27 June 2015

No. 1 Line to Kiritaki in midwinter

The walk from Kiritaki hut back over the range to the car at No. 1 Line tested my concentration. After a bitterly cold night, much of the snow had frozen, making the footing even more treacherous. Still, I had plenty of time as well as the inclination to stop frequently to photograph and eat another biscuit and admire the spectacular environment through which I was picking my way. This shows a typical section of the track.

When I began leaving the ice and snow behind on the descent to the car, I felt a twinge of sadness. Times like this don't come frequently enough.



All content © 2015 Pete McGregor
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9 comments:

  1. Lesley27 June 2015 at 21:22

    I hope there was plenty of wood at the hut for you to light a roaring fire and keep warm during the night, Pete.

    The track looks as if it's not often used and hard work at any time. Such a tangle of branches. Just as well you had plenty of time for coming down.

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  2. Zhoen28 June 2015 at 12:05

    As so often with your photos, I want to run my hands over the surfaces, feel the cold of the ice, the smooth pebbles, the rough crystals.

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  3. pohanginapete28 June 2015 at 20:02

    Lesley, I usually avoid lighting fires. I had plenty of warm clothing and the big sleeping bag, so I was adequately warm.

    Zhoen, I had to handle plenty of ice-encrusted branches. The novelty wears off. I must have been working reasonably hard, though, because my hands mostly stayed warm enough. I do remember thinking how it's impossible to remember heat in conditions like these, just as remembering this kind of cold was impossible when I was sweltering in Delhi. I mean true remembering, like the felt equivalent of visualising, rather than 'logical' remembering, if you know what I mean.

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  4. Relatively Retiring28 June 2015 at 20:52

    Yes, the 'true memory' concept is challenging. I find the cold energising, the heat enervating and it's difficult to 'think' back into those states physically.
    I enjoy this lovely cold photograph as the temperatures creep up into the 30s here.

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  5. Ruahines29 June 2015 at 08:09

    Kia ora Pete,
    Is there an actual "track" cut through there? Such a sense of beauty yet the reality of the environment stands out.
    Robb

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  6. Zhoen29 June 2015 at 10:44

    At 38C here, I'm doing my best, and your photos do help.

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  7. pohanginapete29 June 2015 at 19:23

    RR, I'm built better for dealing with heat, not so much for the cold. I'd trade some of the weather here for some of yours right now.

    Kia ora Robb. Yes, a track does exist — getting to Kiritaki through this kind of tupare without a track would take days and leave you whimpering. In many places the track's a little tight, though — definitely not the kind of track for a big pack. Mine was a little larger than usual because of the extra clothing and much bigger sleeping bag, and I had some awkward squeezes at times.

    Zhoen, glad they help.

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  8. Ruahines30 June 2015 at 19:25

    Kia ora Pete..
    I just dragged out my old well used Guide to the Ruahine Forest Park by Kathy Ombler. I bought it in 1993 when I moved here. She states that the southern Ruahine is the largest unbroken expanse of tupare in the world. Whimpering sounds like the right description.
    Robb

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  9. pohanginapete1 July 2015 at 17:05

    Kia ora Robb. I wonder what might still hide there? Some of the animals that live there will undoubtedly never have seen a human. That was clearly the case with the possum I encountered at 1.45 p.m. as I walked back to No. 1 Line. It completely ignored me and kept on gnawing the bark off a shrubby haumakaroa. It couldn't even be bothered scrutinising me.

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