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. […]
Day 72
Nov 11 day 72 Rocks Hut to Slaty Hut 25 km 6:45-4:00 All business today, not that it wasn’t a pretty walk. It was, with varied surface– a little mud, a lot of stream crossings, some high elevation scree to slip and slide on, and even some rock climbing. Mostly it was a lot of […]
Day 71
Nov 10 day 71 Pelorus River Bridge to Rocks Hut 32 km 6:45-3:45 There is a hiking adage that says “take what the trail gives you,” which generally means take advantage of easy parts of the day to make some time. Often after a long climb, a trail will suddenly flatten out and present a […]
Day 70
Nov 9 day 70 Havelock to Pelorus River Bridge Campground 21 km 9:30-1:30 A leisure day before a long week up in mountains. Spent early part of morning packing, organizing gear/food, and watching the NFL Red Zone tv show. First American football I’ve been to see for any length of time. Packing out today with […]
Day 69
Nov 8 day 69 Portage Bay to Havelock 36 km 7:30-4:00 Day started as one simple move– make good time to Havelock to position for a long isolated trek to St. Arnaud. The queen Charlotte really is like a sidewalk on this part– some beautiful views, but also a path to make time, which I […]
Day 68
Nov 7 day 68 Furneaux Lodge to Portage Bay DeBretts Backpackers 34 km 8:00-4:00 There is something about the familiarity of this area that makes me both happy and nostalgic. I hiked the Queen Charlotte over ten years ago, and also parts of it a few years back with my colleague Greg. It is New […]
Day 67 South Island Odyssey Begins
Nov 6 day 67 Wellington (via ferry) to Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge 13 km 4:30-7:00 The South Island Odyssey Begins Caught the 9:30 InterIslander ferry to Picton. Absolutely crystal day, I could feel everyone’s enthusiasm for some warmth and sunshine. Crowded boat, but I found a seat on the back atrium sundeck. Good views […]
Day 66
Nov 5 day 66 Wellington. 0 km Quiet day, mailed boxes, caught up on correspondence. Just took some time to relax.