On the trail by 7.30 this morning. The initial climb to Old Man wasn't too bad but it was quite windy and really cold up there. Given most of the day was going to be on exposed tops I donned the gloves, hat, and windbreaker. Wore them until Slaty hut where I conceded defeat and stripped back to a singlet.
About half an hour out from Starveall hut I found a nice spot with a clear view to Nelson and relatively little wind. Settled in, booted the phone, got net. :) Weather report for tomorrow and Sunday still look wet. Checked in with Steve. Had a chat with Shaun. Shut down and pushed on.
When I got to Starveall hut the GPS was claiming 3.5 hours of sun left and the track estimate to Hacket hut was also 3.5 hours. Not wanting another experience like Mid Wairoa I set up for the night here. Got the fire ready and given tomorrow may be a weather day I laid in enough wood for that too. There is a hell of a lot of deadfall around here.
One thing that had me a little unsure was that the GPS, topo map and map in the hut all suggested I should follow a trail that heads north from the hut. While there is a trail that goes north it appears unmaintained and unused. The Hacket hut sign quite obviously points to a well established trail that heads west. I'm not sure what I'll do yet.
Starveall Hut is great! The area it's located in almost looks landscaped. Gravel and short grass, paths and shrubs etc. The hut itself is almost a full featured standard hud. The only thing missing was a table. The fire is impressive though. I overloaded it a bit I think. Spent half the night on top of the sleeping bag and towel. The place was like a sauna.