Is This Alpine Enough for You?

Excited was an understatement!  A few days in Wellington to get organised and prepared and we soon found ourselves at the Interislander ferry port with a whole new adventure waiting fro us.  Simon, a friend of David's, (the Kiwi trekker who will be joining us for a while) had very kindly agreed to drop the three of us off and it was really nice to be waved off on what felt like a whole different trip.

The ferry was a lot larger and more glamorous than I thought it would be for a mere 3 hour journey and it reminded me very much of the Dover to Calais ferry back at home.  I was later told that the ship originally came from Europe so who knows, I maybe I had stepped aboard before.

We opted for the reclining lounge and settled in comfortably, and when the announcement came that there were freshly baked scones in the restaurant, I thought it couldn't possibly get any better.  We had been told to inform a certain member of staff that we were on the ferry so we did as we were instructed and later in the journey our names were announced, which was equally as exciting as the scones.  We were greeted with a surprise trip to the bridge to meet the captain while the ship negotiated it's way through the beautiful Sounds.  We were asked about our walk and in return told a little about the workings of the bessel.  We had an amazing view and it was a real eye opener seeing some of the fantastic properties that lined the sounds and were accessible only by boat.  We were also followed by a school of dolphins which made the trip extra special for me.  I'll never become bored of seeing dolphins.  It was a really lovely ferry ride and we topped it off with some live music in the bar.

The introduction to the south island was dramatic and challenging from day one.  We camped by the beach and after snacking on some fresh mussels David found for our dinner, we all settled down for our first night on the mainland.  In the early hours of the morning we were woken by the earth trembling below us and it felt like somebody shook me awake but when I opened my eyes I was still laying next to a still and sleepy Shalane and there was nobody else around.  An earthquake!  Nothing serious of course but I certainly felt like it was the south islands way of saying - Welcome!

The Richmond ranges were what we've all been waiting for.  Known as one of New Zealands best kept secrets (from themselves as well as tourists) the vast alpine ranges are an extremely challenging 7-8 day alpine crossing and not for the faint hearted.  We set off into the mountains and I was very excited to be so remote.  I was looking forward to the huts we would be staying in too as we didn't see many in the north.  The trails began with a few ascents which was a nice warm up for things to come and I realised that what I was dreading the most was that feeling of pure exhaustion that I've felt in the pas when climbing which I've decided is mostly due to dehydration so I made it my mission to drink and eat plenty and rest to the max in the afternoons.

The first day out of Pelorus Bridge saw us following a stunning bright green river fro most of the day.  It was one of the most beautiful rivers I've ever seen and I couldn't keep my eyes off it.  It was fresh and clear and the colour really was mesmerising. It was a pretty hot day and on one of our breaks at Captain Creek hut we all dived in to the water that had been calling my name all day.  Bloody hell it was cold - but totally amazing.  The trip had only just begun and it was already feeling like a while separate adventure to our northern expedition. 

After spending the night at Middy Hut we set off for one hell of a day.  We ascended, descended and walked on some very tricky paths.  They were thin and high with rock or slate under foot and by the end of the day I was overheated and exhausted.  It is amazing how drained you feel when you are concentrating so much on footing.  When we reached our hut I dipped my overworked feet in the refreshing turquoise water and wondered to myself hos the hell we were going to do 10 days straight!

The next day we headed to the gorgeous starveall hut, so that we were in a position to make a HUGE climb first thing the next morning.  Neither Shalane or I slept well so the day felt tough although short and when we climbed up to see the extremely cute hut sitting on the hill, surrounded by mountains and wildflower with the sun beating down, it was well worth the effort.  It was picture perfect an the 3 of us spent the afternoon sun bathing!  Everything in moderation.

The next day was epic!!!!  We began our climb up Mount Starveall straight away as the sun was rising and the clouds were still low and it felt brilliant.  The freshness of the air and getting the blood pumping, not to mention the fantastic views as we reached the top was a real buzz.  As we climbed and scrambled up the rocks above the tree line, David shouted "Is this alpine enough for you?"  And it was.  It was so different to anything we'd done so far.  Once we climbed we stayed high on the ridge line all day.  The views wee out of this world.  Mountains and mountains as far as the eye could see in every direction.  We could see where we'd walked and where we were heading and I can't begin to tell you how absolutely amazing that feeling was.  As we all stopped and took in the views David shouted "is this alpine enough for you?"  It felt like we were part of an exclusive world up there, like we couldn't get any higher.  We decided to keep trekking that day, instead of stopping at Old Man Hut, which meant a very challenging climb up both Little Mount Rintoull and Mount Rintoull.  We scrambled up to 1640m on little Mount Rintoull on rocks and scree which definitely gets the heart pumping, with the pack on our back and loose terrain under foot on a steep and high mountain, it felt scary and demanding, but it was what came next that was to be the real challenge.  We reached the top where we had the view of Mount Rintoull ahead of us and although it was only 1730m, we had to descend 250m first down a practically vertical mountain side.  If there was snow and I had a sledge, I wouldn't have hesitated but instead of snow, we had sharp, painful slate to land on.

The wind was picking up and the descent was extremely steep.  The terrain was more loose slate so with every foot we put down we were sliding with nothing to grab onto to stop us and when we did grab onto what looked like a secure big rock, the whole thing would snap off and go tumbling down the mountain and all I could think was that if I fell, I'd bounce down in the same way.  If I was to lean forward too much and start picking up momentum I'd not be able to stop until I was a broken heap on the bottom.  It was tough on the knees and tough on the heart and I honestly don't think I breathed for half an hour!  One thing is for sure, when we reached the bottom, the climb back up to Mount Rintoull looked like fun.  For this bit we needed momentum!  With every step the scree and rocks disappeared from under our feet and we were getting nowhere first.  We put all our energy into it and just kept stepping but the mountain was relentless and the top didn't feel like it was getting any closer.  The rocks that I thought were secure tumbled down for hundreds of metres I just kept stepping, the rocks I grabbed onto for support just broke off so I just kept stepping.  My adrenaline was wearing off and my determination became intermittent.  When we reached the top, the views and the feeling were completely, absolutely, 100% unbeatable.  It was alpine enough for me!  We reached the hut after a 10 hour day, did our laundry (as you do up the top of a really high mountain in a wooden hut) and ate an incredible amount of well deserved food before collapsing into bed.  It was extreme but what an accomplishment and what a day!

I am sorry to say that I am having far too much of an adventurous time to write any more, although there has been plenty more days equally as amazing.  If you want to check out Shalane's blog, she has written a little more than me about our epic adventure so far so check it out www.onelifeadventures.com