Day 18: Coldwater Hut to Angelus Hut

Day 18 of my journey across the South Island with my little blue boat. Which is actually a packraft. With a lot of hiking between the water. Coldwater Hut to Angelus Hut.

"What am I doing?" "Do I have the ability to get through this?" "I can't. I just can't."

All thoughts I had as I slowly cranked my way up the near-vertical Cascade Route, headed for Angelus Hut, in Nelson Lakes National Park. Snow made up 30-40% of the picture before me, including some steeper sections of the track.

As I stepped onto the white crisp, it compacted down and turned to hard ice. Or so I thought. A slight turn in my foot as I progressed saw this freshly-compacted solid give way. The weight of the pack-plus-me was too much for it and my leg and foot were sent shooting downwards, as far as the next available rock.

"I don't have the gear for this."

I wasn't having fun and I was having lots of negative thoughts. This contrasted wildly with the start to the day, when Scoot and I had walked the relatively flat Lakeside Track, along the shores of Rotoiti, then up some of the Travers Valley. Gentle blue water lapping at the lake's grey pebble beaches and the epic halfpipe-shaped valley full of green wonder and mountains behind had given the senses a good feast. Now, I was in hell. And it was a hell of my own creation.

Sunset was around 8:20pm and I wanted to be within range of Angelus Hut by then. The back of my t-shirt was lined in sweat from the climb, while my knees were red and chilled from their last dip in the snow. The peanuts I had chowed down during my last break, right before the vertical section kicked off, were burning out. I was running on pure adrenaline.

The steep climb doesn't last forever and eventually - after probably 45 minutes - I reached the top of the waterfall. I continued walking across the mountain tussock, avoiding all the patches of snow that I could to reach the ridge. Five minutes from there is the hut. It was 8:15pm. Time to nourish!

I bust through the hut door like a zombie needing a hit. I somehow bagged a bunk before finding water and putting it on boil, ready to bring myself back from the brink.

For whatever reason, I'm back carrying my little blue boat across the South Island. That was Day 18, Coldwater Hut to Angelus Hut.