(no subject)
Easter break, aka fall break in the southern hemisphere was good fun. We had ten days. I still had to work the week so on Sunday Dave and I decided to hitch hike up to Authurs Pass national park. When we reached the hitching spot at the top of the hill we realized there was a queue for getting a life. So we sat down, put on some sun screen and waited. With in five mins an suv pull over and took 4 people away. How ever the two more had joined in the waiting and we were still left with 6. Not to long after a white van pulled up who could take all of us up to Christcurch.
There were two brothers who were driving the car. The oldest being quite good looking, so I took to opportunity to sit in the front with him while Dave slept in the back. I learned that he had also dropped out of university twice and had been studying zoology. We talked about different reasons we had both dropped out previously and we both a agreed that it was lack of commit to what we were supposed to be doing. And I realized how much more I am commited I am now. I actually enjoy my classes and my labs. I’ve even arranged that I can do my lab time once a week instead of once everyother week because I often find my self gazing into the microscope not noticing time passes before my lab proctor pokes me and tell me that it’s time to clean up, or the time we were dissecting deer legs and I pulled out every single tendon I could find, but forgot to do the other half. The lab proctor had to come and take my leg away.
So we jumped out at the turn off for authors pass about 5.30 pm. Slightly before dark. (damn you northern hemisphere people who it stays light for!!!) Where every car drove past us. Mind you the road was pretty empty and there were only about 6 of them before darkness began to settle, Reserving ourselves to a night a camping on the side of the road with no food (because silly forgetful me forgot to get gas for the cooker) a truck stopped next to us. And invited us to stay at his house with his family for the night. Enticed by the large stack of dominos pizza boxes next to him, I agreed straight away.
So we arrived at there only to realized that he was on of 7 children and lived on a dairy farm in the Canterbury plains. The house was really nice and they had a super relaxed cat and a fluffy dog. And an abundance of Jesus posters. But they did give us pizza. We learned that they had just come back from a Christian Easter camp. They did refrain from trying to convert us for which I was greatful. They were one of the kindest most wholesome familes ever. They even went out of our way to drop us in the next town to get a ride out of.
Auuthurs pass was bright and sunny, and we checked in with the doc office before immediately heading out to the trail head. Where we got my first ever ride in a camper van. They were from South America. The trail started out very wet, by crossing a river. Twice because this is new Zealand and it is a braided river. Then headed up into the forrest before depositing us back on the river bed. We walked for about 30 mins before realizing it had be quite a while since I saw a crain. And I wondered if we were still on the trail. We read the section in the brochure that was supposed to describe the trail we were on.
A quick note on DOC brochures. They are nearly useless. I was hiking a trail a couple years back and it read “the trail heads steadily up hill. The hut is located just above the tree line” Now I headed steadily up hill for quite a wile, then down hill, then across a valley. Then steadily up hill again. Then back down hill. Then across a river. Then back up hill, then I crosses out of the tree line and began to wonder where then hut was. Then the trail went back below the tree line. Then back out, then back in then back out and there, finally was the hut. I failed to see how DOC could forget to mention the trails meandering and wondered how many people had spent several hours looking for the hut the first time the passed the tree line
This brochure read “ blah blah bypass gorge which is navigable when the river is low. Follow the river on the true left and cross just below the junction of the branches. enter the forest by the well marked trail.” Or something similar. It made it sound like we should cross the river immediately after we had left the forest and the absence of cairns was making us nervous. So we decided to back track and couldn’t see any sign of a trail on the other side. So up the river valley we headed. And we finally made it to the point we were supposed to cross. The trail deteriorated to the point where I was falling on my ass every five mins. I often wonder how I can bounce around on ships so easily but lack the same finesse on land. Dave pointed out that it might be that on a ship, your feet are always on a flat surface. This is true. The will have to be further investigated. I was covered with bumps and ouches and almost healed broken foot was less then pleased with me. Since we lost so much time back tracking, darkness was beginning to fall. The only thing that worried me was going through a tussock field in the dark, and the brochure warned us we would do.
I have spent so much time in the new Zealand bush, the dark in the forrest doesn’t bother me. It’s quite comfortable, and the only thing you have to look out is roots to trip you up. Alpine tussock fields are completely different. My limited experience climbing around in the Darren mountains has taught me how evil hiking through tussocks is. They are so tall and dense you can’t see the trail beneath your feet and water runs between their roots often creating gullys where you think ground should be, and mud. Thick slippy mud. It’s quite difficult to follow a trail through tussocks in bright day light, let alone in the falling darkness. With one head lamp.
We lost the trail every couple of minuets and ended up in the river twice. Finally, thankfully, we entered the short stretch of forrest before entering Edwards vally and the sanctuary of the hut. I was happy to find a couple of older gents already there. And a fire burning in the wood stove. It was lovely and warm. I cooked us up and yummy meal of lentil thingy and instant mashed potatoes. I was amazed but the amount of potatoes Dave consumed. We chatted with the others but mostly a enjoyed listen to their humours banter.
As I was making my way to the out side toilet I looked up at the thousands of stars. The megalanic clouds. I could here a kiwi call out from across the river. And I was again remined of why to painfully drag my uncoordinated self to these far out places. My sleeping bag was so lovely and warm.
There were two brothers who were driving the car. The oldest being quite good looking, so I took to opportunity to sit in the front with him while Dave slept in the back. I learned that he had also dropped out of university twice and had been studying zoology. We talked about different reasons we had both dropped out previously and we both a agreed that it was lack of commit to what we were supposed to be doing. And I realized how much more I am commited I am now. I actually enjoy my classes and my labs. I’ve even arranged that I can do my lab time once a week instead of once everyother week because I often find my self gazing into the microscope not noticing time passes before my lab proctor pokes me and tell me that it’s time to clean up, or the time we were dissecting deer legs and I pulled out every single tendon I could find, but forgot to do the other half. The lab proctor had to come and take my leg away.
So we jumped out at the turn off for authors pass about 5.30 pm. Slightly before dark. (damn you northern hemisphere people who it stays light for!!!) Where every car drove past us. Mind you the road was pretty empty and there were only about 6 of them before darkness began to settle, Reserving ourselves to a night a camping on the side of the road with no food (because silly forgetful me forgot to get gas for the cooker) a truck stopped next to us. And invited us to stay at his house with his family for the night. Enticed by the large stack of dominos pizza boxes next to him, I agreed straight away.
So we arrived at there only to realized that he was on of 7 children and lived on a dairy farm in the Canterbury plains. The house was really nice and they had a super relaxed cat and a fluffy dog. And an abundance of Jesus posters. But they did give us pizza. We learned that they had just come back from a Christian Easter camp. They did refrain from trying to convert us for which I was greatful. They were one of the kindest most wholesome familes ever. They even went out of our way to drop us in the next town to get a ride out of.
Auuthurs pass was bright and sunny, and we checked in with the doc office before immediately heading out to the trail head. Where we got my first ever ride in a camper van. They were from South America. The trail started out very wet, by crossing a river. Twice because this is new Zealand and it is a braided river. Then headed up into the forrest before depositing us back on the river bed. We walked for about 30 mins before realizing it had be quite a while since I saw a crain. And I wondered if we were still on the trail. We read the section in the brochure that was supposed to describe the trail we were on.
A quick note on DOC brochures. They are nearly useless. I was hiking a trail a couple years back and it read “the trail heads steadily up hill. The hut is located just above the tree line” Now I headed steadily up hill for quite a wile, then down hill, then across a valley. Then steadily up hill again. Then back down hill. Then across a river. Then back up hill, then I crosses out of the tree line and began to wonder where then hut was. Then the trail went back below the tree line. Then back out, then back in then back out and there, finally was the hut. I failed to see how DOC could forget to mention the trails meandering and wondered how many people had spent several hours looking for the hut the first time the passed the tree line
This brochure read “ blah blah bypass gorge which is navigable when the river is low. Follow the river on the true left and cross just below the junction of the branches. enter the forest by the well marked trail.” Or something similar. It made it sound like we should cross the river immediately after we had left the forest and the absence of cairns was making us nervous. So we decided to back track and couldn’t see any sign of a trail on the other side. So up the river valley we headed. And we finally made it to the point we were supposed to cross. The trail deteriorated to the point where I was falling on my ass every five mins. I often wonder how I can bounce around on ships so easily but lack the same finesse on land. Dave pointed out that it might be that on a ship, your feet are always on a flat surface. This is true. The will have to be further investigated. I was covered with bumps and ouches and almost healed broken foot was less then pleased with me. Since we lost so much time back tracking, darkness was beginning to fall. The only thing that worried me was going through a tussock field in the dark, and the brochure warned us we would do.
I have spent so much time in the new Zealand bush, the dark in the forrest doesn’t bother me. It’s quite comfortable, and the only thing you have to look out is roots to trip you up. Alpine tussock fields are completely different. My limited experience climbing around in the Darren mountains has taught me how evil hiking through tussocks is. They are so tall and dense you can’t see the trail beneath your feet and water runs between their roots often creating gullys where you think ground should be, and mud. Thick slippy mud. It’s quite difficult to follow a trail through tussocks in bright day light, let alone in the falling darkness. With one head lamp.
We lost the trail every couple of minuets and ended up in the river twice. Finally, thankfully, we entered the short stretch of forrest before entering Edwards vally and the sanctuary of the hut. I was happy to find a couple of older gents already there. And a fire burning in the wood stove. It was lovely and warm. I cooked us up and yummy meal of lentil thingy and instant mashed potatoes. I was amazed but the amount of potatoes Dave consumed. We chatted with the others but mostly a enjoyed listen to their humours banter.
As I was making my way to the out side toilet I looked up at the thousands of stars. The megalanic clouds. I could here a kiwi call out from across the river. And I was again remined of why to painfully drag my uncoordinated self to these far out places. My sleeping bag was so lovely and warm.