Day 3
20.3 km
Cum 63.5 km
Camped: Mt Dale Hut
Another night of not sleeping much. Woke up to the valley filled with mist, which was pretty.
Got up at 6am and was off by 7am, but then walked around for 15min trying to find the right way out and finally spotted the marker!! How frustrating!
The day’s hiking was a bit easier than yesterday, with less up and down but still some steady climbs!
I stopped over at Beraking Hut for brunch. I had just about finished and packed up when another hiker rocked up. We started chatting and another 20min went by. Lewis is trying the squeeze the 1,000km, or as much as possible, into 3 weeks! He has done several thru hikes before, including the Te Araroa and PCT. And with his miles he could get pretty close!
The afternoon stretch was more challenging, mainly due to the backpack, so I took several 10min breaks, with it off.
After one of these breaks I bumped into a group of 4 young guys, who had committed to hiking the whole trail within our 5 min chat…easy done! 😉
Just around the corner after having met them, I realised that I had stepped on a small snake and it was trying to squirm out form under my shoe! Luckily it was small!!
Not long after, during my first break without pack I was busy stretching and saw a tick crawling up my gaiter! I squashed it one shot! In between the midgies and tick I was outta there!
It was at 3pm that I reached the hut and met Lewis again on his way to do the afternoon shift, so to say. He walks until just before it gets dark.
Just as I was settling in, Rein, whom I met at the Mt Dale parking , and who got very lost today rocked up to camp too.
This was to join a father, his 2 sons and one of their friends.
Just on 4pm Tom and Maddy arrived and we chatted a fair bit about life after graduation, as they had just graduated. I also question them on their ultralight gear as their backpacks were less than half of mine! Granted though , they can put in 50 km days!
Had a fire in the evening and the dad brought
marshmallows- so that was a winner! What was less than I winner was the giant
rat thing that we heard in the bush and wasn’t shy in coming out! All the food
is packed up…let’s hope it doesn’t visit later as I’m in the hut tonight!!!
That is open!!
