12km Day : 1047km Total
14 March 2015
-40.810186, 175.375965

The weather was perfect for most of today with clear skies and cool temperatures.  The track followed the ridge line all day and because of the curve of the ridge I was able to look back at Te Matawai Hut for most of the morning.  It gave me a feeling that I wasn’t making progress every time I looked back and saw my starting point.

Looking Back at Te Matawai Hut

My thought this morning was that today would be easier than yesterday since I had already climbed to the ridge.  On the map the ridge appeared almost smooth with a few climbs and descents, but the trail was continually alternating sharply up and sharply down on a micro scale.  Meaning that there were a lot of ~20m dips that often required climbing with hands and feet to get down and up.  There were also a few spots with shear drops next to narrow trails.  A very challenging and exhausting hike.

The terrain alternated between short bush and moss covered forest.

There were some amazing views today, but it was quite a workout to hike through the day.  I took an easy pace but still felt winded at times and took many breaks.  I used these rest breaks to enjoy the views for extended periods.

In the late afternoon I climbed into a cloud layer and it started getting breezy.  I had also reached a point of exhaustion where even if the views weren’t obscured by foggy clouds I wouldn’t have appreciated them properly because all of my thoughts became focused on reaching Nichols Hut.