The Elements, and their unpredictability.

   In a recent post, titled "Mmm. What to wear......" , I included a chapter on The Elements and Mother Nature, and how vulnerable we are when we venture into the great outdoors. I mentioned in that post how, regardless of our motives and mode, or how experienced we are, or how well prepared we were, that there was no 100% guarantee you would return home alive & well. As I was editing the post, I was reminded of an incident that could have claimed my life back in 1993, thanks to the unpredictability of the weather.  
                                                       This is that story.
   I was accompanied on this hike by a friend, who was equally enthusiastic as I was about the great outdoors. The plan was to go to an area known simply as "The Cobb", located in (what was then called "The North-West Nelson State Forest Park") Kahurangi National Park. The area is very popular with outdoors people from all over Aotearoa and the World, with hundreds-of-kilometers of hiking trails and dozens of Backcountry Huts. Our route we found in a book written by an experienced local hiker and, after some weeks carefully studying the information, along with terrain maps of the area, we felt we could accomplish the course. We photocopied the route and map, to carry on our person, paid close attention to the weather forecast, prepared our gear & equipment (food - enough for a week, clothing - including a spare set, tent, sleeping-bag, cooking gear, first-aid and packs). We informed our partners (a colloquialism for wives) of our intentions (planned route, huts and times), in case something went horribly wrong. We estimated we would be away for four days. The plan, to commence our trek from the Bushline Hut (Map), stay the night, then proceed, after a short ascent, along the ridge-line running parallel to the Cobb River and Valley, then descend to the Fenella Hut (Map). After a couple of nights recuperating we would then return to our vehicle via the Cobb Valley track.
   On day one we drove to the area and found a suitable place to park our car - sheltered, safe and easily accessible in case we had to beat a hasty retreat (Map). We called-into the Park Rangers House to inform him of our intentions - this guy knows every inch of the area (he should do, he has been living there most of his life) and his advice is always most appreciated - before beginning our 2-hour ascent to the hut.

Leaving the Car-park, with
Cobb Reservior in background.

The conditions were ideal and we were feeling a sense of excitement for what the coming days would bring. If you look at the Map, indicating the location this photo was taken, you will clearly see the track.
   The Bushline Hut is a comfortable 2-hour hike up a moderate incline and is well sheltered in amongst the trees. As we were in plenty of time, we didn't rush and took many opportunities to admire the great views. Upon arrival, we were left with enough time to check-out the surroundings, put a brew on, have dinner and play a few rounds of Cribbage ( a crib-board and a deck-of-cards can be the best companion for hikers) before hitting-the-sack (going to sleep). The next morning we woke to perfect conditions for our next segment - clear blue-skies, calm and cool - and, after a hearty breakfast of porridge & banana, bread-roll and mug-of-tea - we were on our way by 8:30am. Our instructions said this segment would take between 4-to-5 hours, we estimated 8-hours. That's including sightseeing, taking photos and lunch-break. 

Iron Lake.
Map.

   An hour into our hike and we made our first stop. The water in Iron Lake was crystal-clear, so clear we were able to see the Native Trout swimming ( All native animals, fish and trees in our National Parks are protected by law. Get caught hunting or removing them and you face a hefty fine. A few years ago, a group of Norwegian Hikers thought it funny to record themselves shooting Tui then posting it on Youtube. The New-Zealand Government tried to have them extradited to face prosecution. The Norwegian Government refused the request. Which was good as they would have had the shit kicked out of them). On a rock-ledge, overlooking Iron Lake (Map.), about 15-minutes from our last photo-opportunity, we found a spot that was so beautiful and serene we were forced to stop again (this is why we allowed ourselves 8-hours).

Lake Lillie in the distance.
Map.

   This view, this beauty
   A tear unbidden
   Creeps into my eye.
              -------
   My stay is short
  But I shall return to this  place
   If only my life is long enough.
              -------
   Such beauty
   Gazing upon it
   I hope my years are many.
           -Bokusui Wakayama.


  

Map.

   


      The next segment was quite interesting. We came-across terrain that one would have easily thought a very large dump-truck had tipped a load of large rocks over a cliff.  As intriguing as it was, one has to be careful when hiking over this type of terrain. One slip, and god-knows what would happen. As you can see in the photo, the weather conditions were still ideal.   
   Ruby Lake (about an hour on from our last stop) could not have been a more idyllic spot to break for lunch - sheltered and beautiful.

Lunch at Ruby Lake.
Map.

   We spent about an hour here and, apart from having a bite-to-eat, we took the opportunity to recheck our map & location. We were aware we still had some ways to go and more difficult terrain from what we had experienced up to this point. So a good hearty lunch was important.
   Little did we know, when we left this idyllic spot, that we would be returning, under different conditions, in a couple-of-hours.
   From here we had to make our way through thick and water-logged scrub while ascending to the ridge-line. Upon arrival we were overcome with what greeted us. The view was out-of-this-world and we immediately set-about to take it all in (Map). Immediately  below us was the Cobb River and Valley. In the distance was Mt Arthur (Map). After about 10-minutes of taking photos and admiring the scene, I happened to notice a menacing black cloud coming from the south, and heading in our direction. I said to my friend, " that doesn't look good, I think we should prepare for the worse".

Snow blizzard.

 Pitching Tent at Ruby lake.

   Within minutes we were engulfed by a Snow Blizzard (see photo) and, before the conditions deteriorated any worse, we made a hasty retreat back to Ruby Lake (checking our map and instructions we estimated we were about 10-minutes from the point of no return), where we immediately set-about to pitch our tent and camp-down for the night. As beautiful as the surroundings were, it was amazing how quickly all that changed. We were fortunate to have found a sheltered spot, away from the wind & snow, to pitch the tent. After changing into a clean, dry set of clothing, we slid-into our sleeping bags for the night. It was only 4pm and any thought of having a hot coffee and a bite-to-eat, would have to wait until the following morning.
    

The morning after......

   The following morning we were greeted by the sounds of the Dawn Chorus that made us feel great to still be alive. But, when we opened the tent and peered outside (see photo on the left) we couldn't believe our eyes what greeted us. It was picture-perfect - blue skies, calm and .....cold. While my friend boiled-the-billy I set-about to hang out our wet clothing, from the previous day, to dry in the warm sun. During a hearty breakfast we assessed the situation and felt, with the amount of snow on the ridge-line and our inexperience with snow hiking, it was best to abort the trip and return to our car (err on the side of caution). After a 4-hour hike we arrived back at our car to be greeted by an anxious Park Ranger. The previous day, while checking-out the days weather forecast (a task he does every day, and posts it on the noticeboard), he was made aware that a weather-warning had been issued for some "high-country" areas in the top half of the South Island, especially the North-West Nelson State Forest Park.
   A few days later we got together again, accompanied by a bottle of whiskey, to assess what happened, what, if any, mistakes we made, and would the incident put us off hiking. The incident didn't put us off hiking, and we went on to experience more of what the great outdoors has to offer. 
   Before I sign-off, there is something I haven't told you yet (you could call this the moral-of-the-story), what time of year it was. It was the 14th February 1993, the middle of the New-Zealand summer. While we were huddled-up in our sleeping-bags (fully clothed), at 4pm on that day,with snow falling around us, friends of ours were getting sun-burnt on Tahunanui Beach in "Sunny Nelson". Isn't "Mother Nature" something?