Legs and Borders

New Year's Day. The views day. Today trail has been passing through the most scenic part of Richmond Ranges and probably some of the nicest landscapes on the entire Te Araroa. The weather also couldn't be better. I had an early start from Slaty Hut and reached the ascent to Little Rintoul Summit around midday. For the next two climbs and descents the surface was a scree of various sizes but generally getting smaller as I went through it. I didint mind walking on this kind of terrain especially when it was dry, but it could get a bit.. wobbly. Couple of people were really taking their time here, making sure they go through it safely. After climbing Little Rintoul it was turn for Mt Rintoul standing proudly at 1731 metres, the highest peak on The Araroa in Richmond Ranges. It was a really cool looking mountain, and to be fair the whole area was stunning. The descent from here was a very fine scree, you could slide on it ...

Weather was still bad in the morning after the rainy night. I've decided to make a move around 8:30, it was foggy but the rain and wind stopped almost completely. Trail was overgrown and full of water all the way to the Browning Hut, the views were getting better and the weather cleared completely with sun showing up every now and then. From here it was the stream crossing gamble. Normally the eight crossings ahead would be an easy task but today after 40mm of rain, they all turned into a roaring monsterosities. Few hikers decided to wait for a day and let them drop down at the Hacket Hut just before this section. I've decided to push on after meeting a Nobo hiker who told me that the water was around waist level at most. The streams were daunting nonetheless, trail was jumping across the same stream several times with only short intersections between. I took it slowly and eventually managed to go through all of the crossings. I changed socks...