Wow, what a day. Had a reasonable night’s sleep – about as good as possible in a sleeping bag on a vinyl-covered mattress! Woke up to a stunningly clear morning. Used the tripod to try and capture the beauty of the mist in the valley, waiting for the sun to appear over the mountains. Breakfast, packed up and headed off at 9am. Got to Mintaro Hut around 5:30pm. A wonderful, dawdling day’s walk along the Clinton River Valley. Lots of stops, chatting, admiring the birdlife and gazing open-mouthed at the astonishing scenery. The “region of the perpendicular” as a woman writer said 100 years ago. It reminds me a little of the valley we drove up in 2015 in the Parc national des Écrins in the French Alps, but really it’s its own place and isn’t like anywhere else in the world. I feel the presence here – it is young, but quiet and watchful. And sad. Once this was the republic of birds, a great avian confederation. It has been silenced by invaders.
