MitchMarch 4
The lodge generator turned on at 6:30 a.m. and we arose to the occasion. We prepared for our hike donning our rain gear from head to toe not even knowing if we were hiking or flying.
It was still raining. And it had snowed. White caps covered the mountain tops and ridge lines behind the lodge. It was beautiful, cold and well, wet. Very wet.
Just after our sandwich making exercise and breakfast, Alex asked for everyone’s attention and joyfully announced that he had just heard from Queenstown HQ and they gave us the green light to hike. Our 10.5 mile hike was a go. Most people clapped and shouted hooray! The daredevil ones in the group seemed slightly disappointed.
And so we began the hike, crossing the suspension bridge out of Glade House and off we went — rain, snow, hail and all. Yes, it hailed, twice! That was fun. It was like being pelted with pebbles or rice as we walked along the Clinton River. It was quite the serenade.
We made a few side trips through wetlands to catch the views between clouds and continued along the river banks for miles and miles and up the valley to the Hirere Falls shelter where we stopped for rest, hot tea and lunch.
The really cool part about all the rain was that we got to experience many more waterfalls than usual. There were many waterfalls and an especially beautiful one at Hidden Lake. Some even took a dip in the water here to swim. Not us! It was cold and windy still.
As we continued up the track, the dangerous part of the trail that the guides were concerned with was thankfully passable on foot, albeit walking through puddles and deeper sections of water that just about covered our ankles. Our waterproof boots were a lifesaver and kept our feet dry.
We quickly comprehended the safety concerns as the water was brimming at the edges of the trails and nearly covering the entire path in parts. We later learned that several times during the season the water levels were so high that hikers had to hold their packs above their heads to clear this section of the track. Orange markers on the sides of this section of track were just high enough to make sure you don’t actually step or sink into the river. Thankfully, we didn’t have to experience that major ordeal.
We began our ascent out of the valley climbing stairs, rocks and boulders. We got our first glimpse of what tomorrow’s hike had in store for us, Omanui or McKinnon Pass, at 3,500 feet.
We climbed some more out of the meadow and looked back to capture the incredible views of the ice-carved Clinton Canyon. A short time later, we arrived at the most amazing lodge at the base of an enormous waterfall, Pompolona Lodge. Our host greeted us with warm tea and fresh cookies and showed us to our room with a picture perfect view where we quickly allowed our feet to escape from the confines of our boots. We did our laundry, hung it in the drying room and grabbed a quick shower before the Ultimate Guides chef treated us to a another three course meal with the company of our new hiker friends from around the world.
