No time for laundry

No time for showers either, but we realized last night that we have not done laundry since we got off the Torres del Paine circuit in Chile. Yikes. Since we got to the South Island, we have been on tramps with no more than a day or two of travel in between. At least we've been getting good rinse-outs in the rain, though now the car smells like wet clothes- all the time. We had a sunshiney day to dry out after the Inland Pack Track- making pancakes at the Pancake Rocks, spending a few hours on a beach, and camping next to a fantastic lake- fantastic because it was warm and crystal clear for swimming! The next day we took a long day hike to Franz Josef Glacier before continuing South to a lovely river valley, where we camped, ate curry and planned our final three treks. Our most recent trek in Mt. Aspring National Park was a three-day out-and-back with two lovely day hikes- all planned around camping (rather than staying in expensive huts) and the forecasted rain. The first day went as planned- 18 km through a mountainous river valley of golden fields, mossy forests and several swinging bridges, to a rock bivy at the head of the valley. Well, it went as planned until we saw the rock bivy. With a drip-marked ceiling no more than three feet above the rain-guttered dirt floor, and barely space for the two of us to lay down, it would be a rough sleep (or no sleep) with the sand-flies. More importantly, having learned from experience on our last trek, the forecasted rain would rise the mountain steams we had crossed on our way up, and most probably keep us in that night's shelter for at least a full day after. So, after dinner, we repacked our packs and used the last our of daylight, as well as an hour of headlamp light, to hike back though the dark forest to Pearl Flats, where we set up camp. As rain begin to spatter the tent late that night, we praised ourselves for making such a great decision to night-hike back down. Because we were not in a legal campsite, we ventured out into the downpour that morning to make camp outside one of the huts, which was actually the day's plan. After making lunch and tea under the cooking shelter, a fellow hiker ushered us into the hut to warm up. That night and well into the next day, as silver sheets of rain continued to blow down the valley, we chatted and played cards in the hut with a Kiwi man and a Dutch couple, all also camping to avoid hut fees, but enjoying the warmth of the hut's woodstove in the meantime. The hut warden was very kind to allow this, and even more so to encourage it, as she and her partner joined our games and even brought us fresh-made scones. Both of the day-hikes were aborted, but as we hiked out in a light drizzle the third day, observing how the valley walls were now striped with ribbons of waterfalls that had not been there before, Sam and I agreed that it was a lovely three-day tramp, even if we weren't tramping for most of it. Anyways, it was a lovely way to spend a couple of rainy days. (Especially not being stranded in a tiny rock bivy!) From there, we headed to Queenstown, where we found a secluded little lake very close to town to camp for free. Today we climbed the local peak, 5,100 feet, with a glorious 360 veiw over mountains and lakes. Tonight we will probably return to our lake, and tomorrow we head south to Fiordlands to hike our first New Zealand Great Walk (meaning popular and expensive). It will certainly be beautiful, with an entire day of Alpine, and the weather forecast is even looking alright! `