There’s a good reason for the lack of 2024 activity in the hills.
An Achilles tendon tear or three.
2023 was nearing an end, and I was ready for a big summer in the hills. I’d investigated a cross-country through Waitutu State Forest in Southland in some depth. I’d previously ventured over the South Coast track, which was to be my point of entry and exit, and got as far as Slaughterburn Hut. From there it would be a big trackless day to the Lake Poteriteri hut. I wanted to divert to the Crombie Bivvy before getting to Teal Bay Hut, where I would turn south for a full traverse over Hump Ridge to Port Craig and scoot back out.
But, being part of the Burn Creek Hut restoration team, I volunteered to do the measure-up as I’ve done plenty of documentation of houses over the years as an architect. This would be easy. None of the others in the team was available, so I took myself, with a heavy pack containing a tent, full-sized loppers, 100 Permolat track markers, plenty of nails and a small hammer, a week of food plus a bit more, a can of rust treatment, and to round it out a short steel Waratah stake with an orange end cap.
I did three half days of trackwork on the way in, arriving just as the rain came down. I spent three nights at the hut working out the Scope of Works report.
The Matakitaki River would be too vigorous to cross back over, so I went cross country over the top to Nardoo Hut.
It’s a blast of a trip. Exhilarating up at 2000 m walking along the Alpine Fault with the smashed-up cliffs down to the Glenroy River. No rain for two days, but the forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so I decided to get back to the car in a hurry. It was a big day, but I was good to go despite the continuing mist.
After 14 increasingly deep creek crossings, around 5 30 pm I was about 400 m from the start of an overgrown four-wheel-drive track and wandering over an open river flat when my calf pinged. A pulled muscle. Then, a second time.
It was raining heavily, so I put my tent up.
My summer itinerary was about to change.
This blog is about that alternative summer journey that extended into autumn and beyond.
