Well hello!
I have had these photos kinda ready for a couple of days… now getting to an actual story!
We woke up on day four to weather that was chilly but promising (ie it wasn’t raining sideways)
I love the massive veranda at Pelion!
Its the usual chaotic scramble in the morning, starting from about 6am when people start stirring, making the brisk walk up to the loo’s, organising breakfast, packing up sleeping gear then bravely pulling on cold wet boots and socks!
There is always time for a few snaps before we sling the packs on and get back onto the track though!
We had to make a point of Fiona’s T-shirt.
A local singer, Claire Anne Taylor made the trip with us!! She is a lovely young woman with a beautiful voice and talent. I have been lucky enough to meet her and hear her sing on a few occasions!
(One of her songs here if anyone is interested!)
A last look at Mt Oakleigh and we were loaded up and on our way.
Of course its good manners to say hi to the locals who were still out and about
We started by walking through bushland that was draped in green. It’s so fresh and beautiful.
What was really fabulous was breaking out into the open and finally seeing proper blue skies!!
Water was everywhere – no great surprise, but streams, creeks, rivulets, and just puddles and running waterways all over the place!
The paths were varied – new boardwalk, old boardwalk, natural paths lined with tree roots or boggy swamps!
Often, paths were little waterfalls too!
Not far up the track, we ducked off to the side to check out the river and waterfall… what a difference from when I was here a year ago!
Looking back 13 months:
It was fabulous standing there watching the water roar on by!
Back on with the packs and forward!
Sometimes it was a balancing act – pretty easy to be looking at the pretty scenery and fall off the path into the mud!
Fallen logs offer a great spot to rest and take the weight of the pack for five minutes!
Always something to look at… whether it was the unusually coloured trees, beautiful mosses, various fungi… it was an ongoing feast for the eyes.
And just as our eyes became permanently stained green, we broke out into a totally different landscape.
And snow!
Between two mountains – we had been hoping to climb Ossa, but the weather had rolled in and so we decided to give up that idea.
I think Kim and Brod were doing a Gandalf Thing with the stick/staff
Always great to make new friends while you are in the wilderness!
So we made our way down the snowy, icy boardwalks towards our next hut
Ok, yes and stop for a quick selfie 🙂
I can’t help taking continual delight in the colours and textures of the trees and rocks
We knew we were close to the hut, but we found a suitable rock with an awesome view and ate our lunch
Cheese (Swiss cheese no less) and relish wraps – nectar of gods!! 🙂 Everything tastes twice as good when eaten outdoors after hiking!
We had met up a few times with people along the way today!
Angela, Paul and Martin caught us up again while we were lounging on our rock eating!
And not long after, we arrived at Kia Ora Hut
Kia Ora was a small compact hut. Squashy indoor eating area – but people were good at moving on when done and sharing.
A number of people opted to camp this night, although food and packs get stored in the cloakroom area of the hut so to lessen the risk of possums tearing into your pack and nicking your food!
Some people (Kim and Brod) chose tent platforms with the best views!
Each hut has a helipad, which is usually fairly close to the toilets. The clear area around the helipads usually had some excellent views
Just past the hut was a river – very enjoyable to lean on the bridge for a while.
Eventually night falls and its time to hop into the sleeping bags and get some rest
Dreaming of green forests and looking forward to the next days adventure!
Cheers!
