Continued hiking the Queen Charlotte Track, passing lovely mossy rock walls and lush epiphytes. Ridges offered great views of the sounds on both sides, with enough climbing to make it feel like a true hike rather than a walk in the park. A beautiful day on the trail, interrupted by a comfortable resort hotel for the night.
Category: Move
A study in grey
The mist stayed with us for much of today’s hike, spritzing without soaking us as we walked a ridge. It invited us to focus inward, recalling the views from previous visits as the world around us faded in and out of view.
My little friends
Me, a sheep, and a flightless weka while en route to the next port for the night. I walked while Dwight took a boat, resting a gently twisted ankle that now seems ready for tomorrow’s hike.
Return to the Queen Charlotte Track
A boat dropped us off at the spot where Captain James Cook first made landfall in New Zealand. This was Day 1 of our multi-day hike along the Queen Charlotte Track, marking our fourth time here. As these waterfalls show, we’re benefiting from the heavy rains that preceded our arrival.
Woke up in a magical place
Today is a rest day before we start our big hike tomorrow. Woke up to this view from our hotel room. First order of business: freshly baked meat pies for breakfast at a spot we scouted yesterday. Next, we took a beautiful hike above Queen Charlotte Sound, covering almost as much ground as we will tomorrow: we always seem to hike on our “rest” days. A late pub lunch quickly revived us.
Mansion walk
After our successful elevator doors walk last week, a friend and I went on a ‘mansion walk.’ We braved the icy sidewalks to explore a Minneapolis neighborhood featuring a scattering of mansions built by families like the McKnights (3M) and the Pillsburys. Today, most of these properties serve as offices and event spaces.
80 degrees and a cold one
One final hike in the hills above Palm Springs: the South Lykken Trail. It was dry, dusty, and hot (80s), but offered great views and a well-maintained path. We took a Lyft to the trailhead and walked back into town from the finish. A beer at Blackbook never tasted better.
Neither up nor down
Hiked one-way with city transit at each end. We marched (kinda) up a hill, gaining a total of 1,300 feet. Here, we’ve wandered across the high ground and are part-way down the next hill. Palm Springs is spread out below us, as we watched landings and takeoffs at PSP (top-left).
Hiking an oasis
Granite walls gradually closed in as we hiked a shaded trail up a canyon to this spot. The trail must’ve crossed the stream a dozen times, giving us multiple opportunities to balance on slick rocks. Although we were surrounded by desert, the stream fed one long oasis, a winding line of palms.
Hiking Indian Canyons yet again
On our hike through Indian Canyons, the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a barrel cactus looked ready for some fancy dance moves. We’ve hiked these trails so many times over the years, and each time it seems to require a little more effort, particularly on the ascents.