Rain! Heavy rain!
It started drizzling at 3 pm yesterday and slowly grew more intense. I could hear it solidly on the corrugated steel roof at 3 am, and at 6 am it was still coming down.
Not at all unexpected, as the weather forecast indicated 40 mm for today before clearing first thing tomorrow.
When I popped outside, I could see light snow only 300 m above the valley floor. The temperature was supposed to drop 5°C, with a maximum of 3°C tomorrow, as a cold front came through and cleared the rain.
Then, it would snow.
The fire last night dried out some wood, so I might light it around 4 pm to dry some more.
With occasional lulls in the downpour, I spent some time chopping up more chainsawed lengths, then went to get more fallen manuka from down by the river, and checked how much it had risen.
Right from the start, I thought I would spend some of the day in my sleeping bag to keep warm. After all, the hut was built in 1905 with vertical boards on the outside and no insulation. The enormous chimney provides more than adequate ventilation. The hut has been semi-renovated, with new bunks, a toilet, and a fireplace insert installed. The fireplace could accommodate four men, so cutting it back with the insert brings the fire closer to the room, and that provided quite some heat. But with such green beech wood, the fire is either smouldering or raging. I chose the latter.
During the day, two small four-paned windows provide some light to the gloom, but I kept the white painted door open to reflect in more light. It wasn’t so bad once my eyes adjusted.
It was unlikely anyone else would show up, but you never know as it’s Friday after all. The inclement weather and the swollen river and streams may prove a barrier to companionship, although most people have more sense than to venture up here midwinter.
A guide to the night’s accommodation: Downie Hut
