This morning started clear and crisp up here in the mountains. Armed with our backpacks, cameras and necessities, we headed across the road to the DOC centre to leave our Intentions Form. These forms are advisable to fill out for anyone going hiking in the mountains, giving the rangers details of where you are intending to hike and which routes you are planning to take. Once you have completed your tramping, you then have to post a form to say that you have returned safely. In this way, if you get stuck or don’t return when you think you will, the rangers can come and find you knowing which track you are due to be on.

Our track started opposite where we are staying and began in the Alpine foothills. The first part of the track takes you up through the forest and native shrubbery. Underfoot, the trail is made of loose rocks and tree roots. The climb is steep with rock faces that need to be scaled one after the other. It winds upwards through mountain beech trees where you need to use branches and tree roots to pull yourself up over rocky outcrops. As it is a path covered by a tree canopy, the ground is damp, so mud is slippery and sticky.

After and hour and a half, this shady trail emerges above tree line into the bush,1200m, where you are greeted with a great view of the neighbouring mountain and the valley heading eastward. Our booklet informed us that if you had found the track tough so far, you should enjoy the views and head back as the going becomes more difficult. The trail then heads further upwards through knee high grasses. The climb, although winding is steep and hard, especially if you have a dodgy knee The mountain views, however, are spectacular. Once the vegetation peters out, you follow a narrow ridge across rocky outcrops with the steep drops of Rough Creek and Avalanche Creeks on either side. There are loose rocks underfoot and can be skiddy at times as you climb over further rock faces. At 1680m the trail gains height as you drop down at the end of the ridge and begin to climb the scree under the bluffs ahead of you climbing steeply at times.

Eventually we did reach the summit! And it was so worth it! We were able to sit and admire the mountain peaks from our vantage point, 1833m, some containing small glaciers. As we sat there a native, and very inquisitive, Kea bird joined those sitting eating their picnics. These destructive birds are a member of the parrot family and, with their strong hooked beak, are renowned for pulling rubber window surrounds off cars as well as their aerials and wing mirrors, just for fun They are also prone to stealing unattended food. You are told not to feed them as they then lose their ability to feed themselves once the tourists have left, even though once the hiking season is over, they move on to the ski resorts.

After a break at the summit, we began our descent back down the mountain following Scotts Track. Once we had crossed the open, rock covered summit, the track took us back down into bushland, before reaching the covering of trees again, where we crossed several streams and bogland. Still with loose rocks and tree roots under our feet, we also had to scale down further rock faces as we went downwards. Two and a half hours after leaving the summit, the track then ran parallel to the road where we could see Devils Punchbowl Falls over on the opposite mountainside, before dropping back down into the village.

The entire scenery today was breathtaking, the skies clear blue and the air crisp. Although it was a very steep climb to the summit, it was definitely worth it with mountains as far as the eye could see in every direction……..amazing