Day 21 - Lakehead hut to Upper Traverse Hut

It was a busy morning as the hut was quite packed. I didn't get a great sleep last night so I was feeling quite tired and slow to start the day, but that all changed once I got my legs on the trail.

The scenery had changed drastically - once again on Te Araroa South Island - and I was very excited for the start of a new section. I left camp alone, as I've found my pace and enjoy my solidarity on the trail. The morning started through a large valley of tall yellow grass, rich lichen trees, and followed a rocky river with the mountains as my background. The landscape was beautiful, but the track was muddy and wet.

Most of the track was flat, and I was happy for this because I had around 20km of hiking before I'd reach upper traverse hut, my rest spot for the night.

By mid day I reached John Trait hut, and stopped for lunch and a good rest. I didn't stop for too long though as I was quite eager to keep hiking. It was only another 3 hours to Upper Traverse and I enjoy getting into camp with some time to relax, other than cooking dinner and going straight to bed. On my way to the hut I spotted a detour sign to Traverse Falls and couldn't resist checking it out. To my surprise I found a powerful waterfall surrounded by the thickest coat of moss on every branch, tree and root that I could see. Since there had been so much rain recently the growth around the waterfall was much greater than I knew was normal. I didn't waste much time. I threw my bag down, grabbed my camera and tripod, and started finding my compositions. I only stopped for about 20 minutes, but I could have spend a lifetime down there. It was all just so magical...

By 4:30pm I reached upper traverse hut and settled in for the night. The view were spectacular. I was happy to see an old friend from the Richmond Ranges that I met at Slaty hut. Her name is Catherine. Shes not a TA hiker, but a local from Palmerston North who planned a 15 day hike towards Waiau pass. She told me her big trip was a bit out of her comfort zone, but she embarked on it alone anyway. She reminds me of my grandmother with her old fashioned ways, her hatred for technology, and the kindness that could melt your soul. She noticed a big hole in my pants - from the shard of glass in Picton - and went straight to her little goody bag and gave me a square patch to fix it up.

My friend Niles was also here and I was happy to pull out some gummies wurms and share a few. He told me about his idea of waking up at 4:45am to reach the saddle for sunrise and after giving it some thought, I agreed. I came out here to make the most of the experience, and I wasn't going to throw a good opportunity away for a few hours of extra sleep, even though I knew I needed it. As I prepared myself for an early rest, Catherine - from across the bunk room - whispers "do you think you guys have room for one more?" I smiled "of course"

We all hit our mattresses before the last light fell and prepared for a dark morning rise.