This was my last hiking circuit of my holiday. I had to wait a few days for the weather to clear, then I started as a few late drizzle showers were clearing. Next morning was fine, with an early-season dusting of snow on the higher tops. The sky developed a patchy pattern that evoked the old rhyme Mackerel sky, mackerel sky never quite wet, never quite dry. And that's how it was for the next few days - but a couple of drizzle patches and overnight showers never really tested the raincoat. However the persistent-intermittent clag that bothered the higher peaks meant that, while it was perfect, cool, late-summer tramping weather, the 3 000m plus peaks near the track were a different story. Twice I tried to climb a couple, but each time, I was sent
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