Walking mainly through the South Island of New Zealand

Monday the 14th of July at 7:30am, Mom (82) and I started up to Lake Alter at in the Remarkables (Queenstown). The day was not as clear as we would have liked it but besides being cold (starting at 3 degrees Celsius, and dropping to just above -2 degrees, the weather held and we even had some sun.

Well this hike started with much excitement; we had planned to walk up Brewster Glacier and attempt our first glacier crossing. Adding some spice to the whole trip was that on the day we planned to do this, Brewster Hut was fully booked meaning we would need to sleep out in the snow. Over the next couple of months we followed the various online specials, purchasing bivies, sleeping bags, insulated sleeping mats, crevasse rescue gear etc. And also, watched YouTube rescue training videos, testing our newly learned skills off of Jon's first floor deck.

Friday 10th May 2024 turned out to be the only truly clear day this month; and just in time as hiking beyond May is not recommend with weather on the mountain having claimed a number of lives in the past. In short we were blessed to have a glorious day that afforded us awesome views and safe conditions. The latter was particularly important as this was the first time we were hiking in these conditions and at this altitude.

Initially we planned to do the hike Saturday. Because of the danger of hiking in bad weather, we made sure to book accommodation that would allow for last minute cancelations. On Wednesday, after looking at the weather forecast, Jon decided that we needed to move things to Friday or else we would possibly miss the opportunity to do the hike this season. Thus, after making changes to our accommodation and work schedules we headed down to Taranaki Thursday afternoon, arriving at Egmont Eco Lodge at 8:45pm that evening. While very basic, the lodge was functional, affordable and the management very accommodating.

The day started just perfect on a beautiful Queenstown autumn day; bright and sunny with a cool, crisp breeze. With excitement our granddaughters got themselves ready for the highly anticipated day - their first proper Queenstown hike.

Ok so I needed to try at least keep some fitness up for the big M.T. hike but battled to find some time. So this past Sunday I looked for the steepest sections in Shakespeare Park and trotted them out.