The Tramping Report

Autumn's here

Sure I like warm days but there are a lot of things about tramping that change for the better with Autumn:

• The things that bite and sting take a hike.
• Pot bellied stoves make huts wonderful places to spend a night.
• 'Shoulder Season' tramps on the 'great walks'.
• ... what else can you think of?

The change of season usually happens during our Stewart Island trip in April.

Driving south the poplars before the Rangitata bridge are usually still green and with all their leaves. Coming back two weeks later they've usually changed colour.

This year was a bit different. They still looked greenish but two thirds of the leaves had been blown away by strong nor'westers.

But the days seem a lot shorter than they did only a few weeks ago.

Here's an idea for tramping when the days get shorter:

• Night hikes

Try it out. It's better to start out on a trip that has a reasonable track leading to a hut that you've got a pretty good idea will have spare bunks.

8 days in Stewart Island

Honora and I are just back from 8 days tramping in Stewart Island. We've spent so much time down there now I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get blase about seeing kiwi wandering around in daytime.

 

I don't think so.

Aside from the wildlife we're pretty satisfied with some of the tramping stuff we got done this time. I'll get all the details and other pics up here from tomorrow.