Mt Somers hut trip

Once we got back from Fiji, it was time to start our NZ adventure with my parents. I had done a bit of preplanning to get an idea of what they wanted to do. They were not very helpful haha... but they did say they wanted to do an overnight hike so we figured a hut trip was a perfect idea!
I picked a hut along Mount Somers track called the Pinnacles hut. This was just south of Mt. Hutt area, about 1.5 hours away from Christchurch. The trail was rated intermediate and was described as an ‘easy overnight tramp suitable for children’ and was about 6km from the car park. I knew there was a bit of a steep start but then mostly a walk along the river with a gradual climb back up to the hut. Sounded like a perfect option for my parents; not too long, not too hard.
We spent the evening getting organized and packing. My parents were in charge of carrying their clothes and lunches for the day and Keegan and I managed the rest of the food and camping gear. It had recently rained but the weather was looking perfect for a couple days of hiking - sunny and highs of 16 degrees. As promised the trail started out with a steady uphill. About 30 mins in both Keegan and I started to have some doubts haha, this was a very steep start, with a lot of tricky roots to climb over and big awkward steps. Both my parents seemed happy for now and I kept thinking its just a tough start and then it will be nice easy walking until the hut. Well... it never really got easy but it was definitely a classic kiwi hut trip which I’m glad they got to experience! A classic hut trip (that isn’t a great walk) generally means a lot of ups and downs, minimal switchbacks, challenging walking terrain with roots and rocks, several tricky river crossings, walking through native bush, and stunning views. Needless to say this was a lot harder than expected and I’m pretty sure both my mom and dad thought were were trying to kill them, but they crushed it!
They finished the 2 days exhausted with a few new bumps and bruises but feeling pretty proud of themselves:). Dad said it was the hardest hike he had ever done!
I’d say we were off to a great start to our NZ adventure.Les mer