Tuesday, February 26 - On Mount Owen

     Tuesday we lightened our packs and hiked up towards the summit of Mount Owen.

The view of Granity Hut from the trail up to the mountain

Diana is clearing a pebble from her boot

View of the mountain ranges to the east

A small boggy pond near the karst area.  After all the steep climbing of
the day before, it was nice to have to gain only about 1000 feet, most of
it on a well formed path and none of it too arduous.

Once we reached the base of the summit, the path got a little tricky

Marble is a metamorphic form of limestone and is easily
eroded by water.  We couldn't see the bottom of these
crevasses, and it would be a grim fate to fall into one.

The karst covers the mountain in every direction, and in some places forms
sinkholes.  The longest caves system in NZ is in this area.

We didn't plan to climb all the way to the summit.  We knew our joints
would take enough of a beating the next day on the long descent, and
our plan had been to see these formations.  However, Kristy wanted to
go all the way to the top, so we begged her to be careful, wished her
well, and then after watching her ascend for a short while, headed back
to the hut.

We got back to the hut in time for a nap, then a visit with our new friend Diana.
 Later, about the time Kristy returned, four recent college grads from
Mississippi and Arkansas arrived at the hut.  They were very friendly, polite, and
fun to talk to.  And while we ate crackers and cheese and they ate a poor  excuse
for spaghetti, we tormented ourselves by talking about fantastic
 Southern cooking.  Think po'boys, etouffee, and beignets.