Sylvester/Balloon trip | November 2016

Does this count as a tramp?

I guess for many people a weekend away is as much as they can squeeze out and, in my case, you can get a surprising amount done with just two nights in the hills.

There was a strange concatenation of events during the week.

First, the Kaikoura earthquake the weekend before which completely disrupted my summer holiday plans of walking from Kaikoura to Hokitika, via St Arnaud, Lewis Pass, and Arthurs Pass.

Then there was cleaning and upgrading the house after the tenant moved out.

I was approached about work from two different clients, who ended up both cancelling at the last minute.

With the launch of my paperback, 100 Days | Walking Te Araroa in a few day’s time maybe a couple of nights in a hut or two would clarify what I would talk about. I had 95% of what I was going to say, just needed some clear air to sort things out in my mind.

This is what happened . . .

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Day 1 | Sylvester Hut

It wasn’t looking entirely serene in the weather department, a fierce wind was whistling in as I reached the ridge.

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Day 2 | Balloon Hut

Packing up took all of five minutes, one of the joys of a weekend tramp with little food, no tent, not much in my pack at all.

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Day 3 | back home, already

The drop down through the forest was straightforward, easier in the downward direction than the alternative.