Mount Cook, New Zealand (March 22-24)

Mt. Cook

Relaxing final morning at Mt. Cook. Sitting in the aged by elegant lobby of the Hermitage hotel. Its been a great two days here. We have had perfect weather, sunny and mid-60’s-mid70’s. On Thursday after, we arrived after an easy 4 hour bus ride. Though we were not staying in the main building ($600-$800 per night) we were put up in the motels, which were reasonable rooms in surrounding buildings. Ours smelled a bit, but it was fine. We had a view of the mountains, which was glorious.

We took a brief Kea Point hike which takes you along the plain to a lookout point above a muddy/rocky residue pond. It, like all the places around here, has a great view of Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand and surrounding mountains and glaciers. Gorgeous. I then went on a helicopter ride around Mt. Cook and surrounding mountains. Awesome. It was my first time in a helicopter. We took off from the plain and went up around the western mountain range. The snow-capped peaks streaking lines of white snow and dark rock. Past the initial range of mountains, clouds hung 300M below the other mountain peaks, forming a “lockness monster” effect. Beyond those, and more clouds, lay blue-green land as far as the eye could see.

We flew around the mountain, with its jagged peaks jutting majestically towards the sky. We crossed the gully and landed on a snowy patch on another mountain. We got out and took pictures and gawked at the scenery. We then took off and again and returned across the greens plains to the launch site. 45 minutes in all, it was a great flight.

That night, with no city lights to block them, I looked up at a clear sky with a billion stars. For the first time in a few years I saw the milky way in all its glory. It never fails to excite the senses and imagination.

Yesterday, I went on the Muellers Hut hike, a killer hike 1000M (about 2/3 of a mile) at times almost straight up. The hike stars level and then turns off towards Seely Tairns (small lakes), and begins to ascend. Walking goes from foot path to basically rocks and man-formed awkward wood steps. 90 minutes later I arrived far above the hotel and plains with the first great view. Many people stopped and turned around there. With a few minutes rest and some tasty “One Square Meal” bars, I turned up towards the Hut. This path was all rock and grass, jutting up and marked only by poles every 50-100 meters. Exhaustion crept in fast on this second part. It’s amazing that some hikers planning to stay the night up at the hut carried packs up with them. With views getting progressively more amazing, the top part is “a bit of a scramble” as one guy described it to me, climbing rocks with all four limbs for the last 100 meters or so. At the top, the cooler air hits me. Straight in front of me, with Mt. Cook now to my back, on the other side of the mountain was a spectacular glacier, immense, semi-circular, facing me. From my position, across a rift, I stared straight ahead into its concave center. It is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. To my right, more snowed capped mountains.

From the top, it’s a level, but rocky climb to Muellers Hut, which is a red, metal house 20 minutes away. It is just big enough to have two rooms with beds for people to stay the night and a cooking area. Just before I reached the hut, my legs started cramping and I had to rest, some 20 ft. from the actual hut. It was funny. I just couldn’t make it the last 20 feet.

I rested at the hut, meditating in from of the palatial beauty in the surrounding mountains, for 45 minutes and then, well fed on “One Square Meal” bars and Poweraid, I started my descent. My legs felt better, but that was a temporary condition. So far the hike had been one of the most strenuous I had ever been on. Going down was to be equally as hard. The steepness of the path, in addition to the long drops from rock to rock and step to step was really hard on the knees. What took 3 hours to get up, took another 2 hours to get down, each stepping pounding the legs. However, the route still inspired me even on the way down.

I got down and, once a I returned to the hotel, needed a porter to drive me to my room. I was done, the last 100 M was too much. Exhausted but inspired, I showered, ate a bit and went to bed early.