More Milford
All that SC wrote was true, but CT wants to add a few more impressions.
The first day was a short hike thru low brush to Clinton Hut. It was warm, sunny and we followed the clearest blue river I have ever seen. You could look down from the swing bridges and see large trout and eels that were 3 ft long. No swimming.
We had plenty of time to lounge around, meeting fellow hikers and reading books by the river but we did get to meet those famous New Zealand sand flies. Their evil reputation is well earned.
The huts had bunks and 6 kitchen sinks and propane cooking burners, so the 40 of us could cook very efficiently. It was fun seeing what various people had brought. We had freeze dried, but we saw every possible combination of pasta, couscous, and even some "real food". There were 3 kiwi guys who were hiking in shorts, sneakers and had brought 3 cans of beer each for every night. Couldn't wait to see how THAT worked out !
The ranger at the Clinton hut lead us slowly and cautiously down a side path after dark without flashlights or headlamps to see some glow worms, living under a cut bank by the river. How intriguing. And then he lead us back to a wooden helicopter landing pad in a swamp near the hut and we all lay down on our backs. He had a laser light and pointed out various constellations.
Back at the hut, we were instructed to hang our hiking boots from the clothes line, because a pesky bird ( the kea) sort of like a very large parrot, loves to come at night and chew up hiking boots.
The next day we again had great weather as we started up the mountain. And settled into Mintaro hut after 6 hours of moderate climb, with numerous river crossings but all on well built bridges. Just as we arrived at the hut it began to rain.
It rained all night, and the next morning it was raining, hard. The ranger gave us very clear instructions about the trail ahead. We were to stay in our rain gear for the first 6 switch backs, then , no matter how wet we got, stop and put on every warm layer we had underneath. That is because the next 5 switchbacks took us out of the trees and up to the top of the pass and it would be very cold and windy with no shelter at all. That was very accurate. Sometimes the wind up there blew me sideways.
The rain poured down and the trail on the far side of the pass turned into rivers. That was the hardest part for me. Sometimes we had to cross rushing streams that cascaded down the mountain side. SC would leap over first, then he would reach back to me with a trekking pole and give a strong pull as I jumped across. Where were those bridges now ? But, with the heavy rain and flooding, the trail is constantly changing, so you make do. Then the drama started, as SC already described.
Usually the last day of a hike is the easiest because you have eaten up some of the food weight. But, for us the hike from Dumpling Hut was harder because all our clothes were soaking. How many pounds of water can you hold in your boots, jacket and pants ? Took us days to dry out.
To update you : today, while we were in the Wellington Te Papa museum, we got a phone call from Michelle, saying that Mark was indeed alive and doing very well. He had several operations at the medical school in Dunedin to replace a section of his aorta and aortic valve. He wanted to thank SC for taking care of him on the mountain, and also making such an accurate diagnosis. On the basis of SC's opinion, the helicopter took him straight to Dunedin where there were cardiac surgeons rather than to the local hospital in Invercargill. She didn't think he would have survived otherwise.
The first day was a short hike thru low brush to Clinton Hut. It was warm, sunny and we followed the clearest blue river I have ever seen. You could look down from the swing bridges and see large trout and eels that were 3 ft long. No swimming.
We had plenty of time to lounge around, meeting fellow hikers and reading books by the river but we did get to meet those famous New Zealand sand flies. Their evil reputation is well earned.
The huts had bunks and 6 kitchen sinks and propane cooking burners, so the 40 of us could cook very efficiently. It was fun seeing what various people had brought. We had freeze dried, but we saw every possible combination of pasta, couscous, and even some "real food". There were 3 kiwi guys who were hiking in shorts, sneakers and had brought 3 cans of beer each for every night. Couldn't wait to see how THAT worked out !
The ranger at the Clinton hut lead us slowly and cautiously down a side path after dark without flashlights or headlamps to see some glow worms, living under a cut bank by the river. How intriguing. And then he lead us back to a wooden helicopter landing pad in a swamp near the hut and we all lay down on our backs. He had a laser light and pointed out various constellations.
Back at the hut, we were instructed to hang our hiking boots from the clothes line, because a pesky bird ( the kea) sort of like a very large parrot, loves to come at night and chew up hiking boots.
The next day we again had great weather as we started up the mountain. And settled into Mintaro hut after 6 hours of moderate climb, with numerous river crossings but all on well built bridges. Just as we arrived at the hut it began to rain.
It rained all night, and the next morning it was raining, hard. The ranger gave us very clear instructions about the trail ahead. We were to stay in our rain gear for the first 6 switch backs, then , no matter how wet we got, stop and put on every warm layer we had underneath. That is because the next 5 switchbacks took us out of the trees and up to the top of the pass and it would be very cold and windy with no shelter at all. That was very accurate. Sometimes the wind up there blew me sideways.
The rain poured down and the trail on the far side of the pass turned into rivers. That was the hardest part for me. Sometimes we had to cross rushing streams that cascaded down the mountain side. SC would leap over first, then he would reach back to me with a trekking pole and give a strong pull as I jumped across. Where were those bridges now ? But, with the heavy rain and flooding, the trail is constantly changing, so you make do. Then the drama started, as SC already described.
Usually the last day of a hike is the easiest because you have eaten up some of the food weight. But, for us the hike from Dumpling Hut was harder because all our clothes were soaking. How many pounds of water can you hold in your boots, jacket and pants ? Took us days to dry out.
To update you : today, while we were in the Wellington Te Papa museum, we got a phone call from Michelle, saying that Mark was indeed alive and doing very well. He had several operations at the medical school in Dunedin to replace a section of his aorta and aortic valve. He wanted to thank SC for taking care of him on the mountain, and also making such an accurate diagnosis. On the basis of SC's opinion, the helicopter took him straight to Dunedin where there were cardiac surgeons rather than to the local hospital in Invercargill. She didn't think he would have survived otherwise.
posted by Axolotl at 2:19 AM
1 Comments:
Got a message for you after sending links to these last two posts around: "The blog is wonderful. Keep saving lives and having fun. Love, Harry" And then he tells a very dirty joke.
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