I looked forward to the Hooker Valley Track as I wanted to do some long walks on this trip. We had brilliant weather and were treated to amazing views during our drive towards Mount Cook.
We started our walk before 10am and the views were beautiful.
There were three suspension bridges which could take a maximum of 20 people at a time. I'm glad I didn't pay much mind to it before the trip because upon stepping on it, I was in full panic mode.
Thankfully there weren't many people at that hour so I managed to compose myself long enough to snap a photo. Throughout the course of the walk, I slowly overcame my fear of suspension bridges. By the third bridge, I realised it was way worse to hold on to the sides while walking and much better to just walk straight across. By the time we made our way back, I wasn't terrified anymore and was able to walk across without my heart leaping out of my chest. However, the momentum always builds and the bridge swings most violently as you're about three quarters way across.
The only downside to the track was that there was virtually no shaded place to rest as the route was designed to avoid avalanches so it was placed quite literally in the middle of the valley. Thankfully, my height allowed me to sort of stand under a taller shrub's shadow for a brief reprieve from the sun. One can really get a heatstroke if not properly attired.
.
The sun really gets to you and even with a jacket on which I pulled all the way past my fingers, the piercing heat was akin to knives stabbing into my skin. There were quite a few Japanese and Korean older folk who were very well prepared with hats covering their entire face and hiking gear.
If I were to return, I would definitely stock up well with more food and water (1 bottle is not enough!). We were also foolish enough to hike without any food not realising how much energy we would spend. By the middle of the hike, our stomachs were rumbling despite having had breakfast before. We snacked on mints until we got to the car and gratefully tore open our bag of cassava chips
The third suspension bridge.
I really loved the boardwalk portion of the hike. The view was just really pretty with the river and the Southern Alps.
Definitely want to come back and visit again when the lake is frozen.
Gorgeous view of Mount Cook.
The entire hike to and from the glacial lake took us about a little over three hours to complete. I definitely needed proper hiking shoes as the ground was quite rocky. Walking with regular runners felt like 3 hours of reflexology. My feet were numb by the end.
On a side note, why don't we have cassava chips here? Miss the cassava chips so much!
No comments:
Post a Comment