Day 144: Merrivale Road Hut to Martin's Hut (2861-2890)

Saturday, April 22

I woke up a bit before 7 and ate and packed up. The sheep they had in the fence between the house and the hut were amazing. They weren't afraid of me at all. Usually sheep start walking away from me as soon as they notice me. Around 7:30 it was just bright enough to walk without my headlamp, so I headed out.

It was a beautiful morning. I passed some deer farms and started the Longwood Forest Track around 9:30. It was pretty muddy but not miserable.

At one point I misjudged the depth of some mud and my right leg got submerged to the mid thigh. Eventually I made it up to Bald Hill and could see the ocean. I stopped for lunch there and then walked the 4 kilometer road walk.

After the bit of road, the trail was very wet and muddy. The forest made me feel like I was in a Jurassic Park movie. But people in those movies don't look dirty enough to be hiking in muddy terrain like this!

It was weird seeing the ocean, and the finish line of my New Zealand trip. Most of this hike I've been looking back on what I've walked and done. Now it seems like I'm looking forward to what is next. I even enjoyed the mud a bit. It reminded me of the difficult Rangitata Forest at the start of the trail. But this time around I couldn't have cared less how hard or muddy the Longwood Forest Track was. Regardless of how difficult the trail was, I'd be in Bluff in about three days.

I made it over the Longwood Forest Trig, the last trig and high point of the trail. Just as it was starting to get dark, a little before 6, I made it to Martin's Hut. The last kilometer down to the hut was really slow because I didn't want to fall.

It was the last hut of the TA. It wasn't the nicest hut, but it wasn't the worst. There was a bucket outside. I filled it up with water and stuck my feet inside, shoes and all to rinse off from my calves down. The mud had started to cake on. I set up my bed and started making dinner. Soon I realized there was something outside.

After listening a few more seconds, I though it was a person so I called out to make sure. It had been dark a few minutes so I couldn't see outside. It was Paul from Germany. He was also a SOBO TA hiker and had gone further than me today. He rinsed off his feet and came in and made dinner. His backpack was so big I might have been able to fit in it. I couldn't believed he'd hiked more than I had today with that pack on his back.

I read and signed the last hut book, along with another notebook people had left for people to write in. After reading over my notes for tomorrow it was a little after 8 and I was ready for bed. It had been a long but good day.