The morning briefing was held under ominously grey skies and the thick fog on the hilltops was eerily reminiscent of last month at Mt Bryan. Surely it couldn't be that cold again.
The theme for the weekend was Xmas in July. Deans flag was a brilliant red Xmas stocking (into which some wag placed a stone later in the day).
Coral Campbell told us what Morris Minus had been doing over the break…….
……. and then unveiled Morris in a new ski outfit, complete with poles and skis.
Morris Minus was awarded to Marlene Plueckhahn on her first walk with the E2E-1 group. We don't like to pick on the newbies and Marlene was not the only person to lock herself out of her room at the hotel. Coral Campbell did the same thing and tried to sleep in the kitchen before giving up and forcibly cracking open her window. Coral then 'posted' herself through the gap. Marlene also had to break into her front-of-hotel room, but her break-and-enter was in full view of the Police Station and hence the Morris Minus award.
Did I mention the ominous weather?
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| Off we go, into the mist. |
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| Morris looks very comfortable on Marlene's pack. |
Past the old tank and up the hill.
The fog was lifting and as we climbed, we were rewarded with some very pretty views.
At the top of the hill, the trail has been re-routed for an easier descent and the new markers are on posts with a distinctive splash of white paint. We headed for Huppatz Hut in the valley at very centre of this photo. Click on the photo below to see the wind farm on the distant hills to the left - we are heading that way.
We had an early morning tea at Huppatz Hut after walking only 4.1 km.
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| Having morning tea inside Huppatz Hut |
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| Jane Haar completes the entry in the log book |
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| It pays to advertise |
By now, it had turned into a beautiful day and we walked through the picturesque hills.
We came to an area that appeared to have a stile too far, even for our purists.
But no, Mary Cartland was not letting a little water deter her………..
……. and Carol Clark even brought her crocs for just this type of situation.
The beautiful countryside and perfect weather continued throughout the day.
Note how the wind farm gets closer as we head south, skirting the valley.
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Adjacent to the wind farm, we went up the hill again via Niblett Gap Road.
Lunch on the rocks on Niblett Gap Road.
After lunch, we continued on, the road becoming quite muddy in places.
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| Taking the bend. |
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| A local farmer on his bike stopped for a chat. |
Drinks and nibbles at the end of a very picturesque walk, covering 23 km.
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