Day 91. Wonderful Wide Open Spaces.  February 1, 2016.

16 km
Double Hill Run Rd km 2242 to Comyns Hut km 2258

There is an easy way to get back to the trail from Methven. A school bus drives out there to pick up kids for school and will take hikers the direction it’s empty. It leaves Methven at 6am. I thought about taking it and woke up at 5. I needed more sleep so I rolled over.

Hitching is always a big unknown and usually interesting.  10 minutes after sticking out my thumb Christopher picked me up. He is from the UK and has had a beef cattle farm near here for 26 years. He says he grows hamburger for Americans. He took me to the lightly travelled road that goes up the other side of the Raikaia River. Just as I was getting out of his car a truck was turning and stopped for me. He was only going 4 km but it was such a cool truck I had to ride in it.

And then I waited. It seemed like forever but wasn’t really. No cars were going my way. 

Finally Prue, Guy (4 years) and Hugh (8 months) stopped. She and her husband are sheep farmers. Her husband’s family used to own the land that is now the Conservation Park that I was about to walk thru. We stopped to pick up Dain from Colorado who was also at the hostel last night. He was getting out of a car driven by one of Prue’s friends. I moved to the back seat into a child’s seat. Guy told me all about mustering and shearing. It was quite entertaining and much better than the 6am school bus. Thank you!

I love the variety of landscapes in New Zealand. Today was amazing. One side of the pass looked at snow capped peaks and a river valley. The other looked like a desert with no trees and golden hills.

Dain sped by me as soon as we started walking. Then I was wonderfully alone in wide open spaces.

It’s always such a wonderful feeling to see a hut in the distance and know you are almost home….

I got to Comdyn Hut. Peter who I met on the ferry from Wellington and again last night at the hostel is the only other one here. 2 NoBos, Justin and Gary, stopped for dinner and then moved on. They have both hiked the PCT. Justin hiked the AT the same year I did and remembered meeting me. After they left I suddenly recalled meeting him. It’s a small world of thruhikers.

My shoes are falling apart. I have another pair waiting for me at the next town.

Dental floss has so many wonderful uses…..