MTM and I saw a Hooker together. He was waaaaay taller than six foot four, but he was full of muscle.
And wind. Over three swinging bridges, I leaned into the gale. A struggle to stay upright. The Hooker Valley hike in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is a scramble through glacial moraine and capricious weather. We made it to Hooker Lake before it started to rain. Sideways. At the base of a glacier that carved out the side of Aoraki.
Aoraki must’ve been moody.
According to Maori legend, Aoraki explored the South Seas in a canoe, his two brothers in tow. Somehow, they were stranded, frozen in rock and ice to form New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
Aoraki survived as New Zealand’s tallest peak. He hid his manhood from us, behind a scrim of clouds.
We settled for a peek.
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To see pictures of our Hooker Valley Aoraki Mount Cook National Park hike, click here: Andra Watkins Tumblr
Over 200 people have died trying to climb Aoraki. Would you risk your life to climb a mountain?
19 Comments
Saw the teaser on Twitter, and had to know what that was all about. Off to check out the pictures!
It was hard to choose photos. So many I liked. Tumblr only allows 10.
wow, and what a giant he is. happy you went to meet him and it sounds really extreme, as big as he is, he was still shy with his manhood )
We visited this area years ago. My mom and brother took the longer hike. I think I was 8 or 9 at the time. It fascinated me that there were snowed covered peaks so close to Australia.
Love the bridge photo on Tumblr, with the mountains in the background. That is a gorgeous place, despite the weather.
Beautiful photos. I imagine one would have to be tough to survive there.
Define “climb a mountain” for me. 🙂
Seriously? I got queasy the first DRIVE I made west of the Mississippi, as soon as the elevation escalation started to become more than a hint, looming through the windshield of my little Dodge Colt!
I learned to love being in the mountains, and “tame” hiking and minor scrambling is great, but I do not have the requisite genetic makeup to allow for clambering, tethered or otherwise, over great, yawning spaces. I am happy to leave that to more intrepid souls like the two of you, and simply sit back to enjoy reading your most descriptive tales of adventure, and admiring the photographic evidence you provide. Thanks.
I have seen hookers ….
Nice post and some beautiful photos, Andra, what an a sight to see. The Bridge photo is a ribbon winner.
The Bridge Shot and the Rainbow over the mountain are great. Would I risk my life to climb a mountain?? No way, Dude.
I’ve always wanted to visit NZ and your photos are making me wish I could book a ticket right now. I’ll wait for the sideways rain to end though. 🙂 Would I risk my life to climb a mountain? No thanks, nice wide trails are my preferred way to see the views from up high. Enjoy your trip!
I think I would prefer to utilize a helicopter or some other such conveyance to get to the top. Too much work to do it under my own steam. I would probably be dead way before I ever got too far up. LOL
I would enjoy going atop a mountain….don’t know if I want to risk my life for it? Let me think about it. 🙂
The pictures are beautiful!
Andra, I love you. And, this series has been the longest earworm in my musical history. If you cause me to eat Vegemite, we are through.
Enjoying the trip. 🙂
Wow! You make me feel lazy! What breathtaking photos, Andra!
Breathtaking! Is it bad that I now prioritize vacation destinations based primarily on the availability if great hiking? 🙂
Andra, those photos are incredible! I would love to climb a mountain some day, but I’m not entirely sure I want it to be a life-defying mountain.
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