Hearing the word
s “tramp” and “hooker” in a title could suggest the wrong image of my day. Quite the contrary, Kiwis use the word “tramping” to mean “hiking.” And the Hooker Valley is the valley leading up to Hooker Glacier with spectacular views of Mt. Cook.The mountain towered above, slightly shrouded in clouds. I snapped away pictures in awe of the mountain’s height. Continuing my 3-hour hike, I walked over two swing bridges, which cross the Hooker River, to suddenly see an even taller mountain. What was the monstrosity before me now?
Apparently I had mistaken Mt. Sefton for Mt. Cook. Mt. Cook dwarfs Mt. Sefton by a few thousand feet, reaching 3755 meters and being the tallest peak in Australasia. Munching on my trail lunch of canned tomato basil tuna (New Zealand and Australia have every flavor imaginable of canned tuna!) and an apple, I sat aside Hooker Lake watching a Japanese hiker skip rocks toward mini icebergs. Mt. Cook loomed overhead with its formidable ice- and snow-capped peaks. Around me countless other mountains jutted into the air. Of the 27 mountains in New Zealand over 3050 meters, 22 are in Mt. Cook National Park.
After walking back into Mt. Cook Village, I met Pat and Maureen for “ice blocks,” a.k.a. ice cream treats. Pat and Maureen happen to be the most amazing 73-year-olds who can walk me into the ground without seeming winded. Pat’s calf muscles are so massive that they look like implants. Needless to say, I aspire for their health later in life.
That wasn’t the day’s capstone though. To cool off from my hike, I took a swim in the glacier-fed Lake Pukaki. Well, a swim is a huge exaggeration. It was more of a running dive into the 40-degrees-Fahrenheit water with an immediate retreat to my towel.
That wasn’t the day’s capstone either though. Sitting on my cabin’s porch, I had an unobstructed view of Mt. Cook and its neighboring peaks as the trees parted perfectly. Nothing better than having some distance to truly appreciate what I had just experienced up close.
Pictured: Top: Mt. Cook up close during my tramp. Bottom: Mt. Cook from afar on my porch at Glentanner Park.
El! I am SO living vicariously through you right now. For many reasons I won't go into, I became very sad when I read your most recent post. But alas, I'm stuck here just reading about your glorious adventures. Did I mention it was 14 degrees on my way to work? Ugggggg. ;)
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