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Published: June 25th 2008
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Fox Glacier
You can only see about 2k of this 13+k glacier NZ Day 4
Will Power, Determination, and Wool
That’s what got me through the day.
Today we woke up bright and early but not too early because we were already across the street from where our glacier adventure would begin. I had pb toast and a nice cup of tea. We didn’t see any of the forecasted snow that was supposed to come overnight so we were excited for the day to come.
We suited up in many layers and headed across the street to the glacier guide headquarters. There they suited us up with waterproof jackets and overtrou (over trousers), hats, woolen mittens and wool hiking socks as well as hiking boots. They also gave us Crampons (a spikey thing that you strap on the bottom of your shoes so that you can walk on water -
when it’s frozen that is ). When I was all suited up I felt like I could do anything.
16 of us plus 4 guides loaded into a bus that drove us to the carpark of the glacier. There we split up into two groups. Sarah and I were in a group of eight with our
Glacier Climber
Here is what a real glacier climber looks like. guides Andy and Maria. It started to rain so we got out our rainjackets and put them on…..I should have taken off some of my warm layers but unfortunately I wouldn’t realize how warm I would get hiking to the glacier until later when I was drenched in sweat. Then we started our 1.5hr hike around the side of the mountain to where we would get on the glacier. It was a tough hike up a lot of stairs and I kept peeling things off until I was finally down to a long sleeve T and my rain jacket.
Determination
When we finally made it to the edge of the glacier I was tired from walking up all the stairs. And I was wet because it was raining, I couldn’t sit down or take my bag off because it was under my raincoat. But I had to and I had to put my layers back down because it would be cold when we stepped on the glacier and I had to put my crampons on. It took determination to get redressed and ready to go on the glacier when I was already tired from the hike there. But I
A little stuck
No I'm not stuck I'm just going through a crevace on the glacier knew this was a once in a lifetime activity that I was about to do and I couldn’t give up when I was so close. So I summoned up some energy from down deep and made it out onto the ice.
It’s kind of funny to walk in crampons. You’re feet go further down than you’re used to. You have to kinda jam each step into the ice so you don’t go slipping off into oblivion. I got the hang of it pretty quickly so it was alright. Our group started to hike down the glacier towards the terminal face and after a while we stopped to have lunch. Andy and Maria told us that this part of this glacier moves at one metre per day, which is amazingly fast. Even at one point Andy was helping me over a crevace and pointed out to me the sound of the glacier shifting. (It didn’t move under my feet mom don’t be worried, it was way down deep and a very cool sound).
It was still raining and even a little harder than before. At some point we were standing in some water as the guides pick axed some
Lunch
Here we are hundled under the tarp eating lunch. new step places for us and my boots got some water in them. Yuck.
For lunch Andy had brought a little tent tarpy thingy that we all sat under like we were playing camping with a parachute (remember back to those days in Elementary School…good times). It was warm in there with all of our body heat but I began to get cold in my hands and toes because we sat there too long. And it started to rain harder and was coming through the tarp.
Wool
We got up but were slow to start moving because the guides had to put the tarp away and cut away more steps in the ice for us. It was very hard to warm up. My fingers eventually got some feeling back into them as we started to hike more and I waved them all around in their woolen mittens, but my toes were cold and wet. Thank goodness for the warmth that wet wool socks keep around my feet or I think I might of lost some toes today. At this point in the hike I was miserable and the rain was making it much worse. My camera case fell
Glacier Guides
Here are our guides Andy and Maria posing for a photo with their axes. in a puddle so my camera was out of it in my pocket and it was hard to reach to take photos. Every time I took my camera out it got drenched, and there were practically no good photos to take anyways because the rain clouds were blocking all the views. I was wet upset and ready to get off. Why did I agree to go on the all-day. A half day would have been enough.
Will Power
We told the guides we would be up for just an hour more because we were all still cold and soaking wet. Truthfully I didn’t feel like I could even make it an hour. My toes were so cold and I was so out of energy. I also think I pulled my right hip flexor. It was very uncomfortable to go up on the ice, or any time I had to lift my right knee. Will power to make my self continue is the only thing that kept me going. The guides took us up on the glacier a bit but then the rain began to stop and it cleared up so we could take some good photos. We
Axes
Here is Sarah and I with Axes. The guide said I looked comfortable with an axe. had hiked enough so that I could definitely feel my hands and my toes were cold but had some feeling. This cheered me up and the rest of the group so we were up to do some more and didn’t come off the glacier to early. It started to rain again but it didn’t bring my spirits down.
The hike back down to the car park was much easier because it was mostly downward. I appreciated not having to go up or take off any layers because of overheating on the way down.
When we got back to the guide center in town and took off all of our sopping wet borrowed gear they gave us some hot chocolate to warm us up and a certificate to prove that we climbed it.
The hot shower that we took when we got back to the hostel was one of the best feelings ever. Then we made our most delicious meal yet. Swirly noodles with cream of chicken soup and cheese on top baked in a casserole dish with some green beans on the side. It was so classy and so delicious and only NZ$7 for the both of
Delish Dinner
Here is our oh so fancy dining. us. We decided we could get used to this fine dining for the rest of the time we are backpacking around.
Tomorrow off to Queenstown if the roads don’t get snowy.
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