Travers-Sabine Easter 2018

Hi Pro-active, My main concern was the unpredictability of the weather up on the saddle, as you've described for early March -- you could still navigate the saddle make out the orange markers, though? And point taken -- will take a tent and PLB!

snow poled route...

Sweet thanks Wanowski

Snowfall can be very localised there. The Sabine side didn't get anywhere near the dump that the basin & Tait side did. Weather radar's pretty good 3 days out, and 10-day forecasts might pick it too . Talk with the DoC office in St Arnauds. The solo tramper that turned back had only wet weather gear, which he didn't think was adequate. The track and the markers were still obvious tho knee deep.

I did Travers Sabine with an excursion to Blue Lake and Lake Constance late March April last year, the crowds had begun to thin. As other guys say, it's on the TA route, so does seem to see alot of traffic. I guess by March/April most through TA walkers would be finishing up, or much further south. The Angelus hut though was fully booked few of those nights. I did manage a booking there, but didn't take it with covering the crowd quicker than expected. Certainly though an excellent tramp. Yes, the sandflies are bad at the Sabine Hut, and even more so at the Coldwater Hut which though in grand location does lose sunlight early being in the shade of Roberts ridge.

Carrying shelter is good insurance not just for a full hut but also if you become immobile(e.g. a sprained ankle) or get tucked up behind a swollen creek in heavy weather.For me,a tent gives me the option of overnighting where I desire,not just where the hut is located.Less snoring & farting too.

Take sufficient shelter to survive until you are rescued if injured. Regarding wasps: usually the nests are the problem, rather than individual wasps on their search and harvest for food. Nests can be spotted by observing a pattern of wasps coming and going from one point in a fairly horizontal flight pattern. IIf you are attacked, you can get into the bush out of line of their sight, they won't follow you but may hitch a ride until then and then sting you. Where I've been this year in the Canterbury beech forests, the wasps haven't been too bad. I've not seen any nests as yet. In other years, nests could be seen if you took the care to look around you at most points. However I hear Nelson Lakes is worse than Canterbury for wasps.

Good to hear the little bug***s are not too bad in Canterbury, honora. Here's a simple, cheap, lightweight, but effective, treatment if you *are* stung: Take some bicarb soda with you. If stung, mix a slurry in the palm of your hand and apply to the stings.

Thanks for the reminder. My Stingoes is pretty old! Still no nests seen this weekend. Frank filled his 2 fish tins with water and drowned around 100 wasps in them. They prefer salmon to sardines and so do the blow flies!