The weather is just fine for a rainforest walk, so up the 4249 ft (1295m) mount, or at least it starts out ok. The walk starts out as a nanna walk but after you reach the first turnoff that only goes to the top, the track becomes a very interesting walk with the path a mixture of being well worn to one with stones strategically placed for a relatively easy climb up the hill. 
As I approach the top the rainforest changes into a drier alpine terrain with the track running slimly around the edge in some places (to a straight down drop). As expected the view from the top isn't there because its up in the clouds (and only a glimpse through the cloud of the glacier from the "Chistmas Lookout" about 2/3 up), and shortly thereafter it starts to hail, and rains all the way back down, making for as difficult a climb down as it was up because the track has turned into a creek bed and with everything covered in moss - you have to really watch your step.
But wait, there's more...
I'm starting to like hanging about this town. The accomodation is great, the place is really neat and despite how few people there are around this place, it's a great place to sit back and enjoy the clean crisp air and the ice capped mountains that rise up straight out of the town. Looking for another little adventure, the backpackers have a sign out saying "grab a free torch and go visit the glow worms". So, the weather is looking really quite good (better than the forecast), so Andrew and I go get a quick coffee at Landings (a really classy place where they've got everything going right there),
before venturing off to the tunnel where the glow worms hang from. The tunnel is actually a man made tunnel made for transporting water about a hundred years ago, and also goes off to where the hydro-electric power station was for the town which hasn't been in use for some time. 
The walk out is great and the tunnel which is about 6ft high has a freezing cold stream running through it. Andrew has to get off to some kayaking, so we cut that one short after spotting the worms about 100m in and head back out.I head over back towards the glacier via the the "callery-waiho" track, which I figured was going to be an alternate way to get back to the glacier, especially as it starts out as a narrow unsealed road of sorts that heads out to the local water tank, but then gradually becomes an almost untraceable path especially as it leads out into the river at several points, and you have to hunt down where the track leads back into the forest, but certainly makes for some interesting trekking.
A few more kms down the track and the track really does disappear and I can't see where it rejoins. I walk out into the river which is divided up into 3-4 tributaries of varying flow to look around for where the track goes back into the forest, but I can't see it, so having already waded across half the river to about waist high of quite fast flowing freezing cold water, I decide that I'm not going to back track but instead cross the river at this point and head across to the road on the other side of the river. Up to this point I've taken my shoes off thinking I'll keep them dry.. yeahh right. 
(by the way.. the white bits in the photo are iceblocks about the size of a brick or two) I wasn't quite ready for how fast the water was moving through the centre (and how cold it was), that by about half way across, my legs and feet had lost all sensation and was starting to get carried backwards with the flow of the river. A bit of fright or two and then just to add to the fun an iceberg hits me at full force in my shin, which causes me to lose footing completely and get carried away down the river for a bit (with my mini backpack with laptop inside/phone etc inside). Miraculously, I get back on my feet and quickly sidestep my way losing a bit of ground in the process but make it across the fastest flowing part. I sit down to investigate and put my shoes back on, when I realise the full extent of what just happened. My legs which are basically numb along with a nice piece taken out my shin, I then go to put my socks back on, I realise the toe next to my big toe is pointing in the wrong direction. I can wiggle it around with my fingers in every direction with just a little too much ease. It feels like it's not attached to anything (and I can't feel a thing). I figure something is seriously wrong here, and after a struggle or two climbing up through the forest that surrounds the bank back onto the road, I walk down to the glacier trying to warm my feet back up.I figure what is done is done, and so far as I know the fix for this sort of thing is just to straighten it and tape it to my big toe, so onward I go to the glacier again.
Marlene, Becky and Cat are just climbing down the glacier at this point after having done the full day guided glacier hike and Marlene tells me about her near death experience as she went sliding down the edge of part of the glacier.. (so how come you're limping?) Well anyway.. I venture back to trace the track from the reverse end to figure out where this end point was. It's about 5pm now and as I track back over the swing bridge I meet two different groups of people who say they haven't been able to get through from this side. I'm told the track is really quite difficult, and with it getting dark (sunset is 5:30pm), they recommend I head back too. I'm convinced that becuase I've seen the track from the other side I'll figure it out. I do eventually trace the track back to the point where it was unseeable to the other side and fortunately after some waist high wading through the river in the dusk, I make it to the other side of the track, only to meet more challenges such as it being too dark to make out where the track is leading through the forest. Fortunately I have a torch from the glow worms tunnel earlier and despite a few walks leading off to nowhere, I do eventually manage to make my way back to town several hours later.
No comments:
Post a Comment