“It’ll take around three hours!” said our tour guide.
Anticipating an easy amble to the foothills of Mount Cook, we set out on the popular Hooker Valley Track, four middle-aged folks with an average age of 51 years.
I volunteered to be ‘pack mule‘ for the group, lugging along a bag with 4 liters of water, some snacks and warm sweaters.
Quickly, we realized this was no walk down a rosy garden path!
The track sloped up, gently at first, then a bit more steeply. All around, mountains loomed and valleys rolled gently away to distant lakes and streams.
The walking path weaved and curved between thick shrubbery dotted with colorful blooms.
