THE APOGEE

Date:  December 10-11, 2023 Location: Lake Hāwea, Hāwea Conservation Park, Otago, New Zealand Total Trip Distance:  13.4 mi / 21.56 km Total Elevation Gain : 5,908 ft / 1800 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team:  Solo Field Notes: Pakituhi Hut is easily reached in about 2-3 hours from the road by way of a beautiful and steep ridgeline. Breast Hill and Breast Peak are easily climbed in about an hour or so from the hut. There is no water en route except for at the hut, which can apparently run dry in the heat of summer. The views from the summits are fantastic. Rating: Hiking, on trail Download GPX File Google Maps Location Breast Hill, Breast Peak, and Pakituhi Hut Route Topo Spring weather has been in full effect in Otago. The last week has been wet and very windy. I monitor the weather daily as I had hopes of trying to climb the West Ridge of Fog Peak before the route goes out of condition for the season, but nature had other plans. On Sunday I finished work quite early and the weather was absolutely perfect. My original plan was to sleep in and do a day mission on Monday, but I couldn't pass up on a perfectly calm and clear afternoon. Do I go for Fog Peak ...? I sat with the idea and decided against it as I had confliciting weather reports. I look at two major sites for weather in the national parks - Metservice and NIWA. I find the latter to be more accurate. Either way, I had wanted to spend a night in Pakituhi hut while I was in Hawea as it's only a five minute drive from my house! I quickly packed up my gear, fit it all into my 22-liter pack and got underway. The DOC sign for Pakituhi hut says four to five hours to reach the hut. That felt absurd for a mere 950 meter / 5 km climb. I was able to reach the hut in two hours flat and the two elderly women I met in the hut (probably in their 60's) took three hours. The climb is absolutely beautiful the whole way. The trail climbs up through switchbacks for the first 350 meters until it gains a spur. From here it climbs steeply up to meet the col between Breast Hill and Breast Peak. The views of the ridgelinges coming off of Breast Hill almost reminded me of something you'd see in Hawaii. When I arrived at the hut I poked my head in two greet the two Kiwi women. I saw both of the women were wearing toe socks and that obviously got me stoked as I love a good pair of toe socks! I was telling them how much I loved my toe spreaders - Yoga Toes . I'm actually wearing them right now as I write this. My little sister used to eat me alive for wearing toe socks, but I'll tell ya...it's a thing ;) As I unpacked I realized I forgot my stove. Classic. The one time I didn't check my gearlist. Thankfully the Kiwi women were more than happy to to let me use their Jetboil. I cooked dinner and talked with a Swiss/American woman who joined the hut soon after me. Pakituhi Hut Spontaneously, I decided to go up Breast Peak for sunset. It was an absolutely perfect night and one I did not want to waste. I grabbed my puffy and made the dash up to the peak. An hour later I sat alone atop the mountain in the dead silence of evening. It was a sensational sunset and Tititea / Mount Aspiring towered above the landscape. What a mountain. The sun dipped below the horizon and I trotted back to the hut for a nights rest. I set my alarm for 5 am to hit Breast Hill for sunrise. By 5:15 I was out the door and following the track through golden tussock. The sun came up out of the east and the wind came up over the north. I continued to follow the ridgeline until I stood atop Breast Hill about an hour since leaving the hut. More stunning views over the Makarora and I could even spot Mount White from just a few days ago. Golden sunrise over Breast Hill To get out of the wind, I hid behind a big rock and snacked on some venison salami, goat cheese, and crackers before wandering back to the hut for breakfast. It had been a good trip and I was looking forward to getting back down to my car early so I could have the entire day to relax. I bid the women farewell and left Pakituhi Hut around 9 am. I made my way down the ridge in a stiff breeze, passing a hiker doing the Te Araroa heading for Stodys Hut. Less than ten minutes from my car I saw a hiker heading up through the switchbacks. "Heyyaa!" he called out from below. Although we weren't close yet, I could feel his energy. He was stoked on life. It immediately drew me in. As he got closer I stepped just off the track to allow him to pass by and have a chat. His name was Brin and he was doing the TA as well. It was nine o clock on a Monday morning and Brin was in the zone. I began to ask him about his experience on the Te Araroa trail which ultimately led to talking about thru-hiking. I shared my experience doing the John Muir Trail when I was around twenty and how it still is possibly the most transformative experience of my life. Brin spoke of things that stirred emotions in my soul - daily life on trail, simplicity, unbridled connection with nature, new relationships, and mainly - the openness, mentally and emotionally, that comes when one sheds that cloak they have been wearing for so long. It was obvious that Brin wasn't chasing anything. He wasn't on the trail to "find himself." He wasn't running from anything. Brin was here and now, open to whatever life presented to him, with no expectations or preferences, and enjoying it all along the way. That is freedom. That short conversation left quite an impact on me. What is crazy (but not crazy as this is how life goes), is that I was thinking about these things on my way down the ridge. Brin was the one to bring it full circle. I'm not even sure Brin was real... was I hallucinating? Over the last few years I have observed myself in a very particular routine. To be clear, I love my life. However, it is so easy to find oneself constantly optimizing for comfort. Comfort is very dangerous. Deep down, I have had a calling to go do certain things, to have a massive shakeup. I have delayed some of these decisions due to limiting beliefs around money, work, and mainly my health. Comfort. This trip was special, but even more special was that encounter with Brin. Because of this, I have aleady set new plans on motion. Happy days...

Date:  July 20 - 21, 2015 Location: Twenty Five Mile Range, Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand Total Trip Distance: 8 mi / 12. 87 km Total Elevation Gain:  5,000 ft / 1,524 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team:  Sam Gallup Field Notes: Park at Paradise Wharf along the Queenstown Glenorchy Road. Climb through a brief section of scrub to gain the grassy slopes heading Southeast to Point 1313. Continue following the broad ridge up towards Point 1845 where it narrows. Care should be taken here. Follow the ridge South to the summit. This is a climb in winter and a simple scramble in summer. Rating:  I, 1 Download GPX File Google Maps Location Mount Crichton Route Topo Authors Note: This is a trip report from 2015. Please note the beta provided is relevant and up to date. Sam climbing along the summit ridge of Mount Crichton It was nearing the end of my visa and only six weeks remained. 2015 had been a pivotal year in my life yet I still had feelings that I didn't climb as much as I would've liked. The majority of my winter was spent drinking beers, partying, and skiing laps on Coronet Peak. It's funny how priorities change as one accumulates more life experience (or they don't). When I look at my trip log for 2024 there are around forty total big trips with zero nights spent in a bar. In 2015 I probably went on under ten trips and with at least two to three nights a week spent out drinking. What one focuses on one receives. Camp on the North West spur of Mount Crichton Sam had recently fallen in love with a beautiful Chilean woman and found it difficult to get away into the hills. I don't blame him, the woman is now his wife! But the forecast was perfect, we had the same days off, and decided upon a simple mission right near town. Mount Crichton is easily climbed in a day, but we needed a night out in the hills to reset our internal rhythms. Off we went, following Danillo Hegg's route up the North West spur. We smashed through a bit of scrub at the onset, then eventually found easily travel up the tussock spur. Higher, around 1100 meters, we found an incredibly scenic campsite for the evening. It's difficult to recall the finer details from that evening ten years ago, but I remembered Sam going out to pee in the middle of the night and waking me up because the stars were unlike anything we'd ever seen. I knew I was always going to come back to these mountains. Sam climbing the North West spur of Mount Crichton We were up before sunrise and continued up the North West spur. There was not a breath of wind and not a cloud in the sky. Suddenly, we walked into a winter wonderland and donned crampons near the summit ridge. The ridge was spectacular, fun, and airy. It gave the feeling that we were deep in the Southern Alps rather than twenty minutes outside of Queenstown. It was a surreal winter day - perfect temperature, bluebird sky, and a snowy alpine ridge. Sam on the summit ridge of Mount Crichton We took care as we sidled obstacles along the ridge, plunging our ice axes deep into the snow. Finally, we stood atop the tallest mountain in the Twenty Five Mile Range at 1,870 meters. Sam congratulated me with his classic, good shit. I think we both knew this was the final climb together. We've been on other adventures since, but this was indeed the last climb together in the Southern Alps. Happy days... Sam on the summit of Mount Crichton

Date:  January 28 - 29, 2015 Location: Main Divide, Bonar Glacier, Mount Aspiring National Park, Otago, New Zealand Total Trip Distance: 27 mi / 43.45 km Total Elevation Gain: 8,861 ft / 2,701 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team:  Sam Gallup Field Notes: Mount French is a simple peak with a spectacular view. From French Ridge Hut, climb to the top of the Quarterdeck. Then head Northwest along the snowy ridge to the summit. The Quarterdeck may become impassable in late season. Grade:  II, 1 Mount French Route Topo Authors Note: This is a trip report from 2015. Please note the beta provided is relevant and up to date. The early days of mountaineering were something so special. Every trip felt like a grand adventure and a quest into the unknown. Our first real attempt to climb Mount French wasn't even an attempt. Ignorant to how dramatic the weather is in New Zealand, we drove up the West Matukituki in a torrential rainstorm. We got as far as the first ford on the road and turned around. I think if we had somehow gotten to Raspberry Flat, the trip would have been a disaster. Mount Aspiring and Popes Nose from Quarterdeck Pass Fast forward a month, and better weather arrived. We decided on having a second go on Mount French - a perfect entry level peak for any aspiring mountaineer. I still remember the walk up the West Matukituki. Massive peaks towered above, beech forest, a clear blue river. The sun beamed down. All of our senses were engaged and all emotions were felt - joy, fear, uncertainty, excitement... I vividly recall the surprised look of tourists to see people walking with ropes and ice axes on their bags - it made me feel like such a badass at the time. Twenty-two years old and trying to show people I had it all figured out. Truth be told I didn't have a fucking clue. Thirty-four years old writing this now and I still don't. The difference is that when you're young, you really think you know something. As you grow older, you realize that you really don't know anything. Time and life experience have a great way of teaching you that. Sunset from French Ridge Hut. From L to R: Mount Barff, Matukituki Saddle, Mount Bevan, & Mount Joffre That night at French Ridge Hut was spiritual. I listened to my favorite album at the time, Lonesome Dreams by Lord Huron, and connected with the mountain gods. It's crazy writing this ten years later that I would go on to climb all of the peaks within my surrounding view. I stood along the ridge, watching the sunset, tears in my eyes, feeling overwhelmed with the power of the mountain environment. The next morning we woke early and climbed through the cut up Quarterdeck and stood breathless as we got our first ever view of the Bonar Glacier and Mount Aspiring. The summit ridge of Mount French My favorite moment was walking along the summit ridge of Mount French, feeling like a real mountaineer. At the time, this was what I dreamed about. It is still what I dream about. We shared the summit stoke together, and I thought this was going to be the beginning of a lifelong climbing partnership. After all, Sam was the one who came up with the idea of moving to New Zealand. But while my heart was filled with the love and passion for the high peaks, little did I know the love of Sam's life was sitting at our share-house back in town, waiting for him to come home. Ten years later, they are married with a family. Ten years later, I'm still chasing the high peaks. Sam and I on the summit of Mount French The key is that you find love, or whatever word you want to use, in whatever you do. People, places, things... Happy days...

Date:  Winter 2015 Location: Egmont National Park, Taranaki, New Zealand Total Trip Distance: 7.2 mi / 11.6 km Total Elevation Gain: 5,390 ft / 1,643 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team:  Sam Gallup, Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: Taranaki has to be one of the most beautiful mountains in New Zealand and it is even better when covered in snow. Although the climb can be easily completed in a day, Syme Hut is legendary, and an overnight stay should be considered. From Syme Hut, climb the straightforward South Face to the summit. This is a genuine climb in winter. Grade:  I, 1 Mount Taranaki South Face Route Topo Alex, Sam, and I were on the road trip of our dreams. We were twenty-two years old, single, and pumped to the brim with testosterone and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The road trip started in the Autumn of 2015. We had just spent five months working in New Zealand on working holiday visas. We were following the classic backpacker route: live in Queenstown for summer, party, buy a van, quit our jobs, and go on a road trip. We wound up buying a 1988 Toyota Hiace. Realistically, it could only sleep two people on the mattress. We slept three — head-to-toe style. A frozen Syme Hut We started in the South Island, cruised up to the North Island, swung around to the West Coast, and laid eyes on Taranaki. It was already covered in a fresh coat of snow and is one of the most beautiful peaks in New Zealand. We had to climb it. As we hiked up to Syme Hut, I remember trudging uphill in shorts in a complete whiteout — ice everywhere, wind howling. I can understand why so many inexperienced people get in trouble here. We arrived at the hut, which was frozen and unoccupied. It was a memorable night. We were in this tiny metal bunker, wind screaming outside, and we were three idiots having the time of our lives. Alex above the clouds on the summit of Mount Taranaki The next morning, the sky was bluebird. We were above the clouds. We felt like real mountaineers. We started at sunrise and cramponed up the south face. It was Alex’s first time wearing crampons, and he moved up the mountain like someone who had never worn crampons before. I still vividly remember topping out. Not a breath of wind. Completely above a sea of clouds. All alone. Three great friends on the adventure of a lifetime. It was especially meaningful because it was Alex’s first big, snow-capped summit. Sam and Alex descending off the summit of Mount Taranaki Walking off the summit, I dropped my GoPro and watched it tumble down the mountain. Sam reminded me what an idiot I was. This wasn’t the first time I had dropped the GoPro. But somehow, every time, I found it. At the bottom of the crater — I found it. I remember yelling like a lunatic. Alex laughed his ass off while Sam gave me the look of a disappointed father. He knew I hadn’t learned a single lesson. It’s funny reflecting on this trip twelve years later. It’s still one of those perfect life memories. So much has changed since then — and so many things haven’t. One thing is for sure: the mountains still hold just as much allure for me as ever. A perfect day. Taranaki and Sharks Tooth loom above. Happy days...