I’m definitely keen to check out the Barton Track now, but I guess it’ll have to wait for a future time. I told a lie about the Barton Track in my comment above, because when we returned last weekend, we discovered a plainly obvious track leading off. There was even a rusty disc marker nailed to a tree, into which someone had hammered holes spelling out the word Baldy. Although that was only the lower end of it, obviously.

One thing I forgot to say in my last message is that the Barton track has been overgrown for years. If you come off Baldy, there are remnants of a track, but it disappears after a while and becomes a good navigation exercise.

Ray

Finding the exit point on that side stream has been problematic for about 5 or 6 years. Prior to that there was no problem. The first time I went there after what must have been a huge torrent of water which changed the landscape, I had to spend a bit of time finding the exit point. What didn’t help was a tree with a DOC marker on it that had washed downstream but was easily spotted; this initially sent me in the wrong direction. The worst thing you can do at this point is to follow the creek down to the river and then follow the river to Mitre Flats. I didn’t do this, but a couple who were only a short distance behind me did. They arrived at Mitre Flats several hours after me and described that route as a ‘hell mission’.

Regards,

Ray

Yeah as long as you have some way of getting dropped off at The Pines and collected at Holdsworth it’d be a good walk.

I was there again just last weekend (club trip, which I still haven’t written up), and in hindsight I think the higher part of the loopey bit on the map is the one that the most obvious track follows. I think we picked out where the lower sidling route led off, but it wasn’t completely clear.

I noticed that the whole second track up to Baldy from the northern side is marked on some maps. Newer maps that I’ve seen only show that loopey bit which goes up higher then goes straight back down, though.

The Barton Track all the way up to Baldy is definitely a route now from what I saw, but I couldn’t say if it’s an easy route or not since I haven’t been up that way. The separation of where it leaves the track that loops straight back down wasn’t well marked, in any case. The TTC volunteer warden guy who we met at Mitre Flats referred to it as an escape route from Baldy. From what I saw of the lower end of it, the part where it continues on up the spur wouldn’t be obvious unless you’re looking for it and keeping an eye on your bearing, but it’d be a fun navigation exercise to go up that way. (Last Sunday I think I picked out where we would have kept going up, but we were in a rush so I didn’t have much of a chance to go exploring.)

Anyway, maybe I’ll see you on Wednesday. I think I’m rostered on the door.

Seeya.

Good to see you still have a sense of humour!. I haven’t walked this section of track but have walked into Mitre from ‘the pines’ could be a good loop walk.

I’m off to Cow Creek hopefully this weekend, I realise WTMC went there last weekend but due to ‘Mothers Day’ I couldn’t get a weekend pass.

My Topomap (year 2000) shows Barton as a track not route I also would like to walk this.

Regards
Adrian

I had promised to go gear shopping on Sat morning so a day trip was out on the only day which promised some crossable streams. However, it’s looking pretty nice in Wellington today too (despite the forecast miserable Wx), though I guess it might be a different story in the Wairarapa.

I think I should look at the tramping fixtures sometime. I really like doing my own trips though.

I’m possibly going back there this weekend with the club (starting from the other side, but coming out the same way). It sounds as if it could be quite very rainy though, so we might have to adjust some of our plans if the side creeks come up

I think I’ll make this my next day trip – will keep an eye out for that gigantic sign you missed too he he.