My 4×4 really proved its worth in this valley

Very close near the start of the track, looking back at the Barrier Range

Looking up, it doesn’t seem far, they even say it’s only 2.5 hours to the hut on the other side, I doubt it

Higher up the mountain, looking back in the direction of Omarama

On top of the ridge, glad I made it. It’s downhill from here on. Highlander Peak in the background, if you’d follow that valley all the way up you’d end up at a beautiful icy lake that I’ve often photographed when flying there on the Huxley Range

A little lower on the Dingle Burn side, the valley floor becoming visible

The track down is steep! It won’t be long before I make it to the valley floor. Leaning Mount across the valley

Close to the forest, looking south in the direction the Dingle Burn flows

Out of the forest, looking north

I decided to have a quick look at the Top Dingle Hut and decide to camp instead of staying at the hut

I look ridiculous with that hat, I need to find me something that looks cooler than this

A new morning

It has been raining for hours, luckily it has stopped so I can quickly have some breakfast (One Square Meal) and pack up my tent, I’m afraid the rain will come back

For a little while the sun shines but there’s still a lot of cloud drifting this way

But, for now it’s looking good, especially to the south

Isn’t this a beautiful place to camp?

I decide to head back and not explore the rest of the valley, I didn’t bring a waterproof jacket and want to avoid the rain I think is heading this way, so it’s up through the forest again and it’s again very steep, causing me to stop often and catch my breath

Above the forest, it seems I was right about the rain, it’s definitely raining further south and quickly approaching

On the top of the ridge again, it’s drizzling, in fact it has been for the last 20 minutes, yuk

It’s looking better on the Ahuriri Valley side again, clouds but no rain

Yay! My car is still there, and it has got some Diet Coke waiting in there for me. Choice!

Looking back north from about halfway up the Ahuriri valley, Barrier Range on the right, Huxley Range in the far distance

Looking towards the Diadem Range

Ben Avon

I left right on time, it’s now raining where I had my car parked. Anyway, this was a beautiful hike!