Who is Alex Knob? - Night 91

The low, thick clouds nor the hangover were

enough to deter me from attempting the Alex Knob hike this morning. I set off on foot down the long road to the trailhead sometime around the 8am hour. About halfway down the 5km road an elderly Australian couple pulled over and offered me a ride to the trailhead; I graciously accepted. A trip to New Zealand just wouldn’t be complete without a little bit of hitchhiking. The trail was rather primitive and steadily rose up the hillside, offering little in the way of views. About two hours into the hike I had probably gained about 2000 feet of elevation when finally a sweeping vista of the Franz Josef Glacier appeared around a corner. Twenty minutes later I was up into the clouds and visibility began to decrease with each step upwards. I sat down for a quick snack and decided to cut my losses and

Along the Alex Knob Trail

head back down for the clouds hadn’t given the slightest hint of breaking. I was hoping to get to the advertised sub-alpine meadow high above, but the hike seemed to drag on and my alcohol-induced dehydration was beginning to set in. Oh well, as they say, “The journey is the reward.” On the way down I took a small detour to lunch by the lake. (Sidenote: I believe that using the word ‘lunch’ as a verb is annoyingly pretentious.)

I arrived back in town around 3pm by which time the clouds had cleared. Determined not to waste the rest of the improving day, I returned to my room and promptly took a glorious nap. The evening was spent on domestic chores such as laundry, packing and dinner preparation. Half of the guys in my room headed down to the bar, however, my quota of two nights straight had been reached so I gladly stayed behind and read for a bit.

High Above the Glacier

What I Learned Today: Sometimes the early bird does not get the worm. For the umpteenth time in my life I’ve gotten to the peak of a hike during immense cloud cover in the morning only to find the day much improved by the time I’ve gotten back to the parking lot as I never have the patience to wait it out. I guess being an early riser is my cross to bear.

written by

exumenius on January 9, 2008 from Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos

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