We were up and 'at it'...I was going to say early but other than the day before we were never up early and rarely were we 'at it'. Steele Creek loomed and we all felt apprehensive, a bit like a crack commando team about to embark on an improbable mission (well, actually more like three hapless fools who had perhaps bitten off more than they could chew).
It was a gruelling climb out of the Caples Valley, up the mountain side and summitting at the Steele Creek Saddle but to be fair, no worse than the previous day, or maybe I was getting used to having my legs brutalised and my lungs threatening to pop out of my chest.
Route up to Steele Creek saddle passing through bosky glades although the scenery wasn't at the forefront of my mind. That would be the PAIN.
A view of the valley side opposite. We were basically climbing the mirror image of this.
Once we cleared the tree line, this was the view that presented itself. Bear in mind this was early summer in NZ.
After the Route 1 climb and a fairly technical traverse we reached the Steele Creek Saddle and...
...SNOW. Whoooaaa hooo. Actually despite how it appears, Dom isn't moving anywhere. His attempt at Pack Tobogganing proved rather fruitless.
Descending Steele Creek the chest high scrub with no discernable route actually proved more arduous than the climb up to the saddle and shredded Dom's 'Oh so high quality' water proof troos. Ah well.
Tricky manoeuvres over scree slopes.
Some of us found the going just too hard. I have to point out at this stage that Stevo & Dom were suffering physically. Their NZ$300 boots were giving them grief and one person's knees were shot requiring frequent reparation stops. I had rented some boots...in fact most of my equipment, and was 'bomb-proof'. Lightweights!
Eventually the scrub opened out into the bouldery valley floor.
Approaching the Steele Creek bivvy (a nasty little bivvy as one article described it), we startle a herd of grazing deer. You may be able to make them out on my shoulder...or just take my word for it.
Eventually we make Steele Creek bivvy, the subject of much speculation throughout the day. OK, it wasn't the Hilton but it was OK. Yeah, a bit nasty but hey...it's a bivvy, right? Better than a rock ledge that comprise some 'bivvies'.
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