Far o'er the misty mountains, cold!

February 10th 
Quailburn Hut to Lake Ōhau Lodge
5km North of KM 2495
Distance: 15.5km + 5km
Elevation: 440m ascent; 880m descent
Steps: 30,000
Time: 7:50am - 3:15pm

We had quite the weather system pass over last night! We were all in bed by about 8 (remember, trampers' midnight) and fell asleep to the rhythmic patter of light rain landing on the corrugated iron roof. Great for encouraging sleep. Later in the night we were all woken by the clamorous sound of heavy rain and, later, by wild winds tearing down the Ahuriri Valley and pounding our little hut. Both of us were grateful we weren't in a tent like the couple we met the day before, and our minds turned to what it might mean for tomorrow's ascent to a higher, more exposed elevation and further stream crossings. But by day's break both had passed and all that was left were overcast skies and a pinkish-orange glow to the east. 

Getting away to an early, and cool, start meant we watched the mist over the Ōhau Range change to whispy low-level cloud, and finally to blue skies and puffy cumulus clouds as the temperature increased. 

Luckily we made it to the top before it got too hot.  A few days without sun apparently meant we were extra squinty for this photo, though.

A butterfly also made use of Eliza's pack cover to deploy its solar panels and warm up for the day. Or perhaps the orange pack cover looked like a giant flower!

Our footwear hadn't dried a single bit overnight, but it made no difference as we walked immediately into more stream crossings. Finally crossing over the saddle into the descent to our destination Lake Ōhau, we again walked into a mist-filled valley. 


The steep descent continued through tussock, streams and wetland until we were reunited with beech forest and associated funghi and birdlife.

The final leg to Lake Ōhau was a 5km walk following the Alps to Ocean route, across open grassland under a blazing sun and 30 degree temperatures, and more stunning views. We splashed out and paid to stay at the Lake Ōhau Lodge (showers!!). The stay includes a 3 course dinner (Eliza had the steak, Vaughan had the duck. Both had soup, and the sweet tart with berry compote for dessert) and breakfast. I think we've earned it over the last 6 days. 

Comments

  1. PaulFebruary 18, 2022 at 6:52 AM

    This seems to have been quite a scenic (and long) stretch of tramping!

    ReplyDelete

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