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andrewg  > Vacation > 4. Kepler Track
NZ Part 4. In early December 2005 I hiked the Kepler Track, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks". During the 3-day trip I stayed in two different huts run by the Department of Conservation.
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andrewg > The descent from the ridge came in two phases.  The first was a drop so steep that DoC built this very long series of steps, rather than carve tons of switchbacks into the mountainside.
andrewg > Turpentine plant.  This contains turpentine (or something close to it) and will burn whether it's wet or dry, hot or cold.  Every nature trail and hut warden likes to point this out, because if the weather turns dangerous and you need to light a fire, this is the stuff you want.  And it grows everywhere in the area, so if you know what to look for your odds of survival (or pleasant survival) go way, way up.
andrewg > A look at the top of a turpentine plant.
andrewg > Another view of the giant steps to/from the Hanging Valley Shelter.
andrewg > A first look at the second part of the descent.  The long, steep drop begins here, then crosses the bush line and into the forest, where it switchbacks over and over dropping rapidly towards the valley below.
andrewg > Andrew feeling good on the trail.
andrewg > In the forest just after the bush line, where the trees are still stunted and struggling.
andrewg > The track descending, just after the bush line.  Yup, that's mud.  Slippery, sloshy, slow-footing icky slippy mud.  Particularly nasty when you're descending steeply.  Thank you, hiking poles!  They turned this biped into a quadraped, and in this situation four legs are definitely better than two.
andrewg > One of the more mellow of the many, many switchbacks (or "zips") on the descent from the alpine section.
The descent from the ridge came in two phases. The first was a drop so steep that DoC built this very long series of steps, rather than carve tons of switchbacks into the mountainside.
 > The descent from the ridge came in two phases.  The first was a drop so steep that DoC built this very long series of steps, rather than carve tons of switchbacks into the mountainside.
The descent from the ridge came in two phases. The first was a drop so steep that DoC built this very long series of steps, rather than carve tons of switchbacks into the mountainside.
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Keywords: steps kepler new zealand fiordland kepler track
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