Walk 22 - Mueller's Hut |
Header |
|
|
The first part of the track was the steepest, climbing up through a low rocky shrubland, assisted by several series of wooden steps, often with the soil washed out from in between. Below, we could see the river flowing out of an ice cave beneath the gravel covered terminus of Mueller Glacier, to flow into an iceberg-filled lake, behind which lay the Hooker Glacier and Aoraki. With each few metres of height gained, the view changed, gradually exposing the dull green-grey waters of Hooker Lake at the base of the glacier above and showing different aspects of Aoraki itself. The flat mountain-lined glacial plain heading out to Lake Pukaki and the meandering braids of the Hooker River took on a broader form as we climbed. |
After an hour, we reached the Sealy Tarns, the nearest thing to a bit lf level terrain on the climb and a great place to rest and admire the views, especially that of the Mt Sefton glacers reflected in the still waters of a tarn. From here the climb became a little less steep, but a lot more uneven and rocky as the way up changed officially from a track to a route across a steep slope of tussock grass and herb fields. A flock of keas circled us as we climbed this section before landing on nearby rocky ledges, their plaintiff calls and curious cackles the sole sounds to break the enormous silence of this mountain landscape. |
||
We pressed on upward, across a large jumble of boulders and over a steep slope of loose scree, before finally cresting the ridge and coming face-to-face with the imposing glacier-clad eastern face of Mt Sefton. A loud rumble from across the valley signalled another avalanche of ice and snow from one of the glaciers into the valley far below. To the south we could see the smooth dark gravel covered shape of Mueller Glacier, flowing down between steep peaks on either side, while to the north, the sun glinted on the cols of Aoraki.
|
||
|
From the deck of the hut, the views were awesome in all directions as we sat, listening to, and occasionally seeing, the avalanches crashing off the steep walls across the valley of the glacier. It is impossible to describe the impact that such a powerful landscape has; we simply sat there and let it infuse our spirits. |
|