I have been bad and am writing this some time after the events which will make for a shorter entry, at least compared to the last monster! After Christmas we had the pleasure of New Year on call, which is a 4 day break in this part of the world, and so saw in our 1-year-in-NZ-anniversary stone cold sober. Marked contrast to 
the previous year. The long weekend passed relatively quickly with some good emergencies (including GDV, blocked cat and c-section for those who care) thrown in for good measure. Somehow we were on call the following weekend too and so our 3rd weekend was spent mostly recovering I think as I'm not too sure what we got up to.
In much need of a little break we took our 2 days owed for weekend working combined with a weekend and headed to the high country for some tramping. Our destination was the top of Lake Ohau, a wonder up the Huxley Valley followed by a dash up high to Dasler biv. We had to get there first though and after the road turned to gravel we ended up bogging down in an insignificant looking ford. the gravel was very lose and we just sunk having just tried
to roll through slowly as we have countless times before. Still, the local farmer helped pull Gordon out "don't worry, its not the first time" and we were soon as far as we could drive. Packs shouldered, it was a monotonous first couple of hours along a 4x4 track before we hit the bush. Things improved dramatically as we turned left to head up the Huxley valley, deciding to take the high water track rather than skirt back to a suitable crossing place. Big mistake, the track was fairly overgrown and faint so it took a couple of hours bush bashing to get out to the flats and arrive at 
the Huxley Forks hut. Perfect timing for a later lunch stop before the uphill started again as we slowly but surely made our way to Brodrick hut at the head of the valley. The 8.5 hours spent getting here with heavy packs (we have started to eat a bit better while in the hills but that does mean more to carry!) was well worth it despite the low cloud coming in to hide the surrounding peaks. Day 2 started grey with low 
cloud and with little wind there was a worry that there would be no chance of a view. Still, after a slow start to the day we headed up to Brodrick Pass taking us to 1630m. a couple of hours later we made the top, the wind picked up and the vista revealed itself in all its glory. A fantastic spot to stop and soak up the isolation of being in the high country, the nearest road 10 hours away.We had been tempted to be a bit lazy and spend another night in
the same hut but that would mean missing out on Dasler and the gentleman we found at the hut on our return made a compelling argument for making the effort to get there. It was packs on again then as we headed back to Forks hut, this time electing to boulder hop down the river for a bit of variation. Another long day and although I did go and have a look for a fish having carried all my kit so far, not a fish was spotted in an hour by which 
time dusk was descending and stomach rumbling. Anticipating another longer day we were up and out relatively early the following morning, crossing the waist deep river this time rather than suffer the high track again. The going was much faster than we thought and so it was not so long before we emerged into the much larger Hopkins valley and were looking across the river to Red Hut. the river was braided so the crossing easy and we were 
soon into our morning snack while chatting to some hunters who had bagged a few Thar around our chosen destination. the final push to the biv was a 2.5 hour grind, the last 1.5 involving a rather steep ascent of 550m in around 600m as the crow flies.
The biv was a delight and nothing like the name suggest with 2 bunks, a roomy work bench, couple of chairs and open fire. the sun was out and having made good time had the afternoon to take in the surroundings. Another 50m or so up brought us out above 
the bush to sweeping views of both the neighbouring pinnacles and the wider valley and imposing summits. inspiring stuff and I made another trip up hoping to bag some nice sunset landscapes. They 
weren't bad but you had to be there to appreciate the view! Day 4 was the homeward leg, retracing our steps to the 4x4 track and then to Gordon who was a welcome sight for some clean clothes and a coke. We made it through the ford this time and were home in time to get the washing in the machine.
