Making up for my weather day,
I had to get up early and get a move on today. Lucky it was not such a cold night, so I got going and left the hut shortly after 8am. Today I have to climb the last hill to Fern Burn Hut and then finish the next leg to Glendhu Bay to stay on track and make up for the weather day I lost at Roses Hut.
Yes, believe it or not, Highland Creek Hut is down there, in-between all those mountain peaks.
The climb was grueling, but I made the 500 odd vertical meters, mostly in the shade of the mountain next door. Looking down into the valley on the other side of the saddle, you can get a sense that it was generally down hill from now onwards.
So leaving the mountains behind, saying goodbye (for now). Such an experience and such a sense of achievement. Soon glimpses of Lake Wanaka started to appear as well.
Then a quick stop at Fern Burn Hut, just to sign the book, get some water and have a quick lunch.
Onwards, leaving the hut and completing the last 10-ish km to Glendhu Bay. A small section through local forest as well provided welcome shade and cooler temperatures, away from the sun.
Reached Glendhu Bay with ample time to spare to catch the Velo cafe open for a well deserved ham and cheese toasted sandwich, yum. Then on to the holiday park for a night of tenting. Feeling so good, the stint from ArrowTown to Glendhu Bay was most certainly a GREAT walk and one I will never forget.
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44.6739 – 169.0188
17 March 2024
FP-66