At the last minute, the Summer schedule came together and far exceeded my expectations. A big thanks to all our trip leaders! As an experiment, we’d included January again (after making it part of the Spring schedule) to see if we could get some more leaders. This worked, with a better array of trips now available for Anniversary Weekend. Remember that if you are keen to do a January trip, especially in the South Island, you need to sign up before Christmas.
Thanks again to everyone who’s volunteered to lead a trip, especially those who are taking the plunge for the first time. If you want to co-lead a trip, there are a couple of opportunities still available – just get in touch with me. We will run a leadership course during the Winter schedule, probably in May, so make a mental note.
Bushcraft is on the agenda this schedule, in March. If you have friends keen to tramp but unsure where to start, point them in this direction. It’s a non-intimidating way for people to dip their toes into the outdoors – complete with a stay at the club’s own Paua hut in the Orongorongo valley.
I hope you’re gearing up for some summer tramping adventures. Fitting in enough training is hard at this pointy end of the year, and the few weekends available for me and Richard have been distinctly rainy/windy. This means you get good at coming up with plans B, C, etc. Forced off the tops, we’ve been doing lots of off-track in the Tararuas, which definitely sharpens those navigation skills. For me this has been the year when I’ve finally started to enjoy off-track navigation, rather than feeling continual low-level fear of ending up on a bluff/wrong ridge or in a ravine. If your tramping is starting to feel a bit stale, give it a go. We even visited one of the Tararua’s unofficial huts (admittedly, the easiest one to find), which was surprisingly roomy and weather tight, and very welcome after 11 long hours in the rain from Kapakapanui Hut.
Thanks to everyone who’s helped out this year with the little and big things that keep trips kicking over. I hope you all have a safe and fun Christmas break J