Day 81
Nov 20 day 81 Boyle Village (Reefton) to Kiwi Hope Hut 10:45-5:30 25 km In the middle of the night the rain started–I could hear it on the motel’s metal roof. I woke at six, but the bus to Boyle Village did not leave until 9:00. I watched the news and drank all the complementary […]
Day 80
Nov 19 day 80 Anne Hut to Boyle Village (Reefton) 6:45-2:30 29 km Once again I was a walker of rivers. Set off fairly early from the hut. All the other hikers were still in their sleeping bags, but the DoC ranger, who I had met the other day while he was gathering seedlings of […]
Day 79
Nov 18 day 79 Waiau Forks to Anne Hut 7:45-4:30 34 km After yesterday’s exertions and the cold temperatures, it was hard to crawl out of the old bag this morning. Still, it was bright and beautiful in the woods, and I could see my jet boil on top of a stump so I could […]
Day 78
Nov 17 day 78 Upper Travers Hut to Waiau Forks freedom camp 7:00-6:00 23 km Woke up to Grant, the hike leader, stoking the fire in the wood stove, and before too long the crew started rustling about. I packed up, made oatmeal and coffee (can have all I want now that Grant gave me […]
Day 77
Nov 16 day 77 St Arnaud to Upper Travers Hut 9:00-5:30 30 km Water. The most beautiful story Hemingway wrote was “Big Two-Hearted River” where Nick Adams, the protagonist, is recovering from the metal anguish of World War I, so he goes fishing in Northern Michigan. At one point he leans over a bridge rail […]
Proximity
Proximity Perhaps the most frequent but often unvoiced question that walking gives rise to is “how far?” or “am I near?” Walking is primordially an engagement with near/far. But near and far are relational terms. A far person can be many miles from another, whereas a chess piece can be far from another on a […]
Day 76
Nov 15 day 76 Porters Creek Hut to St Arnaud 6:45-2:00 28 km Today was a classic version of the horse smelling the barn. I was ready for regular food, a hot shower, and a cold beer, so all effort was bent to that end. Got a good brisk start on a fine cliff-edge trail, […]
Day 75
Nov 14 day 75 Mid Wairoa Hut to Porters Creek Hut 7:15-5:15 24 km One of my “pointless” essays is about “surfaces,” something that insistently called my attention all day. It started with a very sharp up, which then dropped me back down on the banks of the left branch of the Wairoa River. Just […]
Day 74
Nov 13 day 74 Slaty Hut to Mid Wairoa Hut 28 km 6:45-5:30 Not to be hyperbolic, but without doubt this morning’s hike was the most beautiful of the entire trip. The sun was bright, air frozen crystal with little wind. Darek and I left early, the gravel crunching beneath our feet and sprouting long […]
Day 73
Nov 12 day 73 Slaty Hut 0 km (a snow day) So last night it started raining a bit, something the weather report had warned about. I was not too concerned because it was supposed to finish before morning, and the trails here are very dry, so a little rain would not have any impact. […]