk to the lake where they paddled across to the mouth of the Gorge Burn. Their kayaks were in the bush as they had left them 18 days previous. These were hastily loaded as the sandflies were bad. An easterly wind blew up the lake as they set off but this later eased off. Several hours later they were crossing Lake Te Anau where they spotted the welcome sight of Sue waiting on the shore. Simon did two victory rolls in the lake just before they landed for the last time.
An account of the first traverse of a new route through Middle Fiordland circumambulating Mt Irene by Simon Marwick and Stan Mulvany 2-18 February 2008
Acknowledgments: Sue Lake, Lloyd Matheson, DOC staffers at Te Anau for invaluable assistance. I acknowledge Simon Marwick who is a stalwart companion on these trips, who carries the heaviest load without complaint and who is so patient when I am struggling to keep up. Lastly but not the least my long suffering wife Belinda who never complains when I dream up these mad expeditions.
Stanley Mulvany
Invercargill
Safe kayaking
Stanley