Crazy weather lately.. it’s really been kinda miserable (for summer) for the last week. On Saturday headed up to Lewis pass with Marcel and Emily and did a small tramp along the tops – we only went for a couple of hours as we’d not (all) brought crampons and an ice-axe.. and also it was blowing a gale with really limited visibility, so there wasn’t much point.
Then it was off to Motueka..(after an hour long soak at Maruia Springs). We had a tiny epic along the way when we stopped in Murchison to get petrol.. and the car decided it didn’t quite want to start again (Marcels car).. but a push got it going again (after we’d tried replacing the battery). So met up with Mhairi and her parents, who are traveling for a couple of weeks.. got taken out for an Indian by them.. which was most kind! All in preparation for The Hike Of DOOM. Well, not really (at all infact), but I thought it sounded a little more exciting.
I’d actually been up before with Maeve and Kirsten in Febuary, but this tramp was a little more interesting as we tried to get up Mt. Arthur.. again, the weather didn’t oblige so we didn’t get to summit.
Mhairis’ parents were unsurprisingly fit (and fun)!
So the pace was fairly quick for the weekend. Which was great, as we got to the hut in fine time and got to chill out and play games (and drink mulled wine from a plastic bottle.. hmmmmm… ok, I’m a mulled wine snob I admit). Scrabble was fun believe it or not ef is a word (it’s the letter F).. as are more useful two letter ones like ZO (Himalayan cattle), XI and XU are also pretty good… We also had a rubber of bridge. Don’t care what slags I get! It’s a great game and I’m sticking to it (and legions of old-folks will back me up I’m sure)
Walking out the next morning along the valley was cruisey.. too so for Mhairi I fear!… she headed off to run a different track and meet her parents later.. I *think* she did about 35km or so in about 4 hours. Quite ridiculous really! :)
And all too soon back to ChCh.. it’s a great place.. but sometimes I think it’d be better if I just got money to enjoy myself and didn’t have to work at all. It really does get in the way of things sometimes!
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