Chapter 22: Mount Cook

02/01/2020

I wake up in a less apocalyptic world. The haze is still present in the sky yet the sepia color seemed to have dissipated. Well, all my pictures today will be filtered by nature, instantly ready for Instagram. It is kinda a shame because I will go and see the largest mountain of New Zealand today, Mt Cook. At least, if I am able to see it. But one thing that I learned in New Zealand is that you adapt yourself to the natural environment, not the other way round.

The drive to Mount Cook is scenic following Lake Pukaki. The Australian haze has hidden all the surrounding mountains making the drive a little bit spooky. Swirling into the landscape, the route suddenly comes to a stop. There it is, the magnificent Mount Cook, sitting idle in the Australian Haze, not planning to move anytime soon. I leave Sparky #04 on the local car park and have to make a decision. Either I do the 3 hour scenic walk of the Hooker Valley (10 km flat) or I decide to go up the adjacent mountain towards the Mueller hut, which could have a nice view over Mount Cook. The hike is marked as 7-hour return and the total 1000 m elevation is not for pussies!

Well, since I have not hiked properly in the year 2020 I decide to go for the latter option. The start of the hike is straightforward, 2200 + stairs up the mountain. I must admit, it is fun for 54 stairs but afterwards it is just difficult and hard on the knees. Welcome to the

year 2020 Steven, it will be fun they said! Progressively I go up taking breaks every few 100 steps, I recover my heartbeat as well as enjoy the hazed view. The weather is cloudy so the wind blows strongly on certain parts of the track but not sufficiently strong to clear the view. There were times where I wanted to quit, turn around and go back down. Yet, the tinnitus is a constant reminder that quitting is not an option. Whatever I try, it will always be there, for the rest of my life, a constant reminder that life is not fair, you just need to live it. I do what I have to do and use this as a positive motivation to continue the hike. Just like Mike Posner (Youtube)

Eventually I make it onto the last step. Finally! Who the fuck uses 2200 + steps to go up a mountain, they kinda force you into a pace which your body can not easily adjust to. A picknick table strategically located with a view on Mount Cook allows me to eat my lunch to regain some energy. I can’t spot the Mueller hut though. It

must be hiding rather well, like a kiwi bird blended into the forest (I have not been able to see these Kiwis neither). According to a friendly German hiker, I only made it up 600 meters in altitude so far. The last 400 meters to the hut are directly onto the mountain. No stairs, just a rocky track into the snow. O dear, I take my pause a little bit longer before I continue my journey.

The track is not really a track, you just follow the rock upwards which are lined by orange colored poles. At certain moments I feel like a mountain goat since some parts of the track you can only progress by climbing. I spot 3 more hikers in front of me, but they gradually become smaller and smaller dots, showing the slow pace I am going. Than the track stops and a large patch of brown snow is blocking my path. The brown color is sediment of the Australian forest fires that crossed the Tasman Sea. Weird to see the effects here in the middle of nowhere showing again how unstoppable nature can be. Well,

since I don’t have any tracking poles or crampons for my hiking boots, I have to be careful when going up the slope. The snow is slippery but since it is not freezing yet, I start to make my way up. A couple of small falls later, I make it back onto the rocky part. Here, the track swings around the mountain given a clear view on Mount Cook. Well, if it would not have been covered in a haze, than this view must have been spectacular. Now, it is mysterious, trying to hide itself from the views of the world.

I continue swirling around the mountain and make my way onto bigger patches of snow. The wind is very icy and makes my nose feel numb. In the corner of my eye, I spot a small red cubicle. Finally, the Mueller hut that I have been looking forward to! Reenergized, I continue tramping through the snow. The view is rather surreal, a big red cabin fixed on top of the mountain. Next to it, a small red box which appears to be the toilets. Damn, waking up here in the middle

of the night to go to the toilets must be very challenging and cold so you better go prepared when going to sleep. Inside the Mueller hut I meet 4 people. The 3 frenchies are the hikers that were in front of me, and the last person is Mike, a guy from California spending 2 nights in the Mueller hut. Most of the people cancelled their booking because of the bad weather conditions leaving Mika all alone up here. Damn, that must be a non-fun activity for Tinnitus people!

We meet, eat, and exchange stories while warming up inside the hut. Apparently, we are 5 engineers in the Mueller hut. That must have been a statistical coincidence. After 45 min it is time to say our goodbyes. I follow the frenchies down the mountain while we leave Mike to his final night in the hut. The frenchies use the bathroom outside in the snow because they find it funny. Well, nothing prepares you better for going down the mountain I suppose. Cleary they are more experienced and even provide me with a tracking pool

on the slippery slopes that are covered in snow. Cool, meeting people up here, everyone is very helpful and friendly, you really don’t want to get stuck all alone here.

Following their trail, the descend is going well. We make it rather swiftly to the halfway mark and take a small brake before climbing down the 2200 + steps. I must admit, this part of the hike is not fun. Like really really not fun! Poor knees! Eventually, we make it back to the car park. The frencies are staying on the campsite but I still have to go to lake Tekapo. I would have liked to complete the hooker valley track aswell, but the visibility is rather poor and since the drive is rather scenic and long, I decide to make my way to lake Tekapo.

Damn those knees are getting weak,

Time to rest,

Lake Tekapo will follow soon!

Regards,

Steven