Day 103: All Gas No Breaks

January 21, 2020

Kilometers: 2510.5-2548.1

Longslip Hut to Pakituhi Hut

My alarm went off at 6am. I looked outside, it was a beautiful day, perfect for making a lot of miles. I ate dry granola and breakfast bars as I packed my stuff. I was on the trail at 6:25. 

My day started with a 750m climb from the hut to Martha’s saddle. The track was a 4WD track so it was wide. Still the climb was hard, it was cool but I basically drenched my shirt with sweat. The sun was rising as I climbed.

I reached the saddle in an hour and fifteen minutes. When I got to the top I could see Lake Ohau in the far distance with the sun reflecting off of it. I had conquered the first big climb of the day and it wasn’t even 8am yet. I was feeling good. I also got a self timer pic during the short break I took. 

I descended down the other side of the saddle. It first was on a steep rocky path. I was moving quick and got down to the valley in no time.

For the next hour I traveled along the river to the next hut. It was a slight decline and I had a nice pace. The trail stayed on one side of the river the whole way so I was able to keep my feet dry. 

I got to the hut at 9am. I had already done almost 14kms but didn’t have time to waste if I was gonna complete the day I had in mind. I went down to the creek to refill my camelbak, signed the intentions book, ate another bar and was off at 9:15. 

The next 12kms were more slow going than I was expecting. The elevation was net negative but the walking was hard. It was next to the river but was along steep hill sides, was narrow and had many steep ascents and descents. As I walked along this section I started to pass people that had stayed in the first hut the night before.

At 12:30 I stopped for lunch. I had cheese and crackers with some craisins and chocolate. I could have eaten twice what I had but knew I needed to save some food for tomorrow. I was off again at 1pm. 

Not long after where I ate lunch I got to a trail junction. The trail turned and went straight up hill. It was a 470m climb over 2.2kms. However, there were a few level sections so the ups were straight ups. This was one of the hardest climbs of the trip. It was midday, the sun was hot and I needed to stop every couple hundred meters to catch my breath. I felt like I was making no progress as I quickly went through my supply of water. It took my probably about 45-50 minutes to climb the 2.2kms. I was happy to see Stodys Hut. 

This hut is where I was originally planning on spending the night. However, my new plan had me pushing to the next hut 11kms further. It was only 2pm so I had plenty of time to complete my big day. I filled up all my water to my maximum carrying capacity as I was sick of running out of water and there were no water sources between the two huts. This 4kgs added 8.8 pounds of weight to my pack. 

From the hut the climb upward continued. It began with a 300m climb over 2kms up to a ridge. It was still uphill but wasn’t nearly the steepness of the previous climb, which I was very happy about. When I arrived at the ridge I could see the summit I was headed for in the distance. 

I walked along the ridge looking at the snow covered peaks to the west. After some shorter ups and downs on the ridge I began my final ascent of the day to the top of Breast Hill. One last 250m climb and I was at the summit. The gorgeous lake hawea came into view below me. I sat down and had another snack while checking my phone, which had just regained reception. I took some pictures and broke out the self timer again. 

 finally left the summit and headed down towards the hut. The trail led me along the edge of a cliff that gave me more great views of the lake. I had to stop to take pictures even though I was eager to get to the hut. 

I got to the hut to find a French couple we have seen a lot throughout our hike (they hitch a lot) and a kiwi father and son. No Belgians. I thought about pushing some more but it was almost 5 and I thought putting any more wear on my body wasn’t a great idea. 

I took a liter shower and made dinner. I had pasta with salmon packets and the rest of my chocolate for desert. 

Today was great. It was challenging, rewarding and puts me on track to get to Wanaka (and therefore my bounce box that I haven’t seen in ~35 days) tomorrow. I climbed over 2,300 meters today and went about 38 kms. In the last five days I have walked nearly 200km. All gas no breaks.