sunrise was fantastic, five of the six of us got up and sat on the deck mostly in silence drinking coffee, eating breakfast and just watching the sun slowly rise over the valley.
I think the best thing about the round the mountain track is how quickly the scenery changes. We started in desert, but then after less than two hours we were already back in a similar mix of sand and trees like the start of the day before. That slowly became more wooded until we were going through full on sections of forest.
We lunched at one of the other huts, then set out again. From that hut the landscape changed again to be gradually more marsh, eventually leading to this spectacular valley carved out by a couple rivers cascading down the mountain. The trail follows between two of them and eventually leads to the Mangaturuturu Hut, positioned between the rivers on a low ridge. Unfortunately when we got there it was already full. Robin slept on the floor, i was happy there were trees and hung my hammock.
It doesn’t feel like thanksgiving, maybe partly because I spent the whole day in shorts and a t shirt. Maybe because I’m in the wilderness hanging out with a Swiss guy. Thanksgiving for me has always been about spending time with family, and unfortunately I’m far from family, so it just feels like another day.