Saturday, January 19, 2008

Trip 3; Mueller Hut Trip (Jul 10-11)

Day 1


"We got up at quarter to 5, loaded the car and on the road soon after."


Chain Gang


"just past Fairlee heading into Burke’s pass the conditions sign warned that ‘chains essential.’ Turned around and went into Fairlee. Had some breakfast and waited for the ski place to open so we could rent some. Back on the road around 830ish, got through the pass no problem without chains… Road was still pretty bad given that we were in a junkie little 2wd with worthless little tires, though overall nothing to pull hair over. Snow was much better than the black ice from earlier that I’ve never seen so badly. Driving up to Cook was bliss as usual. The looming massif loomed ahead as we went in and out of snow squalls."










Ski tracks with the sun shining bright over Mt. Sefton



A long white trail



Down the valley towards Lake Pukaki






Mathias stands a few hundred feet above the Mueller Glacier





Mueller Hut




Mt Ollivier (1933m), Sir Edmund Hillary's first peak







These guys made me wish I had a split board or a pair of skis so bad









alpenglow from the comfort of the hut



Frost bite! Not quite, i think this was from Zoe's exploded pen






Enlarge this lower night shot and you can see the silhouetted ridge of Mt. Sefton


Day 2

We awoke to a world submerged in clouds. the night snow showers had blown off but the clouds had settled in right in at about the level of camp.





Back down in the valley, the Mueller glacier cast a wild blue light onto the low hanging clouds



Snow kiwis


The warm sun and blowing snow left these patterns in the fields as we drove home.



Strange cloud formations


"Today I lived a dream
I won’t wake up tomorrow though
Just go on to live the next day"

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