This morning we hiked up the Scott’s Track out of Arthur’s
Pass. Yesterday’s drive offered us stunning views of one valley after another,
and this morning’s hike gave us the opportunity to relish the vistas at a
slower pace as we climbed up the side of Avalanche Peak. Across the valley we
could see the Devil’s Punchbowl, an impressive 200 ft waterfall. As the mist
blew from the higher regions and the sun peaked from behind the clouds, we
glimpsed a rainbow that arched over a gulch to our right. While the hike lacked
the switchbacks of the Appalachian trail, we quickly gained elevation, and in
just two hours, we were above the tree line and headed for the peak. Winds and
clouds blew up the mountain in gusts, so we made our way carefully.
As the trail grew steeper, we decided to take it one marker
post at a time. The valley below disappeared, and we could barely make out the
peak, so we paused and looked out into the misty void. We decided to call this
point our summit, and after relishing brief glimpses of the view, we began our
descent. We stopped for lunch on the trail and made it back to the vans in the
early afternoon.
Leaving Arthur’s Pass, we wound our way down to the coast
again. As we did so, the fauna changed once again. We stopped at a café for a
“long black” coffee (essentially an Americano), and we eventually arrived at
Franz Josef, where we took a short walk up to an overlook that offered us
impressive views of the Franz Josef glacier at the top of the valley.
Tomorrow we will hike toward the Fox glacier, and we will
move toward Christchurch.
