Day 86 - Arthur’s Pass

A cold night, zipped all the way up in my sleeping bag. Because my mattress is flat I’m losing lots of heat by not having something insulating me from below. I aim to get over Goats Pass today, a section many hikers say is really rough and dangerous. I suspect yet another fear mongered trail. DOC has a time estimate of 14hrs, but I usually do 60% of their estimates. 

To start we opted to walk along the river bank instead of the winding and slippery high flood route trail up on the bank. It did mean waking in the river for parts. 

I started up Deception River towards the pass. This trail is not a trail at all it’s really just walking on the bottom of the valleys river bed until you get to the pass. I was constantly crossing streams, more in the water than out of it today. The day of 1001 stream crossings. 

11am photo

There is an ultra marathon, the coast to coast, running this trail soon. Some 600 runners will be through this area tomorrow. Glad I’m here today, would not want to be here trying hike through that chaos. A helicopter was flying up and down the valley bringing in supplies for the Marathon. 

I reached Goats Pass after lunch and got some epic views of the surrounding mountains. This side of the pass couldn’t have been more different than the side I came up. The pathless river valley was replaced with a smooth gradient and boardwalks. Cruising walking from here on out. 

I hit the highway and hitched into the nearby town of Arthur’s Pass for the night. I got a hot tip from some NOBO hikers that I could stay in the Christ Church Tramping Club hut in town. Rather than the extremely crowded field where the rest of the walkers go. A secret little hideaway hut. 

A great day today one of my favourites. Walking up a cold mountain stream on a hot day.