Better Late Than Never

Click for Cascade Saddle Ski Tour September 2013

Guide Fabien Passaro just sent in a video from a tour we did in Sept..  This is a spectacular area, and guess what,  you don't have to ski to get there since it is a popular summer route.  Starting in Wanaka and ending in Glenorchy and Queenstown this is a great trip for people wanting to try a New Zealand hike on their own (with a little help)  Click for  Cascade Saddle Assist

Skip your Cafe Latte for a week and give this kid some money, he deserves it.

I was on the coast just south of Fiordland and I saw a guy walking with an enormous pack, but what caught my eye was the quiver of arrows.  With his huge pack, youth and general cleanliness,  I was tempted to pass him off as some adventurer who had no idea what he was getting into but I could not have been more wrong.

We started chatting and he told me that he was walking all the way around New Zealand. It took moment to sink in.  Not "walking the length of South Island" as many have done.  Not "walking the length of New Zealand" as a few have done. And following the coast?  No one does that.  And to circumnavigate the whole thing (quick google check 14,000 kilometres)?  Yeah, right.  And the arrows? "I am am trying to live off the land." We were clearly dealing with a delusional character here.  From the clean clothes and happy smile I was guessing that this was the first day of the trip and he would not make it to Invercargill.  "So when did you start" I asked.  "February, up at the top of the North Island".  So this cat just spent 9 months walking the west coast in winter, "living off the land", and he was only half way.  As my mind tried to process this I couldn't quite accept it.  "So what did you do about the rivers?" I mumbled searching for something to say. "I just use the raft I am carrying.  I'm Brando and here is my card". 

I see a lot of people in the mountains of New Zealand who pull off amazing feats. And if that was the end of the story it would be amazing enough.  But there is a lot more to Brando's story.  Check out his story here.  He said he was raising money for charity and that he had just graduated from high school in Cromwell, was at a bit of a loose end and thought he would do something he could sink his teeth into.  He said he had dyslexia and it made a lot of things hard to do for him but that this was something he thought he could do.

If you want to contribute to his charity (Ronald McDonald House) you can do it here.   DO IT!

First Aspiring trip of the season - mountain is still there!

Simon Howells and Nico Champey flew into Mount Aspiring for the fist ascents of the season.  Everyone was relieved to find that the mountain is right where we left it at the end of last summer.

A couple of photos to show the difference from the valley to the mountain.  It is an amazing contrast this time of year with the green of the valley compared to the heavy snow above.