And so, trapped in the hut for one more night, Cookie set to work with the axe, and I got stuck in with the kindling to make FIRE. Very satisfying indeed. There’s not been enough fire action on this holiday so far. It’s so much fun as well! We tucked into our instant noodles and salami dinner, and sipped our rum and lime cocktails until the sun went down. Bedtime.
After last nights diminutive branch burning session, I wanted to get some proper logs for the fire tonight. I located a dead, well not really a tree, more like a large shrubbery which had all of it’s easy to hack off branches already removed, so I set about it’s more substantial trunk. First with an axe, maybe it was blunt, most likely I’m rubbish at axe-wielding, anyhow after a few minutes I was exhausted and had hardly made a dent in it.. I went back to the hut to get the saw, which made much faster progress, but not that fast, after sawing through it I was totaly worn out. I take my hat off to lumberjacks, it’s a lot harder than it looks!
Cookie and I burst into Hurunui Hut, dumping our stuff in a mound we pegged it back out into the woods, grabbing arm-fulls of twigs, and dragging small fallen trees back. Some serious rain was coming and if we wanted dry boots for tomorrow, we’d better get some fire on the go!
We arrived at the hut shortly after lunch and umm-ed & argh-ed about carrying onto the nearby hot spring in the afternoon to camp. But were a bit reluctant to camp in this sandfly infested valley and slightly worried that it might piss it down. The next hut, Hurunui No.3, was 4 hours away which wouldn’t leave us much time to enjoy the hot pools so we decided to stay here tonight. Good decision! Shortly after while out collecting firewood the rain clouds finally caught us up and promptly pissed it down all evening.
So after the terrible news of our ‘camping adventure’ had sunk in, we again busied ourselves with the evenings work of firewood gathering, ‘axe-ing’ ( ahem ), and kindle-er-izing. I’m hoping to get a look-in on this axe-in’ business soon, test the water so to speak, but I fear it may be a long time before the novelty wears off for Cookie!
Back at the hut, it was time to stoke up that log burner, hang up the soggy boots, and dangle crispy socks from the drying rack. Odour wise, you have to have quite a strong constitution when it comes to long distance hiking. It’s often you have to sleep in a small room full of sweaty strangers and their ‘well used’ footwear, and cheesey feet! But once your used to it, there’s something homely and ‘safe’ feeling about sitting around a wood burner amongst the jumble of steaming clothes… All warm and snoozey in your dry socks and duvet-jacket. Mmmm. 