I know a number of you are still reading this blog site so here is a letter received from Rion on the 24th December.
I am lying here in the tussock just down from Brewster hut. It is Wednesday the 24th day of our trip 16th December. We are sort of in another intermission stage hiding from the weight of our packs. We have climbed up to Brewster hut to make an ascent of Brewster tomorrow morning.
Leg 2 unravelled like this
Day 1 Richard, Rob and Rion head from Cameron flat to junction flat.
Day 2 Richard turns back to Rabbit pass.
Day 3 Wait for weather to clear on Rabbit pass
Day 4 Drop down Wilkin waterfall face to Top forks hut
day 5 Top forks hut to Siberia hut and meet up with Andy and Richard
Day 6 Rob flies out for perosnal reasons. Siberia hut over Gillispie Pass to Young hut
Day 7 Young hut out to road end via the blue river bridge, camped at Cameron flat, a different one.
Our health, Apart from a few small rashes bumps and cuts we are OK. At times bodies ache in places but we deal with it. Andy has employed a pair of trail shoes and will carry his boots for when he needs them. We are fit now. Today we climbed 1000 metres in 1hr 45 mins, no breaks, average size packs, not bad.
Food the important stuff.
Breakfast, porridge, I dont really enjoy it but I know it is good for me, portions about rightish.
Lunch crackers are good, cheese is keeping. Tararua biscuits are highly nutricious but very heavy. We have been eating them for breakfast on our climbing days to get a quick get away and having porridge for lunch when we return. Probably over portioned them but they are very yum.
Dinner. Home made dehy is amazing. Actually wish we had only dehy meals. Lizzies pastes make them yum too.
Snacks. Scroggin about right. Rob brought in these dehy bananas (ripe bananas sliced long ways, DEVINE)
So we are surviving on the sustinence

LEG 3
We have changed our route for this dramatically. The reason being it is a long way to go up the Landsborough to find out we cant get out under the Scissors. A $900 chopper ride too. So our new route is
Day 1 Walk up the Makaroroa to Makarora hut
Day 2 Cross the low point at the head of Scrubby flat creek, down the creek to Ferguson hut, Hunter valley.
Day 3 Cruise up the Hunter to Forbes Hut
Day 4 Cross the Hunter-Huxley Col to South Huxley Biv
Day 5 Out the Huxley and up the Hopkins to Elcho hut (see alternative)
Day 6 Continue up valley to Richardson Bivvy Rocks
Day 7 Cross Tragedy col to waterfall hut ( We have done some research on this and have the gear to do it safely
Day 8 Up to Barron saddle hut
Day 9 Down the Meuller glacier to Cook village
Day 10, 11 , 12 Spare days
If you had not worked out, I am , we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves and dreading the fact that one of these missions may never happen again.
When you are in the hills you, I, miss little tasks or things I could do but it is becomes so habitual to be in the hills, it might take a little while to readjust back.
There are things I would do differently but the nuts and bolts have worked out. This leg Richard has been amazing in helping us put with transport. What a guy.
There is a another letter on its way talking about climbing Brewster. It gets a big tick, it was awesome, absolutley stuffed though great day.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Rion