Today walking
As if powered
By the energy of
Mountains around and
West Sabine River
Alongside us
Feeding the
Elemental in me

Not tiring
The pack no burden
Today
A thickly folded
Hoodie around my
Disappearing waist
Reduces
Belt pressure
On bony hips

Sunshine
Once again
Limitless beauty all around
An easy enough trail
Today feeling
Like I can walk
Forever

Walking past West Sabine Hut
And on to the next one
Where we can just
Get a glimpse
Of the wondrous
Blue Lake
At dusk

The need to
Attend to the usual
And necessary
Hut arrival routine
Now focused on
Eating
And sleeping

Sleep is elusive
Whole being
Alive and zinging

Finally opportunity to share some more of my experiences of the last few weeks. In Tekapo for a day of R & R and another one to plan and prepare for our next section, continuing from Tekapo. Will continue this writing from  where I left my last post.

 

Zero day in Upper Travers Hut

What to do on a forced zero day
When low clouds and rain block the views
Of all but the nearest trees and rocks
In a backcountry hut
With eight fellow trampers
When it’s not worth it
And even dangerous
To attempt going over
One of the highlight saddles
Of the trip?

First turn over and go back to sleep
To bask in the luxury
Of not setting out
At 7.30 or earlier

Chatting, making connections
Allowing future legs of the journey
To be safer, more fun,
interesting company
Allowing future crossing of paths
To feel like meeting
Long lost friends

Discussing the state
Of education across countries
Sharing scary stories
Of trampers’ accidents,
Incidents
Relief of having
Survived them
And fear of
When they were not

Revelling or otherwise
In others’ gear, food,
Pack weight
Experience
Tenacity
Knowledge of nature
And local features
Distances traveled

Playing card games
And knocking
The president
Off his
Unbeaten
Perch

Sitting out on the verandah
Soaking up
The power of everything
Around you
Hoping it will
Help with the journey
Tomorrow

Army of
Little vicious biters
Swarm in a cloud
Around ankles
And any hint
Of bare skin
And attack
The moment we stop
To rest
Or enjoy the view

Enough to
Drive a saint
To murder

Arriving at a hut after a day’s walk usually sparks a rush of activity,  the details of which depend on the time of arrival and the weather. What follows is an overview of the routine with an early arrival on a sunny day. When arriving late the focus is food and sleeping!

We arrive about 4.30 pm
Claim a bunk, Sarah and I prefer bottom bunks, Sandie a top bunk. If there are few fellow trampers we can spread out, if the hut is full it’s an exercise in containment, especially if wanting to keep track of your gear. Can’t replace it if lost!
Washing day’s clothes, particularly undies and smelly socks (we only have two pairs of each)
Hanging them out to dry on whatever suitable outpost is available: tree branches, bushes, rocks, walking poles, inside drying line or rack.
Deciding what to eat.
Taking stuff out of the pack: food bag, sleeping gear, clothes bag.
Soaking dehy veggies (insufficiently soaked ones play havoc with innards and morning rush to the long drop!)
Writing our details in the hut book and reading others’ posts, particularly from people we have met before (they’re all speeding along ahead of us).
Chatting with other trampers – we’ve met some lovely people :).
Divying the tasks for cooking, getting and filtering water and doing dishes.
Eating dinner.
Having a hot chocolate drink as dessert for extra calories; if the water is unfiltered it needs to be boiled for at least three minutes.
Cleaning teeth, using boiled or filtered water.
Getting breakfast ready; for me that is soaking our delicious muesli – can only do this after dinner as we need all our pots for cooking.
Getting snacks ready from the main food bag into my daily ration bag which I carry in my front “balance bags”.
Checking and bringing in washing; hanging inside or accept it will have to be attached to the outside of the pack the next day, to be air-dried that way.
Depending on the quality of the hut, i.e. whether or not fly screens are on the windows, we go through a ritual of ridding the place of as many sandflies as possible.
Sometimes there is time for some journal writing
Then suddenly the light is fading, four or more hours have melted away and it is time to hit the sack…. wake up time is 6 am for a 7/7.30 am start of walking!

All day long
Accompanied by the
Rushing water of
Travers River
Its flow
Colour
Clarity to any depth
Rocks small and large
Eddies strong
Steady and fast
Neverending stream
Of fresh clean water

Framed by
Meadows
Tall grasses
Sunshine and
Trees
Eventually
By towering mountains
With smatterings
Of left over snow
On the tops

 
The packs come off
For a two minute side track
To visit Travers Falls
Wondrous and spectacular
Thundering into its pool below
Timeless
Surrounded by eery
Ancient
Deep dark
Moss-covered trees
And rocks

Breath-taking beauty

All day long

Unable to rely
On plans made
Earlier
We set about
Working out
New logistics

Sarah will do
her own thing
Then join us again
Somewhere
That works
On all levels..
Her capacity
Our trail sections
Days needed
A meeting place
Somewhere
That makes sense
For all..
We have a plan

Sorting a new place
To meet Rixt
On February 20th,
Though still on the trail,

And someplace
Where Marco will pick her up
With a campervan
A week later
‘Cos’ Wanaka or Queenstown
Were just a little
Too ambitious
Is a whole other story

Studying
The notes,
The maps
And consulting
The team
Rakaia seems to be the place.
We’ll  work out the details
Later
Tomorrow
We’re walking again

Ravenously
Hollow inside
The first five pieces
Of toast slide down
Without touching
The sides
Or seeming
To land anywhere

Add
A croissant
Two eggs
Fresh salmon
With spinach
On bread
Three cups of tea
One orange juice
And then
At last
With the final item
A large smoothie
I begin to feel
I’ve had sufficient
To eat
For the next few
Hours

No cell reception
For ten days
But hoping
The TA
Bush telegraph
Is working
And faster travellers
Will herald
Our imminent
Arrival

Quietly wondering
Whether we may
Be greeted by
A smiling face
At Red Hills Hut
But no..

So up the hill
I trudge
In search of
Cell reception
Reported
In the hut book
“Just behind
The water tank”
All in vain
Seems to be
The TA joke
Of the day

Only to be met
On my return
By Sarah’s
Very relieved
(Bush telegraph
Had done its job)
And smiling face
With backpack full of food,
Including chips!

An hour of
Devouring
The salty crunchies and
Catching up
On mutual
Adventures
And wellbeing

Then we’re on our way
Again
Walking
Hitching
To civilisation
Where rest
Recovery
Food
Showers
Real beds
And some
TA friends
Await us

Great to
Be three again

Just walking,
When the ground
The rocks
The roots
Are dry
And the terrain
Is kind

Legs strong
Feet strong
Even if some
Of the little bones
Are feeling the pressure
Of having laboured
With a load
For 22 days…
Strong, painfree knees
Even on the
Downward slopes

Watching the landscape change
Every step
A different
Vista
If only
A slightly
Different angle
Different trees
Rocks, roots, leaves
Water

Even
Time to notice
The clouds;
And let imagination
Run wild
About
Luxury accommodation
Crisp cotton sheets
And thick white towels

The weather glorious
Spirits high
The walking trail
Is littered
With hearts
“For Africa”
In all shapes
Sizes
Colours
(courtesy of
Nelson Mineral Belt)
And textures:
Stones
Rocks
Wood
Leaves
Moss
Lichen
Clouds
Porter’s Creek hut to ourselves
Sunshine to dry out
Our gear
Frogs in the pond
The moon rising
Above the nearby mountain
Time even
For some sunbathing

Happy trampers