Monday 10 March: Weather 5°C to 15°C Cold windy but fine
Perry Saddle Hut to Saxon Hut: 12.5k walk
Accommodation: Saxon Hut
Wide almost level track
Highlight is getting to Saxon hut and finding it’s a lovely little one roomed hut in the middle of the tussock grass, and there’s only 6 of us there this night – myself and Ian plus 2 Australians and their 2 New Zealand friends. It’s very cosy.
An easy day today so we sleep in til 7.30am at Perry Saddle Hut. It’s still dark and cold outside and it’s a quick visit across the wet ground to the long drop toilets about 10 metres from the hut. The toilets are clean but stinky. Breakfast of muesli and a cup of tea before packing and walking out of Perry Saddle Hut at 9am.
Tussock grasses for miles
The boot tree - for obvious reasons
Lunch stop outside Saxon Hut
Too cold for me but some did
Saxon Hut amongst the tussocks
It’s an easy 7k walk through the tussock grass across the plateau with not much up and down. We stop at Downlands Hut, where some of the trampers from the day before had stayed the night. It was smaller and more basic than the Saxon Hut with only 8 bunks available and no gas provided. At least there was a picnic table in the sun where we had a morning coffee and a muesli bar with the usual dose of sandflies buzzing around.
More tussock grass but a very pretty place - at least there’s views all round instead of walking in an enclosed forest. After 5k we arrive early at the Saxon Hut at 2pm. There’s lots of people there but they’ve all stopped for just lunch and are staying at either Perry Saddle or James McKay Hut as Saxon is in the middle of the two huts. Saxon hut has 16 bunks in a combined kitchen, bunk room, dining room, but as there’s only the six of us, so we can spread out and grab two lower bunks.
Just after 2pm we have lunch of rice crackers ,cheese and a cup of tea. I’ve checked out a spot for our splash dash - about 200 metres away near the rangers hut out of the wind and in the sun - and we both get to have almost a shower under the hot water boiled on the kitchen gas rings., and carried in our kitchen sink. We do some washing - it should dry - even though it’s cold, it’s windy and sunny.
Then time for a lazy afternoon sitting by the fire - waiting for wine time at 5pm. Dinner of fried Onion, mushroom, tomato, capsicum with fried mince all washed down with a red wine. Bed at 8pm - nothing else to do!!