Changing Plans: Trampers Share Their Stories
Changing plans is part and parcel of being a tramper. No matter how prepared you are – having thoroughly researched the route, booked the huts, organised your transport and loaded your pack with essential gear – there’s always the chance you’ll be foiled at the last minute. Whether it’s due to bad weather, injury or another unexpected safety concern, sometimes the best decision is to delay your trip, turn back or switch to plan B.
We asked trampers to share their real-life experiences of changing plans. Here are three textbook examples of how to do it right.
Understand the Weather
New Zealand’s weather is notoriously fickle, especially in our national parks. It’s not surprising, then, that it often dictates a change to tramping plans. Having a plan B waiting in the wings is a good idea, especially when tramping with kids. It not only makes a pivot easier, but it also prevents any major disappointments.
Katrina’s story
Well before the summer season had even started, Katrina was planning a family trip to Hooker Hut at Aoraki/Mt Cook with her husband and three young kids, aged 4, 2 and 11 months.
“I was one of those keen beans sitting waiting for the hut bookings to open and managed to score a booking for November,” Katrina says.
Hooker Valley had been on Katrina’s bucket list for years and Hooker Hut met the requirements for a successful family trip.
The walk to Hooker Hut is fairly kid-friendly, being short and flat, and the hut itself is small so you’re unlikely to disturb too many other hikers if kids are being loud or unsettled in a new environment.– Katrina
As the departure date approached, anticipation was high.
“The kids and I were pumped for it,” she says.
They watched the forecast closely for the week leading up to the trip and were disappointed that the poor weather was only going to deteriorate. Two days before they were set to leave, they reluctantly made the call to cancel the booking.
“It was a pretty hard decision to make, and the kids and I were gutted, but we knew it was the safest thing to do. I checked the web cams at Mt Cook on the day of our booking, and the weather looked atrocious, so I’m glad we made that call! Hooker Hut will have to wait for next summer.”
Thankfully, they were able to find an alternate hut adventure closer to home, which made for a fun plan B.
Pack Warm Clothes and Extra Food
You never know when conditions will change and force you to spend an extra, unexpected night on a trip, even on a Great Walk. Being prepared for bad weather with extra warm clothing, a waterproof jacket and extra food is essential, just in case.
Monique’s story
Monique and her husband, Simon, were on day 2 of the Kepler Track in Fiordland when they faced a critical decision. After spending the night at Luxmore Hut, they set off towards Iris Burn Hut, knowing they would be traversing an exposed alpine ridge.
With winds expected to rise to 60 km through the day, Monique was already feeling a little uneasy. Fortunately, they’d done their homework and watched the NZ Mountain Safety Council Kepler Track safety video before their trip. Thanks to the advice, they had planned a key decision-making point before the ridgeline, where they would stop, assess the conditions and decide whether it was safe to continue.
By the time they reached this point, the conditions were getting worse.
“I did not feel safe,” says Monique. “I was getting blown off the track. It was raining and freezing cold with strong wind gusts.”
She and her husband decided to turn back to Luxmore Hut and stay another night there, but it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
– MoniqueI remember feeling like the odd one out as all the other hikers from Luxmore Hut powered ahead and it was tempting to push on as well, as we had a plane to catch in Queenstown. In the end, we made our decision according to MSC guidelines not the crowd.
It was the smart move. They heard later that a couple of hikers had got hypothermia and the gusts had made the track along the tops dangerous.
Thanks to their thorough preparation, the couple not only had warm and waterproof gear for the track, they had enough food for an extra night.
The next day their diligence was rewarded with a perfect day – minimal wind, snow on the tops, and a much more enjoyable – and safer – crossing.
“We were so glad we turned back,” says Monique. “We were also grateful for the NZ Mountain Safety Council video we watched before our hike. It gave us so many good tips and wise advice!”
Take Care of Yourself and Each Other
Taking care of yourself and each other is a crucial part of a safe and enjoyable tramp. This means having regular breaks to rest and refuel and checking in to see how everyone is feeling. If someone is struggling, don’t keep going – have a korero and consider changing your plans.
Stef’s story
It was a cloudless hot day in January when Stef headed to Waimakariri Falls Hut in Arthur’s Pass to camp with her 16-year-old son.
As the day wore on and the pair made their way up the riverbed and their final ascent to the hut, it was relentlessly hot with the heat from the rocks below as well as the sun beating down from above.
“We stopped to regroup and decided we were both too tired to tackle the last 400 m, which is steep with cliffs dropping away on one side at some point,” explains Stef.
Instead, they made the joint decision to camp on a ledge, careful to base themselves high above the river in case it rained and the river rose overnight.
“We had a great dinner in the shade, a little swim and a big sleep,” says Stef.
Fresh from a good rest, they left their packs at camp and went on to the hut and Waimakariri waterfall in the morning.
Changing their plan based on how they felt in the moment was a decision they were both grateful for.
We mentioned multiple times to each other how we were glad to have stopped instead of pressing on, dehydrated and tired, and how much more pleasurable the second day was as a result. My advice to any tramper is listen to the body, as well as the weather!– Stef
A big thank you to all the trampers who shared their stories here and on Instagram. By sharing their experiences of changing plans, they are helping others make smart decisions on their outdoor adventures!
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PHOTO CREDIT Shaun Barnett | Robert Ridge