Levin to Nicols Hut
21.3 miles (5.4 off trail miles)
Mile 966.4
I left Levin at 4:00 AM, planning on knocking out my road walk while still dark to arrive at the trailhead by sunrise.
Just after sunrise I reached the info shelter marking the beginning of the trail, where I signed the log book before heading into the Tararuas.
The trail started off relatively flat and easy going.
Once I reached the Gable End Track junction things got quite a bit more strenuous.
The trail was steep as hell and muddy to boot.
This made me laugh…
When turning a sharp corner I spooked a massive buck that had been resting near the trail. He ran a bit up trail before stopping, unable to put weight on one of his hind legs, it looked broken. I felt bad for the animal, and hoped I hadn’t caused him to injure it when he fled from me.
A bit later I reached Te Matawai Hut, where I stopped briefly to grab some water before carrying on.
From the hut the trail continued to climb above tree line.
There was a thick haze in the air, so the views weren’t as good as they could have been, but it was still neat.
Next I reached Dracophyllum Hut, where I topped off my water before pushing on.
I spent the next few hours wandering through an awesome mossy forest before arriving at Nicols Hut, my destination for the night.
When I arrived, I found it occupied by three hikers. One was Emily, the girl I’d met the previous day. The other two were hikers named Danny and Sonnom.
After chatting with the group for a bit, I pitched my tent next to the hut on an awesome spot overlooking the valley below. I’ll be in for an epic sunrise in the morning!
Cheers!