Roses to Fern Burn Hut

I am plum tuckered!  Three big climbs today, and at least two of them were >500m.  And, of course, we descended fully between each one.  And also, of course, TA climbs tend to be steep.  There's hardly ever any of this zig-zagging your way up something.  (When the DOC benches in hairpin curves, you know you're practically clinging to the side of a cliff.)

I got an early start from Roses Hut, and the day was reasonably cool.  While I'm in the very dry Marlborough region, the mornings may be cool, but both I and my skin tend to roast in the afternoon.  The heat didn't hit today until about one, when I hit Highland Creek Hut for lunch.

The first pair of climbs this morning were along Knuckle Peak's ridges.  The trail (and two of the huts) here exist complements of Shania Twain and her producer/husband.  She bought two sheep farms around 2006 or so, and when they heard that the DOC was trying to weasel in some conditions for public access, they not only gave their blessing for trail development, they also donated the funds to build the huts.

The trail here isn't as bad as advertised in the trail notes.  There were only a handful of short sections that were crumbly and narrow.  This is a good thing, since the trail's often wedged along some bloody steep pitches.  On a few of the morning segments, I couldn't rest my entire foot on the trail without straining a calf.  That being said, at least there is worn tread to follow here.

The morning was certainly taxing, but the scenery wasn't great.  Though I felt ok to continue this afternoon, the knife's edge ridge up to the saddle between Highland Creek and Fern Burn was incredibly tough and a little nerve wracking.  Crumbled scree cliff came right up to the (thankfully) banked trail.  While the morning climbs made me pause to catch my breath a few times, this pitch made me want to sprawl out and invite the vultures to dinner.  The sharp, slate-gray path was barely wide enough to hold my seated self and my pack at the same time, though.  Sprawling would have been tough.

The descent to Fern Burn was long and smooth, but it still took my tired feet, knees, and ankles a while to get down.

Duck ramen got a ton of extra salt and olive oil tonight.  I'll be ready for that next zero coming up.