Another day in between the hills,
I was alone, at the 8 bunk hut, last night for the second time this season… I think. A sign that the winter is closing in and the people on the trail are getting less and less. I didn’t feel like making a fire, and fire wood was scares, so an early last night led to being up early this morning. Looking at the grey skies outside, that didn’t transpose into an early start on the trail unfortunately.
I only have one big climb for today, and just over 10km-ish to cover, so no big rush.
Mostly tussock and scree here between the hills and the low clouds prohibited beautiful panoramic views like yesterday. Having said that, I still felt special being here, walking the trail and exploring all this in silence and solitude.
After clearing the scree saddle, the weather improved a bit and soon I got my first glance of the Rangitata river in the distance. This also meant the Crooked Spur Hut was close too.
I did a little “maintenance” getting my tent dry and repacked as well as munching some of my last snacks to lighten the load. Read the intentions book and there were lots of comments about two things: mice in the hut, and Kea’s on the roof.
To cut a looong story short, I soon encountered the mice inside the hut and decided I might get a better night’s sleep in my tent outside. So after pitching my tent again and just about ready to go to bed, the Kea’s arrived. They are beautiful birds, so inquisitive and I mean them no harm, but they are naughty and wanted to have a taste of my tent. I had to play ‘night club bouncer” outside my tent for the next hour while the Kea’s made a group effect on getting access to my tent. Eventually they got the message and left, but I knew they would be back in the morning.
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43.6238 – 170.7899
5 April 2024
FP-85
2 responses to “Crooked Spur Hut – Day 38.”
Your first 3 cloudy pics are beyond gorgeous, not that the rest are not, but these 3 Sjoewee!
I just had to giggle about the Kea Bird situation🐦🤣
You can almost find beauty in everything you see or encounter, you just have to be open to it. I learned that when I was in the dessert in Algeria doing work for a company you are familiar with. It did feel very “mystical” that morning.
About the Kea’s… I love birds and the Kea’s are beautiful creatures, especially when the fly, exposing the orange and red feathers in their wings. BUT they are naturally inquisitive and want to feel and taste everything. You can have a look at [Kea Conservation] and see how they move road cones around.