After two rest days in Wanaka the weather still looked not too good so we decided to walk the first three hours of the Wilkin-Young-Circuit and spend a day at Siberia Hut to wait for better weather. A jet boat carried us over the Makarora River to Kerin Forks (see the map) from where we planned to reach Siberia Hut. We had quite heavy rain and the first few side streams were already quite high.
After we left the forest and reached Siberia Flat we had to cross a badly flooded creek. We finally found a shallower part where the current was not too strong and somehow managed to get across it, but after a while we reached a creek that was absolutely uncrossable. It was waist deep and had a strong current. We tried at different places but never made it even to the middle of the river without the current becoming so strong that one could not lift a foot without risking to be swept away. We decided to sit it out and quickly set up our tent where we got into our warm sleeping bags and cooked dinner. It was just a bit annoying because the hut was just half a kilometer away from us.
The night brought even more rain and heavy wind, but in the morning it was only a small drizzle. Side-streams like the one we had failed to cross the day before usually rise quickly during rain but also fall quickly after the rain is gone. When we checked our stream that morning, it was only ankle-deep so we immediately packed our stuff and hurried it over to Siberia Hut. We hung our clothes up to dry, warmed ourselves at the hut's coal oven and spent the day reading and exploring the area around the hut.
The next day was quite long. From Siberia Hut, we walked for about an hour up the valley. There we left our packs and went up a steep valley to take a look at Crucible Lake which was half-frozen with big chunks of ice floating around. We returned to our packs, had lunch and then went back to the main track which followed Gillespies Stream. Once out of the bush, there are cool views of Mount Awful (such a stupid name!). It was a steep climb up to Gillespies Pass from here, but not as bad as over Cascade Saddle. We had a tiny bit of snow but did not need our crampons. Once at the pass, we went down a very steep track into the Young Valley. Because of the side trip to Crucible Lake it was quite late already so we did not go all the way to Young Hut but rather camped at a nice flat in the Young Basin. We heard some Keas, but luckily they left us alone.
We had perfect weather on the next day and got an early start, but the burning sun made us slow and lazy. The track led us down the valley following the Young River through a nice but not too interesting forest. We were in no hurry and had enough food with us, so rather than going out directly, we spent the night at Ram Flat. Though it looked idyllic, after a while swarms of sandflies attacked us so we hid in the tent until they went to bed and we finally got a chance to cook dinner.
On Friday morning we rapidly packed our stuff and ran away from the sandflies. To get out of the Young Valley, we crossed the Makarora River and went back to our car. From here, we drove to the West Coast all the way up to Okarito to a nice camp site at the beach.
Today (Saturday), we payed a short visit to Hokitika and then drove on to Arthur's Pass. Next scheduled trip is to climb up Avalanche Peak which is just a day trip. After this, we plan a bigger trip but DOC told us to wait with that until one of their exploring parties is back with more information about the conditions of the tracks.
After we left the forest and reached Siberia Flat we had to cross a badly flooded creek. We finally found a shallower part where the current was not too strong and somehow managed to get across it, but after a while we reached a creek that was absolutely uncrossable. It was waist deep and had a strong current. We tried at different places but never made it even to the middle of the river without the current becoming so strong that one could not lift a foot without risking to be swept away. We decided to sit it out and quickly set up our tent where we got into our warm sleeping bags and cooked dinner. It was just a bit annoying because the hut was just half a kilometer away from us.
The night brought even more rain and heavy wind, but in the morning it was only a small drizzle. Side-streams like the one we had failed to cross the day before usually rise quickly during rain but also fall quickly after the rain is gone. When we checked our stream that morning, it was only ankle-deep so we immediately packed our stuff and hurried it over to Siberia Hut. We hung our clothes up to dry, warmed ourselves at the hut's coal oven and spent the day reading and exploring the area around the hut.
The next day was quite long. From Siberia Hut, we walked for about an hour up the valley. There we left our packs and went up a steep valley to take a look at Crucible Lake which was half-frozen with big chunks of ice floating around. We returned to our packs, had lunch and then went back to the main track which followed Gillespies Stream. Once out of the bush, there are cool views of Mount Awful (such a stupid name!). It was a steep climb up to Gillespies Pass from here, but not as bad as over Cascade Saddle. We had a tiny bit of snow but did not need our crampons. Once at the pass, we went down a very steep track into the Young Valley. Because of the side trip to Crucible Lake it was quite late already so we did not go all the way to Young Hut but rather camped at a nice flat in the Young Basin. We heard some Keas, but luckily they left us alone.
We had perfect weather on the next day and got an early start, but the burning sun made us slow and lazy. The track led us down the valley following the Young River through a nice but not too interesting forest. We were in no hurry and had enough food with us, so rather than going out directly, we spent the night at Ram Flat. Though it looked idyllic, after a while swarms of sandflies attacked us so we hid in the tent until they went to bed and we finally got a chance to cook dinner.
On Friday morning we rapidly packed our stuff and ran away from the sandflies. To get out of the Young Valley, we crossed the Makarora River and went back to our car. From here, we drove to the West Coast all the way up to Okarito to a nice camp site at the beach.
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| Wilkin-Young-Circuit |
Today (Saturday), we payed a short visit to Hokitika and then drove on to Arthur's Pass. Next scheduled trip is to climb up Avalanche Peak which is just a day trip. After this, we plan a bigger trip but DOC told us to wait with that until one of their exploring parties is back with more information about the conditions of the tracks.
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