Start – Old Man Hut
Finish – Rintoul Hut
Daily Distance – 6 km
TA Distance – 1909 km
To paraphrase; all 5 hour sections are equal, but some are more equal than others. Such has been the
experience of summiting the adorably named little Rintoul (1643m), scrambling down a scree slope to a
saddle which straddled the line between type 2 fun and “I want my teddy”, before tackling the ascent of
mt Rintoul (1731m). Having said that, with fair weather and a cost effective way of getting pizza and
wine delivered, I could happily spend days just sitting and staring at the mountains ranging off into the
distance. The Richmonds are considered the toughest section on the TA, but they are undoubtedly worth
the effort.
Having reached tonight’s hut at 13:00, I feel somewhat refreshed for an afternoon spent lying in the sun.
Indeed my greatest challenges have been building a sun shade (wildly ineffective), deterring the Jurassic
park sized bees that continually mistook my blue and yellow hat for a flower, and not falling asleep. I’m
choosing to classify all of those activities as vital preparation for tomorrow’s 10 hour hike mind.
This afternoon I met my first Northbound TA walker by the name of Rosie (Kiwi), who is walking on the
summer break from university. By the sounds of it we have some lovely sections to look forward to,
which is great. More surprising were the evening arrivals of Simon (Austria) and “Toes” (US), who hiked
all the way from Rocks hut on the Pelorus track today. According to the trail notes that is a hiking day of
19 hours. They are, however, both of a rare breed called “Triple Crowners”. That is, people who have
completed all 3 of the big American trails; the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental divide, each of
which is several thousand miles long. There are only an estimated 300-400 people worldwide who have
that distinction and in my considered opinion, they’re all nuts. Despite that, they are both self-effacing,
down to earth and simply love to hike. In a hyper competitive world it is refreshing to meet people of real
accomplishment who nevertheless regard their own achievements with an understated modesty. I’m still
ordering my “King of the TA” hat, t-shirt and scarf for Bluff mind!
