Day 78: Mars-esque
December 27, 2019
Kilometers: 1895.1-1912.4
Top Wairoa Hut to Porters Creek Hut
The wind was gusting very strong this morning. This, of course, wouldn’t have been an issue if we were in a hut, but we were tenting. The wind was so strong that we were all awake very early. I decided to pack up instead let the wind destroy my tent. Charlie and Peter decided to join me. We were off at 6:20, this early start allowed us to see the sun rise over the valley.
From the hut the trail entered Red Hills country. The landscape at some points reminded me very much of the American Southwest, Peter said it looked like Mars to him. The whole day was spent in this red rocky environment.
We started the day with a big climb out of the valley. It started through boulder fields and then took us up into tussock. The wind was still strong and made the walking harder. The 500 meter climb over 2.2km took us an hour. We reached the saddle and took shelter behind a large rock structure.
From the saddle we walked along a ridge towards Mount Ellis. We questioned whether the wind was too strong to walk up on the ridge but figured we could hide on the leeward side of the mountain if it got to be too much. The wind was cold but this was my favorite part of the day. We had amazing views.
We got to the highest point of the climb and started heading down the other side of the mountain. We could see the ocean in the distance as we made our way out of the wind and into an alpine forest.
The forest didn’t last for long. It quickly became a descent through boulder fields to a river. The rocks and boulders weren’t super stable so we had to go slow. We crossed the river and walked alongside it towards the next hut.
We arrived at the hut before 10 and had already done over half of the day. We took a long break at the hut, eating and taking a nap. The view from the porch wasn’t bad either.
From the hut we had a few climbs and drops over the next 7km to our destination for the night. The climbs were mostly through boulder fields and gravel hills.
The last climb was hard with the last few hundred meters being straight up loose gravel. At the top we could see the hut a few kms away that we were staying at. Can you see it?
We got to the hut before 2pm despite a few big breaks. When we got to the hut we all ate. Tomorrow we arrive in St Arnaud where real food and our resupply boxes await us so we wanted to eat any extra food we have to avoid carrying it tomorrow. I ate an instant rice packet with a salmon packet even though I wasn’t hungry at all.
Afterwards Peter, the head engineer of the group, made us a shower. We all used it. Although it was nice we are all looking forward to a real one tomorrow.
The afternoon was filled with more naps and eating. To our dismay two other hikers showed up around 6. We like having the hut to ourselves, especially cause most other people aren’t on our weird sleep schedule so they like to talk and be loud later than we’d like.
For dinner I had more pasta with a salmon packet. Tomorrow i’m eating pizza and a burger for dinner, I’ve already decided. We are set for another early takeoff in the morning to maximize our time in town.