We drove all morning and got to the Mt Cook information center around 1100 am. They were out of paper maps for the walks leaving from the Mt Cook village area, but you could download a pdf with the visitors guide and map.

Today’s half day hike was a walk up the Hooker Valley to Hooker Lake and the terminus of the Hooker Glacier. William Hooker was an English botanist.

The Hooker track is well maintained and well travelled. Three swinging suspension bridges cross gorges carved by the glacier blue outlet stream. Snowfields and hanging glaciers peaked out under the looming clouds that hid the mountain summits. It was a pleasant walk to the lake, which had a handful of icebergs floating in it and a glimpse of the face of the glacier calving into the lake.

On the walk up we ran into some of our Australian dinner companions from the chefs table at Mahana Lodge last week.

Back in town, we checked into the Hermitage lodge and discovered that our room had a drop dead view up the valley. We sat on the balcony and watched the snow-white closer peaks emerge from the clouds, then get swallowed up again. Tomorrow we will climb to Sealey’s Tarns, and maybe higher up towards Muellers Hut at 1850 meters. The staff at the vistors center said that the route to Muellers Hut still requires an ice axe and crampons, and had some avalanche danger. But from what we could see of the ridge today, it did not look snow covered. So we will see how far we can safely get.