Backpacking

Day 276: 3rd November Glacier: Mint

Wanaka, New Zealand

Woke up to an absolute pea-souper of a fog. The Israeli regarded me critically as we encountered each other in the YHA car park.

"OK, you won. Pfff, English weather, you bring it with you."

I didn't feel especially pleased with myself. But at least it didn't prevent the half-day hike up and onto the glacier from going ahead.

We were led by our two guides up through the glacier valley towards the river of ice itself. Our leader was a lovely South African girl guide (with, er, very hairy legs) backed up by the slightly challenged Goose (apparently not called that because he had the ability to lay eggs. I felt I had to check with him).

Our group of twelve was very amiable, but the whole experience was slightly marred by two American women in the group. The first was frankly several states short of a Federal Republic, a skatty middle-aged woman asking the dumbest questions, falling off the back of the group to take pictures (meaning we all had to stop and wait for her to catch up) and generally behaving like a six year old (but with less general knowledge).

The second lady, although lovely, was, well, the size of a state. This made the climbing and ropework we had to undertake painfully slow as she struggled under the gravitational pull exerted on her huge mass. She did well though, getting there and back, and probably came