DOC, take me away! Another awesome work experience.

Up, up and away to visit two back country huts, Welcome Flats hut and Douglas Rock hut. 

Welcome Flats hut is a beautiful hut with a capacity for 30 people.  It is staffed by a DOC hut warden and is popular year round.  The trail it is on has been traveled on by capable mountain types since the 1890s because of the location on the way to a pass over the mountains which divide the east and west side of the south island.    The big attraction at this hut is nearby hot springs which are a really, really nice treat, especially after the 7 hour hike to get to the hut.  (That is if you have to walk there :))  This hut has an amazing history.  I don't know when the original hut was built but a new hut was built in 1987.  There was a visitors hut and a separate hut warden's hut.  Thirteen weeks after it was built, the hut warden woke up around 5 AM to a strange noise.  A land slide ruined the hut he was in.  Luckily he escaped through a window, went over to the visitors hut, got everyone out before the visitor hut was hit by the landslide.  The visitor hut ended up with 1.5 meters of debris in the bottom level.  Amazingly the hut was salvage, moved, and is now here and ready for us to enjoy.  When the hut was relocated, the orientation of the building at the new location was not the best and later modifications to meet fire code, contributed even more to a poorly lighted, poorly heated hut.  The new project is to improve natural lighting, heat flow, user space, sleeping arrangements and construct a new separate hut for the hut warden.  The toilets (FLUSH!) were upgraded a few years ago, so I was invited just to get another understanding of the assets that DOC maintains.  (Thank you DOC!) 

Another few hours on the trail leads to a second hut, Douglas Rock hut, which is an unserviced 8 person hut.  

Six of us were flown to Welcome Flat hut.  Three of us were flown the additional distance to Douglas Hut Rock to enjoy an afternoon hike to Welcome Flat Hut where we all spent the night and hiked out the following day.  The three who stayed at Welcome Flat Hut worked on ideas for the hut improvements which we all reviewed after dinner but before soaking in the hot pools. 

First helicopter ride.  This helicopter held four passengers.

I sat front and center, the pilot to the left of me, another person to the right.

We flew up into a valley that has steep moutains on both sides.

The color of the river is AMAZING!  Note the hiking shoes the person next to me is wearing.  These are really the right type of boots to have, with gaitors, wearing shorts.  Not what I was wearing...live and learn. 

There is Welcome Flat Hut, in the middle, the historic airstrip is on the right side of the photo. 

We are almost into the winter season here, the mountains are starting to get snow capped.

Now onto Douglas Rock Hut - this is an old photo I got from Tom but I included it because it's got a great view of the hut.  That must be Douglas Rock???

Douglas Rock is a not a "serviced hut" - no hut warden.  I guess this also means the helicopter pad can be the size of a postage stamp.  REALLY?  We are landing where?

Out quickly and the pilot is off.  The cost is expensive, charged by the minute and the schedule is PROMPT.

Douglas Rock Hut - sleeps 8 (cozily), newly repainted this year. 

My two co-workers I hiked with from Douglas Rock Hut to Welcome Flat Hut.  Chris is the acting Conservator (think Regional Director - yikes!  and Helen is an admin assistant that came in 2nd a couple of weeks ago  in some burly mountain girl type mountain running race - yikes again!

The DOC green and yellow sign...I'm getting used to green and yellow instead of brown and white.

Inside Douglas Rock Hut.  Helen is signing in the log book.  She's got a background in search and rescue and told me how useful sign in books are for search and rescue efforts.  I learn so much from everyone here.

Hard not to look up at the scenery instead of down where I need to put my foot next.  This section of trail was REALLY, REALLY slippery, uneven...not really technical...but not really a walk in the park either.

Chris brought trail markers to do some trail maintenance along the way.  Nice to see the Conservatory helping out at all levels of the organization.  I was a good guinea pig for determining where an additional trail marker was needed.  Seriously, I was a bit of a liability I think.  

Lots of swing bridges on this track.  Many were fairly new.  People used to have to go through the river, which can be dangerous.  This is a really, really dynamic valley, the trail has to shift around slides and water washouts regularly. 

I can't tell you how many times I said "I can't believe how blue the water is'"  It's a beautiful blue color. 

First day of hiking over with, I was grateful to get there with only some sore thighs

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The hut that was hit by a land slide 13 weeks after construction, filled with 1.5 meters of debris, cleaned up, relocated, repaired and ready for business.

 

After dinner discussions regarding reviewing alternatives for floor plan changes.  Really, the drawings were out on the table...along with the red wine.  From left to right...Chris - area staff person who is in charge of maintaining the trail, Chris - acting West Coast Conservator, Helen - Admin, Tony - Project Manager (aka "The Director"), Ron - private architect with a specialty in New Zealand hut designs.  I really enjoyed this meeting.

Morning coffee - we invaded the hut wardens apartment.

Lunch prep for our hike out.

A photo of the hot springs.  It's hard to capture in a photo how awesome it was to soak here under the stars.  (Not my photo - grabbed this off the internet)

Another view in the morning of the hot pools. 

Tony - Project Manager on the left, and Sally the hut warden on the right.  She is an avid "hot springer" who travels all over to visit hot springs.  She has spent a lot of time in Colorado and knew all the hot springs I've been to in Colorado.  She's worked at this location for DOC for many years and has logged 500 nights sleeping at this hut.

On the way out - it was a good day at work.

Tony and Chris discussing needed trail improvements.  My saving grace was frequent stops to discuss the trail condition.  That gave me a chance to catch up with everyone.  It's not so much that my walking pace is slow, it's just that they've all had years of experience on these type of rocky trails and NZ hikers are part mountain goat.

Another trail/bridge discussion (or opportunity for me to catch up)

The foliage is incredible.

Turquoise blue water

End of the trail - last hurdle was a river crossing.  I love my Keens and they are super comfy hiking shoe but these ones really are a light hiker and this was a trail that probably deserved an ankle high MOUNTAINEERING boot.  No, really just a good boot that keeps you a bit dryer. 

So that was an awesome two days enjoying and learning about DOC assets.  I was pleasantly reminded about the adventure for several days, pretty much every time I tried to move my legs.