Climbing Tales #12 Norman Camps Via Maggie Springs

Climbing Tales 
This series celebrates Ayers Rock climbing experiences posted online and elsewhere.

#12 Norman Camps, 1952 via Maggie Springs

I lost four fingernails and was bleeding from the ankles, calves and fingers.

I recently received a folder of material about Ayers Rock from a local historian recently (thankyou J!). It included a number of items. One that stood out was a clipping from 'Peaks: Australiasian Mountain Magazine' No.3 December 1980 re-counting a climb up Maggie Springs (Mutitjulu Water Hole) by Norman Camps in 1952. The main part of the article about the climb is reproduced below.

Sketch from the article, original caption: The "V: Formation leading down to Maggie Springs (Mutitjulu water hole) at the base of the rock.

See for comparison below this wonderful photo the sketch is based on of the hidden valley above the waterhole by Robin Smith from The Red Centre, 1967.

The main northwest-trending watercourse above Maggie Springs (Mutitjulu water hole) has been scaled on numerous occasions. There is some conjecture that Gosse climbed via this route, though the main climbing spur is more likely. Writer Cyril E Goode climbed up the gully line in 1952/1953 in bare feet, and the route was also taken by boys from a school excursion in 1952 (see clipping below). The route up the gully line takes in a series of steps and pools and is not that difficult for experienced walkers especially when dry. It seems Norman Camp climbed a much more difficult route up the N-S gully to the east of the main NW trending water course. This leads up to a spectacular hidden hanging valley (see photo) in the eastern fork of the gully. This valley accessed by Edna Saunders from above during the 1957 Petticoat safari. 

From Journey to the Rock, By Rex Ingamells Walkabout Magazine May 1953.

Ayers Rock 1952 

by N J CAMPS 

Peaks No.3 December 1980 p8-10

In April of 1952 as a member of the Australian Museum Central and North West Expedition: Harold Fletcher leader, Ted Rayner deputy leader, Allen Kean, Roy Mackay and myself visited Ayers Rock for two weeks. During this time on the infrequent rest days I studied the 'Rock' and decided to climb it by a route other than the tourist climb. 

I selected Maggie Springs as the most challenging route. Maggie Springs is at the S.W. corner of the Rock and the climb is an almost vertical face in a very wide V formation.

 Ayers Rock is composed of metamorphosed conglomerate. Due to the vast variation of day and night temperatures the surface of the rock has exfoliated into 'blisters' large and small. These are not found today on the tourist climb due to the fact that they have all been broken by traffic. However, on the other faces of the Rock they are unfortunately too numerous and dangerous. I prepared for the climb by traversing several lower slopes of the S.W. corner in order to test the surface. Every one I tried had exfoliation to a major degree and breaking through them caused my ankles to become torn and bloodied in a short time. 

For the climb I wore rope soled sandshoes which are ideal for the rock type and probably better than most climbing boots now available in Australia. 

During the whole of the climb I was observed by Fletcher, Rayner and Keast from our camp S.W. of the Rock. I began the climb on the western slope of the V and before going very far had broken through many exfoliations and had extra lacerations to the ankles. At about 400' above the desert floor and entering a vertical face I decided that I had to cross to the eastern side of the V. This meant crossing over the smooth water worn elbow of the V, and hand and footholds were almost non-existent. I chose a spot which sloped back slightly and using hands and feet and the whole of my body as a friction hold, I was able to cross over and was then on the eastern sector of the V and a vertical face onwards, still covered in exfoliations large and small. 

Being on my own and without climbing aids I was forced to traverse quite a lot to find a route up the face. Finally at about 900' I was faced with the fact that I had one choice and one choice only, if I was going to continue upwards. Above there was a reasonably large bulge on the surface and I had to get over it. A traverse to the right or left was out as there were no holds at all. I was able to climb to the point where the bulge was virtually in my stomach and it was not possible to see my feet, not a nice situation if one has to make a decision to go down. I had a good positive left foothold and good left hand hold. Searching above for a right hand hold revealed nothing within reach. However, about 6" above the limit of my stretch the rock curled out of sight and I had to presume there was a small ledge there and I had to get to it for there was no way down or to the right or left. 

I personally had no idea how long I clung to the rock but 1 had time to think of mother and father and family and my fiancee. I said to myself: 'Harold Fletcher is watching through binoculars and will radio to Alice Strings for a chopper', and then realized that I couldn't have hung on long enough for a chopper to arrive. 

I made a decision to use my two left holds to the fullest and put a kick into my left foot and pull down action into my left arm and sprang upwards to try and catch the curl in the rock. I made it but what happened next wasn't very nice. The curl was the top of an exfoliation and when my fingers closed over it they tore the exfoliation from the face of the rock and sent it plunging down between my calves and booming to the bottom. Both calves were cut and my right fingers scraped down the rock to hook into the small ledge made by the parting of the exfoliation from the face and I lost four finger nails and was bleeding from the ankles, calves and fingers. 

Up ahead the rock looked better and I went for the top flat out. When I arrived, Roy Mackay was waiting for me and was rather horrified by my bloodied condition. We descended by the tourist climb after Roy wrote of the climb and placed it in a bottle that was there at the time.