Today was what I call Psychological Warfare. 9 miles in 9 hours.
I thought that we would sleep better in our tent last night versus the mice poop hut, aka Stody's Hut, but I was wrong. Around 12:30am something furry, a rabbit or opossum tried to get into my vestibule and was pawing at my shoes. It hard to get back to sleep after that. My mind was on guard for intruders.
I had read somewhere before starting the trail to not simply look at the distance, but consider the time placed on each section. Today was a good example of that. Normally we are on the slower side of the estimated times and assume that is because we have only been out here for a month. Most say that it takes 6 weeks to be in shape.
We started with a 2.2km downhill to the Timaru River that should have taken us 1.5-2 hours and it took us 1:45. Then we were to follow the river (somewhat) to the hut, another 12km. Estimated hours 7-8. Most days we are exposed and its easy to use the topograph to find our location, but today we were sidling mountains and making short and steep ups and downs around creeks and in and out of the river. At one point Shadow said "the trail is teaching us patience." After the third time of thinking we are farther than we really were, he was pissed and over the whole lessons of the trail crap.
Since you have hours on end to think about things. I let Shadow's enlightenment settle in my head. I fell for his sermon until I began to convince myself that we had passed the hut and at one point I thought that we had gotten on another trail.
Back to the thinking while walking. Maybe it's the meditation factor that makes people addicted to hiking after a long-distance hike. Parts of today would have ended with you sliding down 50ft into the river if your were thinking of anything other than your foot placement. Some of our sidles around the mountains, you could hear the ground slide out from underneath you as you took the next step. Thanks for shipping that locator beacon UPS and not snail mail Mom and Dad.
We had just finished lunch when a thundering sound echoed through the steep river valley. It was a tree that had slide off the mountain side. Scared the crap out of me. If a tree falls in the woods, it does make a sound.
Break time
Our hut for the night.
Country Mouse and Shadow
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