Cow Creek  Via  Blue Range

All illusions I had about  Cow creek being a easy stroll (don’t know why but thought it was a flat trip to a paddock type hut ????) soon disappeared during the first big up ,after a nice easy entrance to the track over a couple of streams  both “bridged” sort of, a plank will pass as a bridge then into a steady climb up a track that after the rain is more a waterfall than track .a short while into the trip we where treated to the sound then low flying pass of a kaka at about halfway to the Blue ridge hut sign post  we turned right to Blue ridge hut and headed down to the famous hut ,the maps we had placed the hut on a ridge but not true its down the ridge a wee bit and soon was spotted  as the bright blue walls stand out well against the green of the surrounding bush 

.The hut was all I had read about with a big “no parking “ sign the first thing  seen on the door a “anti natal clinic” sign  once inside the Nepal type prayer flags and patients only label on the bunks  .a lunch stop was had along with reading the visitors book and signing in then back on the trail. The return to the main track  seemed much faster than the trip down although up all the way ,once back on the main trail we headed on to cow creek over very boggy in places track  through a  seemingly endless semi-goblin forest  until reaching the river at this point the original track is missing due to a slip but not hard to cross and regain the track and find the bridge ,sadly the cableway on some maps is gone replaced with a suspension bridge  so missed out on the experience of grinding over the river  directly after the bridge is cow creek hut a std 6 bunk hut in a fetching shade of green .After the usual sorting of gear and pokeing about  the billys went on and soup appeared during this the fire was gotten going and we changed into dry clothes  dinner then was prepared a fine sausage casserole on cous cous followed by steamed puddings and MULLED WINE  before well earned sleep.

Morning brought the usual  getting up-dressed-fed –packed scene well knowen by all before heading off toward cow saddle ,after the bridge we turned left and followed the track as far as the creek then after much discussion and map reading  set off bush bashing up the spur toward the ridge where we  met a trapline/old track  (pink ribbon track)  stopped and had a break ,then on down the ridge to the blue ridge /cow creek sign and out to the road end .