Mt. aspiring national park • 1 august 2024 – 4 august 2024
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is a federal agency within the New Zealand Government. DOC has been one of the most impressive aspects of this country that I did not fully anticipate to find so intriguing. I believe that it’d be safe to say that New Zealand is globally recognized as being home to some of the greatest outdoor experiences the world has to offer. I’ve come to learn that DOC is one of the more important contributors to the prior mentioned outdoor experience. My favorite aspect of this experience is the hut system that has been created and maintained by DOC. There are over 900 established huts across both islands- they are so awesome! I have been able to stay at three so far. My favorite aspects have been the bunking rooms (with mattresses), the common areas (which have board games, puzzles, a documented history of everyone who has visited, kitchen facilities, etc…), and the remoteness of their locations. You truly can be in the middle of nowhere and there is a good chance that you may be near a hut.
The tramp
The tramping (multi-day hiking) began on Friday morning, but we arrived the night before at the trailhead. The trip was myself and two friends that I have met since being here, Reon and Isla (from New Zealand and Scotland respectively). The plan was to hike up to Mt. French Ridge Hut (1500m elev.) on Friday, then summit either Mt. French (2350m elev.) or Popes Nose (2700m elev.) on Saturday, and return home Sunday. This mountaineering trip was new to me, however it was considered entry level and did not involve any advanced technical skills, (climbing, self-rescue, avalanche safety equipment, etc…).
The south island’s mountainous regions got a large dumping of snow the weekend prior which made for some very tiring snow wading. The first 10 miles were fairly straightforward before the incline began, which was about 1.8 miles in total length but accounted for majority of the elevation gain (4800 ft in total). The dense bush (temperate rainforests) made for some great hike-climbing as there were a myriad of tree branches to use as leverage to manage the 35º-65º grade throughout. Without surprise the bush thinned the higher in elevation we reached and soon it was us versus the snow. To our advantage there was a group that broke some trail for us that stayed at the hut the night before, however it still made for unpredictable snow wading. Many false summits played mind games with my motivation but in due time we arrived! We did not proceed any further on Saturday due to snow conditions so we enjoyed a full day in the hut and returned back to the trailhead on Sunday.
THE HUT
We spent the entire day on Saturday working on a mystery jigsaw puzzle. Isla accounted for majority of the work as Reon and I did not summon the same motivation she was able to given there was no end guide. Many puzzle-goers that came before us left messages on the inside of the puzzle box lid and some were quite comical:
- “15/2/14 6 people, 10+ hours, no pieces missing! WARNING, do not start this puzzle”
- “2/12/16 4 girls, 6 hrs, 10% complete”
- “11/12/15 20 hours, six men, 2 pieces missing”
- “3/8/24 Isla, Reon & Luke, 4 pieces missing, 13 hours (+lunch break and lazy friends)”
It was a blue bird day which made for some great sunbathing. It was surreal sitting outside the hut in the middle of the backcountry in New Zealand. It was a very peaceful moment for the soul. After a day of fun chats and banter we began making dinner before we heard some voices in the distance, we had some friends join us for the evening! This was unexpected however it is part of the magic of New Zealand huts. It was bizarre to be sitting in the same room on the top of a mountain in the middle of Winter with people from all around the world. We played Monopoly Deal and enjoyed getting to know each other. The night before (Friday night) we ate in the dark only to look very foolish on Saturday night as our new friends figured out how to turn on the lights within several seconds of being in the hut- it made for a memorable group moment. We had a great time listening to music and conversing as the day came to a close. We returned to the car Sunday afternoon after hiking down and made it back to campus near sundown.
thoughts throughout the weekend
I will be transparent when I say I experienced some very new emotions during this trip. Given my lack of experience in the mountaineering world compounded by the massive snowstorm the weekend prior it produced real thoughts of fear that I have never felt. Being from Colorado I have enough understanding on the dangers of Avalanches and their damaging nature. We were without cell service for 70+ hours which is also the longest period of time that I have been disconnected from the world. We brought only enough food for our time on the mountain. The car location at the trailhead was also quite some distance from cell-reception. Because of things like this I was playing what-ifs the whole weekend. What if I make one wrong move? What if someone falls and injures themself? What if the car has a flat tire? And so on…
Navigating these constant and raw emotions throughout the entire weekend allowed for some deep self growth. Looking back on weekend’s like this has been fulfilling in unique ways. One of those ways is seeing quotes come to fruition from people like motivational speaker Les Brown that reads “If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness.” It’s simple to read life advice from people who have more experience than you, but it is completely different to see it happening in real time yourself. Disconnecting myself from reality by hiking through the backcountry for multiple days while simultaneously feeling the weight of the what-if thoughts forced me to stretch beyond my comfort zone.
gratitude
I feel so grateful that I was able to go on an adventure like this. It was a beautiful experience and I would not have done it any differently if I could. Being able to witness the stars in their brightest form at night, or allowing the world around me to bring me to such a peaceful state of mind during the day. I’ve learned the power that nature can provide me in the form of soul-searching and self reflection. I have a much deeper understanding of how fear can (and will) operate in my life and I’m so thankful to have experiences like this that teach me perspective. Learning the technicalities are important, (knowing your physicality, proper gear usage, knowledge in the backcountry) but the more impactful learnings come from appreciating the deeper meanings behind the journey’s that life will take me through.
Thank you for reading! Photos/videos are linked below.
DU Abroad 