Drenched within an inch of my life

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This morning I wake up to the sound of the rain and wind lashing against the building. When I get up and inspect, it really is torrentially raining, so hard that I decide not to venture out. After breakfast and some time reading the weekend paper there is no sign of it easing. The Swiss girl, German boy and myself all decide to stay inside around the fire and play jenga for a few hours. Around lunch time the rain starts to ease slightly, and I decide to brave the weather.

As I walk the hour or so along the Arthurs Pass walking track, I am sheltered in the forest from the rain, and it really isn’t that bad, quite refreshing, and I am very glad made the effort to come out. However, I am half way up the Temple Basin ski field track when the heavens open again and the winds blow. I am completely exposed on the path as it is not surround or sheltered in anyway! So for an hour, and I reach the top an descend I get completely and utterly soaked to the bone, trousers stuck to me, socks and boots saturated, to the point where water oozes out of my boots every time I step. The path I am on has also turned into a small river, but I am so wet it doesn’t really matter anymore, though being wet and with a strong wind blowing, it starts to get chilly, so I make it down as fast as possible. Luckily, when I am down from the ski field track (no snow, only in winter), which doesn’t take very long, and re-join the walking track, I am back in the forest, so I am more sheltered, it its slightly more pleasant!

Nether the less, I am very glad to get back to the hostel, and after peeling off my socks and wringing them out, I dive straight in a warm shower – though I can’t tell whether it’s warm or cold to start with, until I warm up properly. I feel nicely human again with some warm clothes on and a herbal tea inside me. I pour the puddle out of my back pack, and place my wet clothes with the others peoples which are hanging on the rails around the wood fire.

I brave the weather once more for a nano second, to go next door to the Wobbly Kea – becoming my ‘local’ now, for a hot chocolate and spend a while deeply engrossed in my book.

The hostel is very busy tonight, everybody driven inside due to the rain, and everybody is tucked inside the main sitting room, enjoying the warmth from the fire. I have a lovely fajita dinner again, using the last of the food and kit that Danny gave me, and then have a fairly early night, feeling quite drained after being out in the cold today.

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