“On a Mish” #122 Slippery When Wet (Part One). Gertrude Saddle(1410m). Fiordland National Park. 12.3.2019. Warning signs are in places for a reason and should be obeyed. However, I can say from experience that sometimes the signs can be misread or misunderstood. This could be due to a language barrier or not understanding how something effect’s the area. The latter was the situation when a couple of the bros showed up and wanted to go on a mish up to the famous Gertrude Saddle in Fiordland National Park. It was on this wild adventure that we found out that even after the rain has stopped falling, the area can still be slippery when wet…
After a couple of days of heavy rain, the morning was one of sunshine and very little wind. A couple of the fellas (Dylan & Tom) had shown up wanting to go get a good dose of Fiordland, and a track I always (at the time) recommend is the incredible Gertrude Saddle Track. As far as day walks near Te Anau go, it is right up there with the best of them (if not the best!). So, with a location in mind and legs ready for a wander and know idea of how slippery when wet the track could be, we jumped into the car and headed up the Milford Road into paradise.
As we got closer the day got better and better. At this stage it seemed like luck was on our side as I know the track is a ‘No-Go’ when it is raining. Several fatalities have occurred when people have ventured up the trail in wet weather. Due to this the Department of Conservation have put up signage warning of the danger when the track is wet, and warning about the avalanche danger during winter and spring.
It was at the start of the summer/end of spring that Dylan and I had ventured up the and the sound of snow and rock sliding down to the valley floor had meant we only went part of the way. The signs warning of the danger were very accurate and we weren’t going to mess with the Darran Mountains when they are shedding their winter coats.
As we readied ourselves at the car park, we told Tom of what we had seen earlier in the season and how impressive it was. Now due to it being late in the summer the snow was long gone, and the solid rock was on full display in the warm March sun. You could tell there had been a lot of rain in the area due to the many waterfalls that were cascading down the many cliffs that stand tall on either side of the impressive valley.
As we began our hike, I told the bros about the time I was staying at Homer Hut (NZAC) and how a massive storm had turned the usually dry riverbed beside the car park into a raging river. It only took a night of heavy rain to completely change what is usually just an uneven surface to walk across before beginning the track up the valley. The area was post Fiordland rain wet however, at that time I didn’t realise how slippery it can be up high. As we hiked across the now dry rocks it seemed like that wild couple of days were in a completely different location!
Almost immediately we encountered a wet reminder of the rain that had fallen during the last couple of days. The track disappeared into a large puddle and from here it was goodbye to dry socks and boots. Because we all worked in Fiordland we were used to dealing with wetness, so we just treated the water like it was just part of the fun. After wadding the first watery barrier we continued with wonder and awe. This was going to be an epic, but at this stage we didn’t realise how much of an adventure it was really going to be…
