🏔️#69 - Hut Vandals, Huts Restored, New Track Open, TNF Duffel Birthday, & Lots More.

And we are back with the 69th weekly NZ Hiking Newsletter.

If you’re in the North Island (and have power), you might have 89 minutes to watch this new documentary SOBO, which follows Matt Lyons on his journey to finish the Pacific Crest Trail. He’s hilarious on Instagram, so I’m looking forward to watching this on a rainy day.

Anyway, I'll let you know what’s going on in the hiking scene in New Zealand, along with other related bits and pieces I find interesting.

Alright, let’s get into it.

🗒️ Track News Etc.

• Family Restores Huts. If you’re friends with Kerry Clapham, Martin Clapham or Jan Clayton-Greene (all Marlborough), there’s a good chance they asked if you were free this summer to help restore a host of huts on behalf of Backcountry Trust. They helped out with Haycocks Biv, Palmer Biv, Alfred Hut, Limestone Hut, Fidgit Biv, Dubious Biv, and Kahutara Biv…totalling 880 volunteer hours. Love it. How good is the photo! More details here.

• Vandals Attack Hut. Otago’s Old Woman Hut in the Old Woman Ranges recently got a refurb, only for some thugs who decided to take the fireplace axe and damage the interior. WHY HUMANS WHY. It looks like Jason Buckley and his crew are going to track down the culprits using trail cams. Lets hope they do. The hut was also vandalised mid-refurb last year…blah. If you might have any info, comment here.

• New Ashley Gorge Skyline Track Is Open. I mentioned the trail a couple of weeks ago, but it officially opened last weekend thanks to 15,000 volunteer hours over a decade or so. There was some good feedback on the track in this Facebook post, and a good article on TVNZ (with a video here) going into more detail about the finishing touches required. It’s an hour or so from Christchurch, so I’m guessing it’ll be a popular weekend track.

• Satellite Phone Doesn’t Connect. This was bound to happen. A hiker purchased a phone that was supposed to have satellite messaging enabled thanks to SkyLink, but it didn’t. It took a while but Vodafone One NZ finally realised they mucked up on their end. The technology and implementation are still new, so it’s not unexpected. Fortunately, there was no actual emergency, but it’s a good reminder that you can’t really go wrong with a PLB. Full story here.

😹 Hiking Funny

There were plenty of April Fool’s gags last week in the hiking community, but this one is gold.

🗒️ More Track News Etc.

• Who Is Log Man? You might have seen photos or heard about some guy hiking Te Araroa with a log over the summer. That guy is Shawn ‘Log Man’ Mahoney. He’s done plenty of hiking over the years…often with a log…it’s become his thing. But there’s a reason for it, and that, as well Shawns story can be read on this Substack.

• Kahurangi Love Note. Broadcaster Jack Tame recently took a birthday trip into Kahurangi National Park. I’d say less than 5% of people would agree with him that it’s the best National Park in the country, but it’s a good wee trip report.

• DOC Pays For Content. I’m not sure how I feel about DOC paying news outlet Stuff.co.nz to have sponsored content…but they did to promote their new video about respecting Tongariro. Article here.

• A Duffel Bag Has A Birthday. At Macpac we often get people coming in asking if we have The North Face duffel bags, or one that is similar to their massive 150-litre options. But this week I came to. learn theyr;'e more loved than I ever thought. The original Base Camp duffel bag from TNF was released 40 years ago, and they went all in on media to let me know…everyone was writing a love letter about their experience with them. They also released two new versions of the duffel, a fully waterproof one and a leather. Details here.

• Nerding Out On Nutrition. If you’re like me and often find yourself not snacking enough on the trail, this is a real nuts and bolts thread on hiking nutrition. It’s waaaay over the top for 99% of people. But love weighing your food? It might be for you. The comments give you an idea of how nuanced nutrition is.

🎧 Podcasts For Your Ears

I’ve been in a bit of a podcast rut lately. If you’ve listened to any good episodes lately, send them my way. Pretty much any topics (keep your true crime podcasts for yourself).

A couple of episodes I got through this week:

• 180: Hiking the Cascade Saddle Route, Trampig Clubs and Influencers with Alice Milne | Aotearoa Adventures - Spotify link here

  • This is a fun wee chat with host Abigail and guest Alice from AliceAdventuring.com. Alice gives a good rundown on what to expect from the Cascade Saddle route, without scare-mongering. And the influencer chat is a good one between two self aware humans (something that’s often harder to do than it should be).

• Glen Van Peski: Gossamer Gear Owner's 3 Unorthodox Ultralight Strategies | Backpacking & Blisters - Spotify link here

  • I’d not heard of Glen before, but I have a Gossamer Gear tent so had to listen to this episode. His strategies are certainly not for everyone, but I’ll give Glen credit…he sticks to his methods and doesn’t seem to be letting age get in the way. The doughnut tip might be a good one for some.

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

I spent Friday in Arrowtown with some friends on the Sawpits big brother/razors edge route. We spent about 5 hours out there getting some fun things done. It was nice to not be in a rush and really notice all the different views and landscapes…I’m guilty of just being like ‘wow’ then carrying on.

I’m pretty sure the next day was wet, so it was a very relaxed Easter weekend here.

Have a great week, hike it up.

As always, reply to this email (or message me on Whatsapp +642041702764) with anything and everything…I’m happy to chat.

Chur,

Jub

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