Rehab

Correct me if I am wrong, but are these photos of a recent Northern Crossing? If so, not quite what I would have thought for a rehab walk.

No. Not up to Northern crossing yet: was looking through old photos and found one of Arete Forks Hut, which didn't have a photo on the site. And saw the one of the ice on the tops and though it was too good not to post too. The only overnight I've done lately is to Field Hut: an easy, peaceful weeknight trip - which turned out to have 15 schoolkids for company! They were actually good fun, but you had to make the effort to get yourself in the mood. Sleeping was not an option. Into Irongate tonight, weather and injury permitting.

am looking at possibly heading to iron gate hut next week, would be interested to know the times and conditions of track, want to get to purity hut too but depends on time taken travelling between road ends, have done rangiwahia hut before so want to do somewhere different

We went in with a friend's son who doesn't tramp often, so was a slowish walk: 4 hours each way. Another Duke of Edunburgh party who were there (seem to be having a run on school groups at the moment!) had taken just under 5 hours. We went in in the dark, out in the light - no difference to the times - it's a very clear, well marked tracks with a couple of steep sections. I'd expect to take about 2.5hrs if fit, alone and in daylight. There's also the option of a loop back out from Iron Gate via Tunapo Trig, which is a full day walk out over the tops back to the same Heritage roadend. Think I recorded my times against the hut entry for Purity - so look there. That was another nighttime walk in - but not recommended in the dark for a 1st trip as the bit across the farmland is not obvious at night. Would guess at 30 mins from roadend to roadend by car - is that what you meant, or did you intend to walk over the tops between roadends?

hi madpom, would be nice to go over the tops but will just be going to hut then back to roadends then driving round to next roadend, might head to iron gate hut the first night, would be great to spend a week in the ruahines but work will be calling, had thought about heading to howletts via daphne but am not too keen on walking up the river this time of year to daphne hut!, so iron gate and purity huts it will be!

A friend just finished a circuit up the eastern Ruahines and back down the Pohongina. The latter was 3 days of walking over ice-covered river-rocks, and swimming through gorges and pools with hardly a glimpse of the sun. Sounded like fun!

he must be a tough bugger, if that was me i would have been a frozen jibbering idiot(more so than usual!!!)

Hang in there. Frank was back to full tramping 6 months after he broke his leg (double spiral fracture lower tibia). On his first trip back he was waiting for me at the summit!

Just had a week back at work possuming on the Mt Alan block (Silverpeaks). Pretty good going if I limit myself to 6-8hr days. Was back in at the deep end: pine forests waist deep in thinnings and blackberry (or 3m of gorse for variety). Native guts replete with bush lawyer. A steep bush-bashing sidle putting a line 20m above the true left of Christmas Creek. The worst was not any of the obvious stuff, but climbing fences: no strength in one leg and the opposite arm, and you always need one or the other (or both) to climb over. Finish of one day had the whole crew watching as it took about 4 attempts to get over the last fence to the truck: arm and leg shaking violently with the effort. Guess there's a bit of strengthening left to do - but very happy with recovery otherwise.

how you coming along there? all good good?