Letter of the month

Backcountry huts

March’s editorial about huts being treasures and not money-makers fails, I think, to mention the root cause of DOC’s funding issue. I don’t think anyone at DOC wants to charge people for huts. The people at DOC are, mostly, people like ourselves who love the outdoors. However, DOC is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There is an ever-decreasing budget, despite DOC having a remit to manage a large amount of public land. It’s basically run on the smell of an oily rag and it’s done quite well.

Then, there are modern health and safety rules to adhere to. This means that if huts can’t be maintained, DOC finds itself having to remove them.

Add to that the increasing popularity of tramping and use of some assets such as Te Araroa and easy-access front-country huts. More maintenance is required, without much additional income.

It’s great that volunteers now maintain a lot of huts and tracks, but leadership in these groups is ageing. Will these leaders be replaced when the time comes? I would love to spend my time maintaining tracks and huts, but I still need a full-time job.

My take on DOC suggesting a $57/night rate is that they were probably trying to stir things up and get people outraged so that something could be done about it.

However, I don’t think criticising DOC will help. I think any action or message needs to be addressed to higher levels of government who control funding and budget. Or maybe there are other creative ways to address the problem?

– Dale Burrell

Dale receives a $100 Back Country Cuisine meal pack from www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz. Readers, send your letter to the editor for a chance to win.

Puzzling weather

Walking the Paparoa Track recently we experienced torrential rain, wind chill to -1℃, sleet and snow. 

It was unexpected in summer, and we were very happy to reach Moonlight Tops Hut, light the fire and put on a brew. Then we spotted a jigsaw amongst the pile of hut books and magazines.

The jigsaw was very addictive and other trampers added to it throughout the evening. We worked on it with headlamps but got to the stage where we had to leave it two-thirds complete. 

We hope the next trampers were able to finish it!

– Dorice Walmisley

Label your medicine

On a six-day Travers–Sabine Circuit tramp, I learned a valuable lesson: write your name, phone number and email on personal medication.

I take medication with breakfast and dinner, but this time I left the medication bag on a table at the first hut and didn’t realise until after dinner, when I was 21km away in the next hut. 

Had I labelled my medication, trampers progressing to the same huts as me may have noticed and brought it with them.

In this case I was reunited with my medication on completing the tramp without issues along the way. However, my oversight caused me avoidable anxiety. I hope others heed advice from my cautionary tale!

– Lachlan McKenzie

Daily willpower

We are just over 200km done in our Walk1200km challenge. Our autistic kiddo and me are fitter, stronger and happier! I’ve lost a belt hole, 20 bpm off my resting heart rate, and I can feel my body wanting to start running again. My work pants may need to drop a size by the end of March! 

Consistency is paying off. I used to get home from a 12-hour shift and collapse onto the couch – now it’s normal to get out for a 3.5km walk before bed. Our daughter now thinks nothing of a 5km walk or going up a hill. Her goal of climbing Mt Fyffe at the end of the year is in sight! 

There’s a kid in her class who likes to pick on her body shape and size, but as I keep telling her: I bet he doesn’t have the willpower to walk every day! Thank you, Walk1200km!

– Jo Wilson

Our routes, your trips

Joy Bryant visited Adventure Bivouac to get a small taste of Mark Watson’s 2017 trip ‘Hut to hut’ in which he explores the extensive network of huts and tracks in the Hokitika backcountry. 

“I walked to Cedar Flats and then up the steep Adventure Ridge track to Adventure Bivouac,” Joy said. “The sun was shining and the wind was light, so I took time to admire the alpine flowers and the entrancing views of possible adventures beyond here. 

“A couple arrived with their dog so   I decided to climb back down for a soak in the Cedar Flats hot pool.”

– Joy receives a meal from Real Meals. Readers, when you do a trip that has been published in Wilderness, let us know to receive your prize, too. 

What’s normal on a walk, but weird elsewhere? 

We asked the Walk1200km community, ‘what’s something that is normal on a walk but would be unusual during a hushed moment at the cinema?’. 

Here’s what they said. 

“Speaking out loud words of self-encouragement: ‘Come on Lachlan, you’re doing just fine’.” – Lachlan McKenzie

“Wearing the same clothes for a whole week and sitting next to each other for snacks without making comment.” – Amanda Collins

“Getting divebombed by a magpie.” – Donellee Cheree

“Sitting down wherever you want to take in the surroundings.” – Linda Keesing-Styles

“Huffing and puffing like a steam train?” – Joanne Snippe-Schwenke   

“Stopping in the middle of nowhere and having a very enjoyable talk with total strangers.” – Rose Blois

“A nature wee.” – Cameron Stack

“Singing excerpts from the Sound of Music. ‘The hills are alive with the sound of music…’” – Julie Patterson

Asking, ‘excuse me, can I please borrow a poop bag? I’m all out’. (I take my dog for my daily walks.) – Mandy Going