Over the last 7 or 8 days Nolan and I have hiked the Clent Hills and the Two Thumbs Tracks.
We left Christchurch around noon and hitched up to the Clent Hills start, where we ran into James from Upstate New York, who is section-hiking the TA. Where does James happen to be going after New Zealand? Boise. Where after Boise? Bozeman. Funny twists of fate. We slept at the trailhead, exhausted from sleep deprivation the night before and a full day of standing in the sun with our thumbs out. During breakfast the next morning, we were passed by a man paragliding the TA. The man is of flesh and bone; he's not merely legend. The day before we ran into him he flew 130k from Lewis Pass. A couple hours later we saw him take off way above us. It looked like a hell of a good time, way more exciting than walking!
We made it to Comyns hut that night, after a short 14k day and saw in the hut books that our friends Lauren, Alan, and Lizzie were only a day ahead of us! It was around this time that I realized the underwear I bought in Christchurch was men's XS, despite the price tag saying M. Oh well, the IO Merino pair is holding up fantastically, both normally and inside out. The next day's track was completely unformed & poorly marked, and we had numerous river crossings (reportedly 71, according to a tramper with OCD we met) before getting up on top of Clent Saddle. It was a pretty view, but not spectacular. I must be getting used to the beauty of New Zealand - that, or Canterbury just looks a whole lot like Idaho. We descended Clent saddle and made our way through forests of a lecherous little plant called speargrass. 4 bloodied shins later, we arrived at Double Hut. We learned later that Double Hut has Edmund Hilary's signature on a wall - too bad we missed it!
The following day we trespassed through farmland until we got to a road, where we tried to hitch around the Rangitata River... for 15k before getting picked up. Damn these barely traveled roads! Around 5 that evening we were looking for a spot to freedom camp, since we knew we couldn't get a ride back up the other side of the Rangitata until the next day, when a big camper van with Alan, Lauren, and Lizzie drove up!! Lizzie's friends from Christchurch were giving them a ride around the Rangitata, and we clambered in and drove up to Mesopotamia station, where we ate dinner and joked around until bed.
In the morning Nolan and I got a head start and marched up the riverbed towards Crooked Spur Hut. We got there around noon after 500m climbing, and had lunch with a NorthBound woman named Anna, who had her own adventure-business cards. In 2013 she biked 20,000K around the US, hitting all 50 States. Now she is running the TA. She had tons of energy and was a great person to chat with, and we watched her scamper down the hill before we started back up the next 500m of climbing. We made it to the top and started moving to Stone Hut, where hunters had left 4 beers and we would spend the night. On the way to Stone Hut we saw 13 Himalayan Tahr (and a carcass!). We spent the night with Lizzie, Lauren & Alan, and dubbed our troupe the Happy Hut Family (our children's book is in the writing stage).
Next morning we crossed over Stag Saddle, the highest point of the TA! Nolan and I took a detour to Beuzenberg peak, and were treated to Mount Cook and hundreds of other snowcapped peaks rising around us, with the glacial blue of Lake Tekapo far below. Nothing I've ever seen or experienced compares to the majesty of being on that mountaintop.
That night at Camp Stream Hut the stars were more spectacular than ever before. New Zealand is beneath a hole in the ozone layer, and Lake Tekapo is a "dark sky" region, meaning all lights must be turned downwards to prevent light pollution. We awoke around midnight and went outside to gawk and stare. Book two in our series: Happy Hut Family sees the universe.
In the morning we arose groggily and hiked out to Lake Tekapo, where we spent the night in a holiday Park since all the hostels were full for Chinese New Year. Our Happy Hut Family treated ourselves to beers and a delicious barbecue before gawking at more stars and heading to bed. Today, while the other 3 stayed in Tekapo for a rest day, Nolan and I hitched to Twizel, dumped our bags, and went up to Mount Cook village to get a look at the glaciers. We climbed most of the way to Mueller Hut, getting an unbelievably clear view of Mount Cook. We heard a couple of hair-raising avalanches. In that place they sound like the end of the world. Tonight we're in a hostel in Twizel. I'll add pictures to this periodically, as I get the chance to! The Weebly app is utter crap.
We left Christchurch around noon and hitched up to the Clent Hills start, where we ran into James from Upstate New York, who is section-hiking the TA. Where does James happen to be going after New Zealand? Boise. Where after Boise? Bozeman. Funny twists of fate. We slept at the trailhead, exhausted from sleep deprivation the night before and a full day of standing in the sun with our thumbs out. During breakfast the next morning, we were passed by a man paragliding the TA. The man is of flesh and bone; he's not merely legend. The day before we ran into him he flew 130k from Lewis Pass. A couple hours later we saw him take off way above us. It looked like a hell of a good time, way more exciting than walking!
We made it to Comyns hut that night, after a short 14k day and saw in the hut books that our friends Lauren, Alan, and Lizzie were only a day ahead of us! It was around this time that I realized the underwear I bought in Christchurch was men's XS, despite the price tag saying M. Oh well, the IO Merino pair is holding up fantastically, both normally and inside out. The next day's track was completely unformed & poorly marked, and we had numerous river crossings (reportedly 71, according to a tramper with OCD we met) before getting up on top of Clent Saddle. It was a pretty view, but not spectacular. I must be getting used to the beauty of New Zealand - that, or Canterbury just looks a whole lot like Idaho. We descended Clent saddle and made our way through forests of a lecherous little plant called speargrass. 4 bloodied shins later, we arrived at Double Hut. We learned later that Double Hut has Edmund Hilary's signature on a wall - too bad we missed it!
The following day we trespassed through farmland until we got to a road, where we tried to hitch around the Rangitata River... for 15k before getting picked up. Damn these barely traveled roads! Around 5 that evening we were looking for a spot to freedom camp, since we knew we couldn't get a ride back up the other side of the Rangitata until the next day, when a big camper van with Alan, Lauren, and Lizzie drove up!! Lizzie's friends from Christchurch were giving them a ride around the Rangitata, and we clambered in and drove up to Mesopotamia station, where we ate dinner and joked around until bed.
In the morning Nolan and I got a head start and marched up the riverbed towards Crooked Spur Hut. We got there around noon after 500m climbing, and had lunch with a NorthBound woman named Anna, who had her own adventure-business cards. In 2013 she biked 20,000K around the US, hitting all 50 States. Now she is running the TA. She had tons of energy and was a great person to chat with, and we watched her scamper down the hill before we started back up the next 500m of climbing. We made it to the top and started moving to Stone Hut, where hunters had left 4 beers and we would spend the night. On the way to Stone Hut we saw 13 Himalayan Tahr (and a carcass!). We spent the night with Lizzie, Lauren & Alan, and dubbed our troupe the Happy Hut Family (our children's book is in the writing stage).
Next morning we crossed over Stag Saddle, the highest point of the TA! Nolan and I took a detour to Beuzenberg peak, and were treated to Mount Cook and hundreds of other snowcapped peaks rising around us, with the glacial blue of Lake Tekapo far below. Nothing I've ever seen or experienced compares to the majesty of being on that mountaintop.
That night at Camp Stream Hut the stars were more spectacular than ever before. New Zealand is beneath a hole in the ozone layer, and Lake Tekapo is a "dark sky" region, meaning all lights must be turned downwards to prevent light pollution. We awoke around midnight and went outside to gawk and stare. Book two in our series: Happy Hut Family sees the universe.
In the morning we arose groggily and hiked out to Lake Tekapo, where we spent the night in a holiday Park since all the hostels were full for Chinese New Year. Our Happy Hut Family treated ourselves to beers and a delicious barbecue before gawking at more stars and heading to bed. Today, while the other 3 stayed in Tekapo for a rest day, Nolan and I hitched to Twizel, dumped our bags, and went up to Mount Cook village to get a look at the glaciers. We climbed most of the way to Mueller Hut, getting an unbelievably clear view of Mount Cook. We heard a couple of hair-raising avalanches. In that place they sound like the end of the world. Tonight we're in a hostel in Twizel. I'll add pictures to this periodically, as I get the chance to! The Weebly app is utter crap.