Ok, so we thought we were fit! Turns out New Zealand trampers are much fitter...
We set off for a two day tramp with our hut tickets purchased for one night in the Hamilton Hut. It wasn't quite circular so we left our car at one end and then tried hitching for the first time. Started to feel disheartened after 4 cars ignored us but then two lovely Dutch ladies in a campervan stopped for us. Dave made polite conversation while Hannah played Peekaboo with the two kids.
The start of the tramp involved following a river upstream in the river bed. No obvious path and we had to cross the river several times without bridges. Fortunately it was only calf deep, and Dave only fell in once. We confess that we didn't go kiwi and wade through in our boots. Instead we took some sandles to keep our boots dry.
After the river was the climb up through the beech forest to the Cass Saddle hut. I don't know if it was the rain that made our bags get heavier and heavier, the wet boots caused by the earlier 'falling in' incident or the waves of Misery pouring off the mountain of the same name, but we were thoroughly depressed by the time we made it to the hut. We still had more climbing and over 4 miles to go as well!
Fortunately, while we drank our tea, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We pressed on up to the saddle itself, and began the drop back down to the Hamilton hut.
In the early evening sun, the beech forest was transformed from the earlier dark, sinister place of evil-ness (ok exaggerating a bit perhaps) to a beautiful dappled woodland, no doubt inhabited by elves and happy pixies! Plus we were going downhill!
Made it to the hut by 7, and were relieved to find plenty of space. We caused much amusement to the hardened kiwi trampers as we pulled our our fancy new gadgets, and cooked our dehydrated venison stew. Turns out the standard fare is pasta and cheese.
Set out the next morning thinking that the walk would be much easier... Back by lunch, was Dave's suggestion. After all, we were starting 300m higher, 3 hours earlier, and today's peak was 100m lower than yesterday's. Not so, as this path went up and down and up and down, until we'd done more climbing than the previous day. At least the rain held off... Until we reached the saddle and it started snowing!
Still, it didn't do very much, and we made it to the final decent across a boggy moor and through the forest (again feeling less pixie-like on account of the snow/rain and our general tiredness).
But to summarise, We Made It! Yippee!
Having the day off today.... Unless we get bored and try to tackle Avalanche Peak! (the sun is shining today...)
Congratulations folks. Well, we'd been worried about the gap in posts (of course!) and, following Samuel's monsteresque thoughts clearly the worst that could have happened is that you'd been eaten, or something. Turns out it WAS worse, but you've pulled through. Funny how place names do have a habit of reflecting something about their character. Check the map. Groanings; Mount Nasty; Mudiford (well that exists); Dry Heaves (Bill Bryson) etc would give a clue.
ReplyDeleteWhatever was the dried venison stew like? Amazingly delicious, in the circumstances, presumably.
Despite all that, it does look startlingly, spectacularly, tourist brochure beautiful. It is only last week that your were describing the trek, and we were looking at Mount Misery on the map, in a suburban pub in Gloucestershire. Wow. Bet it seems longer than that, to you.
Continuing huge good wishes.
The best named random bit of geography for sheer descriptiveness is Disappointment Island in Antarctica. Just says it all really....
DeleteBut yes, placenames are often surprisingly apt!
Yes, the stew was surprisingly good but there wasn't enough of it! A bit less posh and a bit more hearty would have been appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to need a holiday after this holiday :-)
ReplyDelete