I came I saw I tramped
4 days, 3 nights, 1 blister, 2 icy cold swims, 1 potentially embarassing fall into a tree and then head first into the ground that fortunately no one saw, several aching muscles, too much instant porridge, 2 stinky long drops, 1 fantastic brand new hut with flush toilets, 1 sibling with a buggered knee, one hell of a bad case of body odour, too many aircraft overflights, a lot of card games, a countless number of desperately needy looking bush robins, one menacing kea and much much snacking...yes as you can probably tell I've just been tramping. I've just walked the Greenstone - Caples Track ( http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/002~Tracks-and-Walks/Major-Tracks/Greenstone-Caples-Track/index.asp) with my brother and my sister in law...now I'm finishing a glass of Brown Brothers Tarrango for medicinal purposes to anaethatise my calf muscles and dull my itchy sandfly bites.
The second day was a definate highlight. We scrambled up an alleged track that was mainly rocks and tree roots through mossy beech forest to a saddle where I basked on a hot rock like a lizard before plunging down (well thats where I fell over anyway) the precipitous slope on the other side for a refreshing dip in Lake McKeller in my skin tight black long johns (sorry had to share). Actually the track was so precipitous that most of the track markers fell off it meaning that we got to the bottom of the hill and found that we'd taken a massive short cut and avoided the last few zig zags. The lowlight was the extremely pungent long drop encountered at the hut at the end of that day where the atmosphere just about burned your skin off.
I enjoyed chatting to the united nations of tramping that I met in the huts...the guy from Aberdeen whose accent really could have done with subtitles, the speedy german and the posh ladies from Merivale who brought blue vein cheese in with them (probably good because there is no way of knowing if it had gone off). Even the bible bashing Texas republican was good value. We'd met the night before in Kinloch when he had walked into the room where we were watching Farenheit 911 and drinking merlot, complained loudly and walked out again...not his sort of movie I guess. He was an anomaly because every other American I've met has claimed to have been a democrat either because republicans don't travel outside there own country or they're embarrased about Bush too.
I also enjoyed the mirth caused by the two dutch girls who had tramped for 8 hours over the saddle, in sneakers while carrying an enourmous heavy camping stove in a big heavy plastic case...nutters. Can't have been much fun having the rest of the hut laughing at them but it was pretty clueless.
It was great eating like kings with my brother's meticulously planned meals (Thai Green Curry, apple pie and chocolate instant pudding on the last night!!!) while most other people were eating instant noodles.
Now I just have to plan the next tramp...a six day Hollyford epic or the shorter Dart-Rees I think.
The second day was a definate highlight. We scrambled up an alleged track that was mainly rocks and tree roots through mossy beech forest to a saddle where I basked on a hot rock like a lizard before plunging down (well thats where I fell over anyway) the precipitous slope on the other side for a refreshing dip in Lake McKeller in my skin tight black long johns (sorry had to share). Actually the track was so precipitous that most of the track markers fell off it meaning that we got to the bottom of the hill and found that we'd taken a massive short cut and avoided the last few zig zags. The lowlight was the extremely pungent long drop encountered at the hut at the end of that day where the atmosphere just about burned your skin off.
I enjoyed chatting to the united nations of tramping that I met in the huts...the guy from Aberdeen whose accent really could have done with subtitles, the speedy german and the posh ladies from Merivale who brought blue vein cheese in with them (probably good because there is no way of knowing if it had gone off). Even the bible bashing Texas republican was good value. We'd met the night before in Kinloch when he had walked into the room where we were watching Farenheit 911 and drinking merlot, complained loudly and walked out again...not his sort of movie I guess. He was an anomaly because every other American I've met has claimed to have been a democrat either because republicans don't travel outside there own country or they're embarrased about Bush too.
I also enjoyed the mirth caused by the two dutch girls who had tramped for 8 hours over the saddle, in sneakers while carrying an enourmous heavy camping stove in a big heavy plastic case...nutters. Can't have been much fun having the rest of the hut laughing at them but it was pretty clueless.
It was great eating like kings with my brother's meticulously planned meals (Thai Green Curry, apple pie and chocolate instant pudding on the last night!!!) while most other people were eating instant noodles.
Now I just have to plan the next tramp...a six day Hollyford epic or the shorter Dart-Rees I think.