Regardless of the weather, we were walking. And walk we did. The rain largely held off for us as we embarked on a bit of road, a bit of forest, and a bit of bush, before heading into the Longwood Forest. Mentally, the Longwood Forest was our last hurdle. The last tough section before reaching Riverton and then walking beach and road to Bluff. The Longwoods came with a bit of a reputation, a reputation for mud. We decided that a bit of grotty hiking for the last few days would be good for us, a reflection on kilometers gone by.
The plan at the beginning of the day was to head into the forest and walk until we dropped. There were no places to officially camp, but it was highly unlikely that we'd be able to get all the way to Martin's Hut (15.5 hours was estimated), the only shelter in the forest. As well as the long distance to the hut it was also a historic hut, with canvas bunks, over 100 years old and described as a good shelter is required. Not trying to be overly fussy but that description wasn't hugely appealing. However, as the day progressed, the Longwoods lived up to all of it's reputation. The temperature dropped, the snow turned to sludge, and the mud reached groin height. About this time the thought of a potentially rat infested, canvassed bunked hut was absolutely dreamy. We just had to get there.
The plan at the beginning of the day was to head into the forest and walk until we dropped. There were no places to officially camp, but it was highly unlikely that we'd be able to get all the way to Martin's Hut (15.5 hours was estimated), the only shelter in the forest. As well as the long distance to the hut it was also a historic hut, with canvas bunks, over 100 years old and described as a good shelter is required. Not trying to be overly fussy but that description wasn't hugely appealing. However, as the day progressed, the Longwoods lived up to all of it's reputation. The temperature dropped, the snow turned to sludge, and the mud reached groin height. About this time the thought of a potentially rat infested, canvassed bunked hut was absolutely dreamy. We just had to get there.
A quick conference between us all concluded that we push ourselves and walk in the dark in our best attempt to get to the hut. Quick stops to refuel, take pics, look at views and listen to roaring stags and lots of speedy walking. We were warned multiple times about hunters in the forest, therefore walking at dusk was a somewhat risky option. As darkness fell the headlamps came out and the music went on in an attempt to remind hunters that we were walkers and not stags. The music not only deterred gunshots but also lifted the mood, and we sang 80's songs all the way to the hut.
The cheeky little hut turned up sooner than we thought, much to our delight. It took quite sometime to wade our way through the mud on our boots to find our laces and then even longer to try and wash our feet. But, the apparent lack a mice, the dry room, the exciting bonus of actual mattresses, and the satisfaction of our arrival made it all worth while.
The cheeky little hut turned up sooner than we thought, much to our delight. It took quite sometime to wade our way through the mud on our boots to find our laces and then even longer to try and wash our feet. But, the apparent lack a mice, the dry room, the exciting bonus of actual mattresses, and the satisfaction of our arrival made it all worth while.