Mount Aspiring National Park
In January 2007, I tramped from Wanaka to Glenorchy. That meant crossing Mount Aspiring National Park. From the various route options, I chose to cross Cascade Saddle to Dart Hut, and then hike out over Rees Saddle. Weather cooperating, that's a four day tramp - but in New Zealand, you always have to be prepared to deal with bad weather, so I packed food for six.
As it turned out, I was lucky. On the second day, my early start was thwarted by rain, but by 10 I was on my way. That was pretty late, considering that, according to my guidebook, the second day required a 1375m ascent and 18.5 km on alpine terrain! In the end, I reached the safety of Dart Hut by nightfall.
After that, I had good weather all the way. Sure, there is plenty of sunshine in New Zealand, but so much of it sure was well above average. I'm not complaining!
External Links
Mount Aspiring National Park
Cascade Saddle route
Rees-Dart track
My guidebook was Tramping in New Zealand, Lonely Planet, Jim DuFresne. ISBN: 9781740597883
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