Day 90 - Double Hut

Bright and early this morning. In order to get to the other side of the Rakaia River Plain I chose to catch a ride. It’s a little used backcountry road so hitching would take too long. You can book a normal expensive shuttle, but I chose to take a school bus. It just so happens that a kid lives out on a farm near the trail head and a local bus driver seized the opportunity to drive TA walkers on his way to start his bus route. Doesn’t change his day but he gets a tidy profit charging a few bucks to get on his bus. The only catch is that he leaves town at 5:55am. An early start, but It’ll be worth it I think. 

A steep climb for cold legs to start the day. 

This is a dry treeless landscape.

11am photo continuing the valleys. 

I turned a corner to start walking up a creek. No trail here. I really enjoy this terrain, especially on a hot day.  Wading through the cold streams keeps me cool. I find it fascinating starting at the bottom of the valley where the stream is a fast flowing torrent, and as I continue past tributaries, and steadily rise in elevation, the stream gets smaller and smaller until it is no more than wet grass at the source. 

I reached Clent Hills Saddle and had a late second lunch before continuing on. 

This part of the valley is absolutely stunning. I meant to continue on to a hut further down, but upon seeing the view in this area I decided to call it early. Spend sometime taking in the view. 

Probably the best view on the shitter I’ve had yet. 

The hut I stopped at was an older hut. There are signatures from 70 years of trampers. Including Sir Edmund Hillary dated 1951. He practiced climbing the mountains near this hut in preparation for his summit of Mt. Everest. 

Bloody good sunset over the magestical southern alps.