By Ruth

Distance: 14 km

Today was not a long day but it was tough. It started out with another night where I was cold in the tent. Also, we could see mice crawling around on the tent after we went to bed, and then hear them rummaging around our packs. Usually I am pretty chill about that because there’s not much you can do once you are in bed, and Elliot is usually more sensitive. But last night was a role reversal. Even with my earplugs in to try to drown out the rustling, I was still hyper-aware of the rodents… and Elliot was a zen master.

So with the cold and the mice, it was not the most restful night. (Luckily the only thing they managed to chew was some toilet paper). We didn’t get up too early but still I was tired and all throughout breakfast and packing up, I did not feel like I had the energy to get going.

Eventually we started walking. It was a long steep downhill to the Timaru River, and then the rest of the day we were walking in the stream bed. It was a beautiful gorge and actually really fun to navigate the river, and before long I was enjoying myself again.

In the early afternoon, we found a nice-looking spot along the river bank for lunch. Just a few minutes into preparing my wrap (I was excited because we had avocado today), the sandflies began to swarm. I got four or five bites on my hands and wrists and gave up. Instead I downed a granola bar and some nuts, and we aborted lunch there. Elliot got to eat one wrap and his tuna but we decided to both finish eating once we got to the hut.

Luckily it wasn’t too much further. We took a short accidental detour by following the wrong branch of the stream at one point, but we took avantage of the solitude to have a quick dip there. Finally we began the short climb out of the gorge. When we emerged from the trees, I was surprised to see the mountains all around – I had forgotten they were there!

We reached the hut nice and early. This one was a very nice, recently renovated hut. I ate my late lunch, then read and napped in my bunk. We are the only two here tonight and it is such a treat. In bed after supper, we can hear the wind howling like mad outside. I am so grateful to be warm and snug inside the hut.