Aoraki: Take 3!

I spent this weekend hanging out at the house. The flat went to Milford Sound with Wootie for the weekend, but I had already been there so I stuck around. Abby and I broed it out on Friday together, then Saturday Alex and I rented bikes and cruised around Dunedin all day. Sunday came around, I hit up Grace Bible church and decided to join some friends on a trip to Mt. Cook for the third time!

We loaded a rental van Sunday night, cruised to Mt. Cook, and camped at White Horse. A few booked a hostel, two slept in the van, and others tented out in the Hooker Valley. Alex and I slept in a tent, the night was in-tents (Yes, Frank Buehler is my Grandfather...).

The next morning, we got up to a foggy, overcast valley (which set up an epic unveiling later on) where Alex and I made pancakes on a methylated spirits burner with Pure Maple Syrup from Mayfield, NY for everyone. They were quite impressed by the syrup.

We began the Hooker Track which walks up the Hooker Valley (Where the Minas Tirith was located in Lord of the Rings) all the way to the Hooker Glacier.

Some solid weather and a cool track was the highlight until the clouds lifted. A few of the mates with me had not seen Mt. Cook or the area in the daytime or at all. Let's just say their jaws dropped when they saw the 2,000 km + peaks plastered with glaciers directly above us.

The rest of the tramp was filled with cool photos, video, and great fellowship. We finally made it to the Hooker Glacier, snagged some pictures, and got out just as it started to get real windy and cold.

It was a fun weekend of fellowship, laughter, and friendship!