Day 12: Wednesday January 3 1934
Rose 11am. Breakfastdinner. Noon. MASHED POTOATOES, BULLY BEEF, EGGS, TEA. Left at 1:30pm. The sky being a trifle cloudy, the wind blowing N.W. We had a nine miles walk ahead of us and we started out in a somewhat ragged style. The road walking of yesterday had played havoc with my blister, the sore on Avon’s heel, and Cliff’s foot and so we were about 10 mins behind when we passed the Riversdale Huts on the way to the Mt White bridge. There was really no need to hurry as we had loads of time, except that someone must reach Cass by 5pm in order to send a telegram to remains of the “3 pass” crowd in Greymouth, telling them to come by Thursday’s train. We were all at Cass by 4:30pm. We next went to the Cass River Hut but found it occupied by 3 shooters and this meant another walk of 3 miles to the Railway Hut which we had never expected to sleep in again. We went by road instead of along the permanent way, the bitterly cold wind and the fact we had to ford the Cass River mad us glad upon reaching the hut. We left the ice-axe at the Cass Hut and one of the shooters brought it to us on the road.
We had tea at 7:30 and spent the rest of the evening till bedtime at 11:30 in boiling cocoa and cooking heavy greasy dampers which certainly damped our stomachs but could not weigh down our spirits.
Mileage 15 miles.