Return to the Trail.

February 5th 
Lake Hāwea to Pakituhi Hut
KM 2569
Distance: 10km
Elevation: Ascent 950m
Steps: 20,000
Time: 8am - 1:30pm.

So good to be walking again! The morning was crisp and misty as we started the first section which follows the lake shoreline to the start of the Breast Hill Track. This is found in the Hawea Conservation Area.

I'm sure this sounds like we're on repeat, but from here the track just went up steeply, and the underlying flaky schist made the track rough under foot. But again, the views were pretty amazing.


There were quite a few other people on the track today; two retired couples, a young couple doing the ascent and return, and a group of five friends who we're sharing the hut with. They all offered encouragement as they passed us by.

We arrived at the first hut at 1:30 but we had no energy left to continue any further. So we're ensconced in the hut trying to warm up with soup. I'm sure the view would be amazing if it wasn't for the mist.


We mentioned earlier the group of five friends who were going to share the hut with us. That was only the start of it! In order, here are the people that showed up:
* 5 friends in their early 20's, up from Dunedin (1 from Invercargill)
* the two of us
* 2 ex-pat Brits, who decided to then leave to set up their tent a few km further up the trail
* Nigel (have we mentioned Nigel before? He's a newly retired man, hiking the TA on his own, and seems to be going about the same distance as us each day)
* Linsey (have we mentioned Linsey before? We first met her in the Takitimu Range, and came into Queenstown with her and her trail friend, Pip. Pip has since needed to go back to be with her family)
* Linsey's new trail friends Raewyn and Meredith
* Another group of 5 who had come up just to stay at the hut, with no tent or sleeping mats. They eventually decided to push on to Stody's Hut

For those counting, that leaves 11 people staying in the hut. This is an 8-bed hut. It's a bit cozy! Two people rolled out their camping mats and slept on the floor, and the group of 5 all squeezed into the top level of 4 mattresses.

On the plus side, the hut is quite warm, despite the very cold, damp wind outside! 

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