QCT day three

Up early and walking by 0815 which is not that early by some of our trekking standards but without 9-15 school kids in tow it's nice to take it easy!

We left early as we weren't sure how long the walk today would take us. The DOC timings reckoned in the region of 9-10 hours so based on our previous two days we thought 7-8 still a long day and someone let slip that there was a killer hill at the end! We checked and height of killer hill was ummmmm 407m above sea level - Claire stop laughing!!!!!!

Anyway on we plodded along the ridge between Queen Charlotte Sound and Kenepuru Sound. Despite our concerns about the weather yesterday the sun came out and the views were stunning.

Up and down we went and then up and down and up and down some more. Stopped at Bay of Many Coves for snack and Black Rock campsite for lunch before we got to 'the killer hill'.
Now it may be less than half of Snowdon but what makes it a killer is that I swear it's 407m that if it were any steeper would require ropes! The gluteus maximus has worked hard today :)

On we tootled having reached the summit - woo hoo and just as we were starting to wonder where we were sleeping up popped a sign that said one hour to go. Perfect, glug of drink and a few dried apricots and no problem. Just for a bit of added excitement at the end there was a land slip to clamber over with a path so narrow Martyn told me to put the camera away and concentrate! And just a bit further on someone had needed to make a new path around a landslip. This one was so steep it came with a rope to help - dad you would not have wanted to see the other side - due to the requirement to hold on to the rope there are no photos of this bit so you'll have to take my word for it.

Fun though - oh and it was a dead end path so no other way out which means guess what - we have to do it all again tomorrow to get back up to the track and finish our walk- yahay!

Great day - just long enough to make legs ache pleasantly and feet tingle slightly. Oh and Martyn very happy - have bed with duvet and he's just had steak, potatoes, salad and two scoops of ice cream in the lodge restaurant for dinner - he says this is the kind of trekking he can get into (not that there is anything wrong with his wifes pasta and packet sauce of course!)