Pretty smooth sailing today. There was rain in the forecast, so I hit the trail pretty early. After a dip down to the river, the trail climbed up 100-300 feet along the side of the hill and cruised through some brush downstream. The hills were largely obscured by clouds (particularly the tops and the mountains lurking behind the hills), but no rain fell.
Soon enough, the trail descended to the roots and woods of a conservation area. I wandered along the cascading creek until the trail crossed on to a farm. Beyond the conservation area, the stream settled into more of a slow, calm brook. A bit of road walking took me down to Glendu Bay on Lake Wanaka. Once I was past the holiday park, I got on a quite pleasant bike path. There were pebbled beaches, manuka trees, and large sections of restored native flora. The hills and beaches along the path were, as is typical, spectacular. I would love to take Ali picnicking here. The day heated up, though the clouds didn't leave the peaks, and I ran pretty low on water. (If the clouds had lifted, there would have been some incredible glaciated peaks to stare at.)
The gravel was getting to my feet by the end of the day, but tomorrow's a zero!!
** Okay, so today is a zero, and Wanaka is an awesome little town. I spent most of the day breaking my bounce box and some new groceries into resupply boxes. Though my Swiss Army trekking poles have held up admirably, one of the carbide tips has come off and there aren't replacements that fit. I'm also hoping to lighten up a wee bit, so I'm switching to some carbon fiber poles. (Costco rather than Walmart, I kid you not. I'm not sure why anybody buys the legit branded trekking poles that cost hundreds of dollars when $40 will get you just as good of a pair.) Food packaging has been vastly improved by a Canadian stonemason. Gotta love those Ottowans who know how to prep food for canoe camping!
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