By Elliot
Distance: 33km
We woke up at 6:30am this morning, while it was still dark out, as we had a big day ahead of us. We took advantage of the fact that we were the only ones in the hut, and lit the place up by torchlight. We usually pack up in the dark, so as to avoid disturbing other people in the hut.
After breakfast and packing up, we set out back in the direction we came for a kilometre. There stood the junction for the Melina ridge track, an alternative route that is popular amongst TAs for providing better views. It is an additional 5 to 6 kilometres, but can you really put a price on views?
So on we went up the ridge. And there were plenty of magnificent views. There was also plenty of wind. Having experienced gale force winds previously on this trip, I would say these were at least gale force, maybe strong gale force. So we trudged on for several hours, using our walking poles to brace ourselves, mildly fearing for our lives. Occasionally, we would take a look at the views.
We eventually made it off the ridge and on to a farm track surrounded by mountains with considerably less wind. It brought us to a trail along a small river, which we followed almost all the way to the trailhead.
As we neared the trailhead, we were both excited and filled with some trepidation. There was still the largest unbridged river crossing on the whole TA to do today. So from the trailhead we followed a trail in the other direction down to the river. Given that there were trails going in multiple directions, maybe we should call it a trail torso?
The river crossing itself turned out to be quite easy, with water that went just above the knee. More difficult was the drop down to the river, which was down a steep slope of small loose stones. Ruth froze halfway down, but managed to regain her composure and made it down without any issues. While we were navigating down the steep slope, we were also partially dehydrated and desperately needing a snack. We avoided filling up at the last stream due to the large quantity of animal poop that littered the riverbank.
With the river crossed, and a mildly refreshing swim out of the way, we filled up on water and snacks before walking the last few kilometres to the campsite. On the way there, we passed two gentleman walking in the other direction. They looked unhappy for some reason. With our strength flagging, we finally made it to camp 11 hours after starting this morning. We rushed to set up camp and eat before it got dark, and now we enjoy our well earned rest.