This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Leslie-Karamea July 2008 by Marie Henderson There is nothing more delightful than to contemplate a full week out in the bush. The party's planning ran as follows.
Robert: "Shall we do the Leslie-Karamea?" Marie: "I'll get the other map we need", which was Cobb.
There was actually a bit more planning around the food - a full week is about a standard shopping bag 3/4+ full. One other special item was required - the foccacia. Many years ago, ona similar length trip, a foccacia had made its way into someone's pack and hadn't been consumed until day 6. The person who had carried this weighty item had never let the other party member forget this. Marie went shopping for the biggest foccacia she could find and stuffed it in the freezer, in preparation to stuff it in to her pack and carry it for at least six days. Departure day on the ferry, the usual "what did we forget this time?" competition ran:
"Toilet paper? Nup." "Matches? Nup." "Focaccia? Yep." "A new winner! Hoorah!"
The party took a two week window in the SI, to make sure they could set off in the right weather. It was the middle of winter. There had been a lot of storms. The local DoC office said they had been in clearing the track in preparation for the season - royal treatment! They set off on an average day from Flora carpark knowing there was some average weather coming - well, that was about as good as you could expect this year. 1.5 days later they came to their first major unbridged creek. Precipitation of various sorts had been pretty 'steady' since disembarking from civilisation and somewhat heavier the few days before.
"Hmmm... I don't like the look of it". The brown foamy creek was fighting itself silly to get in to the brown foamy river below. "Neither do |". After the mandatory exploration up-creek gave no better option, the party decided to erect the tent, crawl in, and forget about the rest of the day.
Two am-ish: "Did you hear that?" "Nup, what was it?!" "Sounded like a BIG slip.”
"Maybe it was a plane?"
<insert thunder and lightning from outside the tent>... "Maybe it was thunder?" "Nup, the thunder sounds different to a BIG slip, the thunder has been going on for hours." "Well there isn't much we can do about it... are you hungry?" <insert rustling and then a duet of munching noises from inside the tent> "Hey its stopped raining.... and started hailing!" "How is the tent holding up?" "Pretty good. Should have tested the fly before we came, but I think it would be fine if you weren't trying to dry your clothes out in here." "Why don't you go back to sleep..."
No one was more surprised than the tent dwellers when the next day dawned fair and fine and the rivers and creeks had cleared! Marie forgot to play the Morning Song from the Peer Gynt Suites as she opened the tent fly, which was a shame as it was just that kind of morning. They still had ample food supplies so decided to explore further - the elastic hadn't snapped yet.
Morning on day 4, and Marie, despite forgetting the foccacia, is still walking like Quasimodo. She cast a baleful eye at the tramper in front of her who looked to be tramping rather upright and even had a spring in his step. He also pulled away going up hills... "this is sinister" she thought to herself. Suspecting all is not right in the world, post lunch and before departure she lifts her companion's pack.
"You bastard!" "What?" "Lift these!" "Oh come on they aren't that much different, so your's is a little heavier" "What? Get real! I'm at least 5kg up on you!” "Okay, we'll sort it out tonight, time to get on now anyway, no dilly-dallying."”
Marie does her best Quasimodo impersonation, slouching under the weight of her pack out the door: "Yes master, just let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."
Tree falls add some obstacles, but no serious delays. The party reach the intersection with the Wangapeka track (well Trevor Carter Hut, which is spitting distance away), still with plenty of stores. As intended they celebrate with the packet of Pringles as a pre-dinner snack. The next day would see them on the Wangapeka - in known territory and with no real significant unbridged creeks between them and the road end -a time to celebrate and eat up big. The next day dawns average, but with the wind in a good direction. They set off. 40 minutes later they return with one pack and one bandaged knee. Quasimodo sets out her sleeping bag, tells bandage bearer to jump in if he feels cold and goes to collect the other pack. They rest for a day. Quasimodo collects wood, washes her hair and counts the remaining tea bags... "Should make it out okay, we still have plenty of food." Bandage bearer remains glum and keeps his knee elevated, perhaps thinking that tea just isn’t going to get him through.
The next day dawns clear and cold. The party set out via the shorter route this time - agreed upon because it is shorter, but perhaps also because neither wishes to re-visit the site of yesterday's accident. Tree fall and slips reach a crescendo and some route finding ensues. Quasimodo ts very thankful her pack has shrunk as she thumps it through two fallen logs before scrambling through herself, all the time earnestly hoping that the 45 degree angled trunks don't take her for a ride down in to the river.
Many hours later the weary party gratefully enter Stone Hut, in its frost covered glade. Despite remaining clear it had been frost or snow all day.
"Is that frost or snow?" "Definitely cold white stuff I think, at least the mud is frozen and you don't get wet pushing through the bushes." Singing - "Always look on the bright side of life." Back at the hut, "Mate, you unpack and I'll get the fire going, it is FF".
After a feed and when it has warmed up bandage bearer is inspected.
"Well it's not gangrenous... yet." "When we get out I want to see a REAL Doctor" "But I am a REAL Doctor, take two aspirin and come back if it doesn't improve - that'll be 10 quid and all your chocolate" "No, I don't have a problem with an equation, I have a problem with my knee”. "Could you express it as a solvable polynomial?" "No, all the paper got burnt lighting the fire." "I believe we can track down this thing called a REAL doctor, if you insist, when we get out." "My knee would appreciate that, thank you." "I appreciate your knee getting you out, it is the least I can do for it in return."
The party tramp out to the road end the next day, 8 days from starting out, 7.5 blissful days with no other people, one day late, and estimating they had enough food for 10 days without having to tighten anything. Within 2 minutes at the road end a car pulls up with two people in it and an empty back seat! Quasimodo brushs herself off and straightens her hat before stepping up to say hello, carefully standing downwind and not too close to her prey. Bandage bearer conceals himself in a bush until he gets the call. The party hitch a lift back to civilisation. In good time a REAL doctor is found, administers medical treatment, which although it isn't two aspirin, costs 10 quid and all the remaining chocolate.