It may be an unusual name but it fits. This range overlooks Queenstown from the eastern side of Lake Wakatipu. Yesterday, we hiked up to Mount Ben Lomond, which sits on the other side of the lake. Expressed more elegantly, these mountains face each other, snow-capped peaks abound at higher elevations on three sides with the gorgeous, sapphire lake in between. The design and engineering, of course, patented by You-Know-Who. As Jenni has mentioned, more than once lately, “I could live in this district.” By the way, the trilogy “Lord of the Rings” was filmed on location in these mountains and elsewhere in the country. We met an elderly Brit on the trails who told us that he was impressed with the visuals in the movies and so he came to check out the ‘real thing’. His verdict: ‘Authentic’. We forgot to ask if he meant the mountains or the movies.
The hike begins close to the top of the 6,600-foot summit, one of the reasons we selected it following yesterday’s monster. Although we hiked up only 1,400 feet, it was extremely steep and at times, slippery. Without a trail, the final push to the summit was free-form rock and stone scrambling. In an unusual display of ‘maturity’ (for us), we turned back from a ‘suicide path’, which we had begun in error. Well done, kids! A nice addition was walking through the snowfields in summer, some soft while others, quite slippery. The hike is at a ski resort, deserted at this time of the year. Our editor reminded us it’s summer. In New Zealand, this should be mentioned from time to time, especially at high elevations.
We found a guidebook by an American author who wrote: “The Shadow Basin Lookout, a vertical climb, defies description, one of New Zealand’s finest alpine views with nobody around but you and a kea.” We missed the kea. Should we require a reminder of why we enjoy New Zealand, the last two days on the ‘hills’ sure made the point. The drive to the ski lodge, on a gravel road, was awkward but the views compensated for any discomfort. When our editor is fearful, she ‘clams’ up. On the road up the mountain, we had to keep checking that she was in the car.
Pearl Harbor anniversary commemorates "a date which will live in infamy”*. In the Lazarow family, on that day we celebrate Mom’s birthday. This year she reached 83, most memorable. At the yearend, if you can believe this, she will be retiring from fulltime employment. Knowing her, she may be distributing her resume during January.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
*Roosevelt
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