Back in the hills
Usually, the first week in December means work disappears for a few months. No point in staying in town, waiting for non-existent calls.
I had things to do.
First, was to take a copy of the 1991–2023 hut book up to Burn Creek Hut. This straightforward exercise had turned into compiling a time-consuming chunky dossier as I had spent some time writing a history of the hut and its restoration, plus a short piece about my friendship with Roger, who had led the restoration and whom I had had a bit to do with over the years prior to his unexpected death in June 2024.
I was keen to do some more work on the track, so I spent three days getting to the hut. Then, three days at the hut, and three days getting back. That allowed 5 half days doing some more cutting. The main areas where you might get lost have now been sorted out.
I then made a pretty truncated attempt to reach my last hut in Kahurangi National Park, Greys Hut, in the lower reaches of the Karamea River. Heavy rain for a few days put that beyond my enthusiasm level.
Then I went south to the Rangitata River, where I encountered some unseasonal snow and almost hypothermia.
That was enough to get me heading for home because I was due in the North Island the following week.