Te Araroa, Day 81

The night was very cold. 

When I check the temperature in the morning, it is just 4 degrees.

I start walking at 6:30 am. The walk is very steep most of the time, along a trail that doesn't seem to be used much. Often, I have to look for those orange triangles nailed to trees and then find my way from triangle to triangle. Many times I take a while to find the way because there are lots of fallen trees and often there is a triangle on them, hardly visible.

I have to climb over many trees or find a way underneath or around. I like it that there are no other hikers around. Just me climbing down this forest. I try to be fast because I figure that it is likely that X will pass Lower Goulter Hut today too.

Before the hut, there is the Goulter River to cross. Then, 5 hrs after my start, I reach the Hut. I check the log book. No message from X. I don't know if he is ahead or behind. I leave a message for him and continue walking.

There is about 4 km to walk to a wide river, and I do not know yet if it is crossable. There is a kind of road into the other direction, but that one is closed due to washouts, and it would not get me anywhere for 50 km or so. I cannot walk that road.
I continue, wondering how things will go on. When I make a right turn towards the river, I try to make some signs for X from branches, in case he is behind me. The river is wide.

I sit down to ponder my options.

I will try to cross, that is sure. Then it is about 22 km to a bridge to get to the highway, that I can see already from here. Close by that junction is a campground where I could spend the night.

Once I finish my contemplations, I turn off the flight mode on the phone, to see if I have reception now. I have been trying it every few kilometers but so far there was nothing.

As soon as I turn off flight mode, a lot of messages come in and a call. X was here before me. He left the Lower Goulter hut about 1 hr before I arrived there. He gives me instructions to cross the river and lets me know that the forest road afterwards is completely closed due to logging. He still keept on walking there, mainly because there is no other way to get out of here. So, I learn there will be workers picking me up because I am not supposed to walk there and get me to the highway. X is almost in St. Arnaud, and I will be trying to get there too.

I cross the river. It is not too bad. Then I walk, for a very long time. This walk is an easy one. A 4-wheel gravel track through some forest. At some point, I am past the area where X got picked up by the workers. Now I get out of the "remaining forest" and into a vast landscape of cut-down trees. And I walk and walk, thinking that probably the workers have finished already.
After about 3 hrs, I take a break and then walk again. And finally, about 5 km before the highway, a car stops and the guy tells me - as expected -, that I am not to walk here. But he also knows that I had no choice.

I get into his car. Turns out everyone has left work already. He is the leader of this logging operation and just closing everything down for the day. He tells me that they will need 5 years all together for the complete logging of the patch of land that I was just walking through since the river crossing. They have been cutting down the trees for 3 years already.

He offers to drop me in St. Arnaud and I take the offer. I have been up and walking for 10,5 hrs when he offers me the ride. I am looking forward to a shower and a real bed.
I get both. And a Pizza.

Tarn hut in the early morning:

Some views before the steep climbs down and endless climbings over fallen trees:

First view of the Goulter River, my destination to reach Lower Goulter Hut.

Lower Goulter hut:

River to cross:

Logging area: