Day 114: Methven to Double Hut (2246-2277)
Thursday, March 23
It was miserably early, but we all managed to get up around 4:30. It was drizzling, but the forecast got a little better. Now the clouds were supposed to clear at some point.
We walked to the bus at 5:30 in darkness, dressed in our rain gear. Earlier in the trip I always wore my cut-out garbage bag as my bottom rain layer, but as it gets colder, I've been rain wearing pants. The ankles have very stretchy elastic so I can wear them at the knee, which is really nice.
As we waited for the bus, 7 other TA hikers ended up waiting with us. It was everyone from Hamilton Hut except Marjolein, so I messaged her. There was one woman I didn't recognize, but we'd probably meet her in this section. There are only so many huts.
At 6 am, the bus driver pulled up and we all got in. The hour drive to the trailhead was dark and the windshield wipers kept batting off the light rain.
The driver stopped at one point. I think it was to deliver a newspaper. Right before sunrise, we made it to the trailhead. We got out and the driver attached school bus signs to the outside of the bus so he could start his route.
Karolina was the first to hit the trail, the three of us were next, and the other six were behind us. We passed Carolina at some point when she stopped to de-layer. We wanted to get far so we wouldn't have to stay at Comyns Hut. It was an 8-person hut and there had been 10 of us on the bus.
The trail started on farmland with some cows, then started to incline to get over Turtons Saddle, which wasn't too bad of a saddle to tramp up. It was chilly. It has been for the last few weeks, but I really don't want it to get much colder on nights I'm in my tent. Luckily we should have a hut tonight.
A little after making it over Turtons Saddle we met a South Korean Northbound TA hiker. He was nice, and we told him he was nearly to the road.
Right after meeting him we made it to A-Frame Hut. It came out of nowhere because is was between two hills. It seemed like a brand new hut and it had three beds. If it wasn't so early it would have been a great place to stay. It would probably be good to stay in if you were heading north because it would start your day close to the road. You'd have all day to try walk and hitch into Methven.
After leaving A-Frame Hut, there were a few river crossings. We made it to Comyns Hut and ate some lunch snacks. The first thing we noticed was the collapsed hut next door. The hut wasn't the nicest I've been in, but it would have been great to stay in for a night. I had heard that it was pretty terrible. Maybe whoever told me that was picky. I would have slept in it.
Two NOBOers showed up, a guy from California and a lady who was from Australia, New Zealand and Germany. They asked if we had seen their friend Clint, signed the hut book, and kept walking.
Sam, Lauren and I left the hut around noon. Thankfully it had warmed up a bit since this morning because we had a 7 kilometer walk in the river. It was beautiful and my feet are always happy for a long water walk (when there's not much silt to work it's way between my feet and sandals).
The NOBOers had told us to stay in the river as much as we could because there were some short sections in the brush on the side that seemed pointless. It was hard to know what to do while we were walking. River walking is really slow going, but half the sections of trail we tried had awful spear grass and bushes with huge needle-like thorns (larger than the ones you see on gorse). The spear grass was like a bush of huge needles that could pierce your foot or side if you stepped on it just right. After making that mistake once or twice I learned how to walk on bunches of spear grass without hurting my feet.
Regardless of all the prickly plants on the sides of the river and on the trail, the river walk was quite enjoyable, with beautiful views of the towering mountains on each side. As we continued to walk, the clouds cleared and we got to see some blue sky.
While we were in the river we met Clint. He was really nice and in good spirits. He mentioned a really neat tree cave outside of Invercargill large enough to sleep in. After saying our hellos and goodbyes we kept walking.
We had planned a long day today, and we were right on schedule to hit Double Hut a little before dark. Our next landmark was Clent Hills Saddle. I was so glad it had cleared because we could see for miles and miles. Someone had taken a folding chair up there. It may have come from Comyns Hut because I saw some in the rubble of the fallen hut next door.
Lauren's Barbie and my Kiwi had fun taking a rest in the chair. We stopped for a little water and snack break to take in the view and kept going.
From the saddle the trail was mostly through tussock and was a little slow going. The pole markers were really spaced out so we had to be really vigilant about spotting them or we'd get off trail. Lauren was a pro at spotting the orange-tipped markers.
That said, it was mostly downhill to Double Hut. I'm glad because I was getting pretty tired and a bit nervous we'd be hiking in the dark. But I always worry too much about hiking in the dark. The sun was starting to set but we were close and the trail was really flat the last few kilometers. We arrived just after 7. Not too bad for a 31 kilometer day. Especially with two saddles and a 7 kilometer river walk!
We were all pretty tired so we made dinner and went to bed without watching a West Wing. We kept thinking Karolina might show up, but she likes camping and there were lots of nice spots on the trail to pitch a tent. It was about 9:30 by the time we went to bed.
The bus driver put the school signs on as soon as we got off. It was a little bit darker out than the photo makes it look.
The view from Turtons Saddle.
Lauren is really good at selfies - this one is on Turtons Saddle.
Inside A-Frame Hut. There's a table right infront of the chair and the entire hut feels a lot nicer than this photo makes it look. It was all new and fresh-feeling plywood.
Lauren and A-Frame Hut.
Comyns Hut. The collapsed hut was just to the left, but I cropped it out.
Sam inside Comyns Hut.
Comyns Hut and the collapsed hut next to it.
Sam and me walking next to the river.
Lauren takes on a river crossing.
Sam takes on a river crossing.
Lauren in the beautiful valley scenery.
Sam and Lauren.
Lauren, Sam and a trail marker pole.
The view from Clent Saddle.
A nice seat for a view.
Kiwi takes a break in the chair.
Sam and me on Clent Saddle.
Barbie takes a break too.
Sam and the mountains on Clent Saddle.
Sam and Lauren in the tussock.
Sam and Lauren walk on scree.
A first person perspective on scree.
Another amazing view on our way to Double Hut.
Lauren, Sam, golden hour and tussock.
Lauren!
Lauren and Sam right before Double Hut.
Double Hut.
This is how I add a tuna packet to my gourmet ramen and dehydrated veggie mix if I didn't put the tuna in before the water. It's a skill I've really honed!