Rather than spend another New Year's Eve sitting around with a few friends waiting for the clock to tick over, we've opted to get out of town and go for a New Year tramp.Not being the sorts to do things half-way, we're going to be on a 5-day tramp from December 28-January 2. Having not really done any multi-day tramps since last summer, I'm pretty sure this is going to be painful!
Discomfort aside, I've been mulling over the New Year's Eve part of the tramp. It would be nice to somehow mark the occasion, and I'm sure the other trampers at the hut that night will be feeling festive. But what can you do to celebrate New Year's Eve when it requires carrying whatever you need for three days before?
I'm thinking a bit of alcohol may make its way into the ol' backpack - but not the traditional bubbly. It's both too heavy to carry for three days in a glass bottle (and won't be bubbly if we remove it from the glass bottle) and not particularly nice to drink at room temperature. A bit of fancy chocolate or something is also a possibility. But I'm not sure what else.
So if you have any suggestions, I'd love to see them in the comments down below! Have you ever celebrated New Year's in the wilderness? What did you do to mark the occasion? Did you dress up? Light fireworks? Make a gourmet meal? Go for a midnight swim? Snowball fight?
Meanwhile, the dehydrating of dinners is already underway!
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6 comments:
Gee, it sounds like what you need is Dehydrated Wine, which was unsurprisingly developed precisely for the outdoor adventurer's needs!
I'm sure it's the next bext thing to Wine in a Can, and I bet it tastes really fab! I'm not the world's greatest alcohol connoisseur, however, so you'll have to let me know.
After years if celebrating with all those other drugs I find the very best "High" at the stroke of New Year's Eve is:
1. Outdoors
2. Healthy
3. Clean cold water to drink.
4. Fresh air to breath.
It doesn't get any better.
Actually, I spent my last Christmas at the Blue Lake Hut, in the Nelson Lakes NP, which is located on the South Island of New Zealand.
This was one of my nicest social experiences in New Zealand. Just imagine - Nelson Lakes National Park, tens of kilometers of nearest civilization, Blue Lake Hut, Christmas eve.
Me and my partner were walking whole day to get to this hut. We came across the Sabine pass, skipped one hut walking two days distance in one day because we were running out of food, and on top of that this whole day it was raining as hell. This last section between West Sabine Hut and Blue Lake Hut was very difficult, partly because we were tired and partly because of the rain which made every stone slippery.
When we saw the Blue Lake Hut, we said a little prayer and very tired came in. We didn’t expect to meet anyone inside on such an unfriendly day, but to our surprise the hut was full of people! They all were young - in their early-mid twenties, and they all were great! One more surprise for me was the fact that they all were Kiwis. Seeing us as we were at that point they quickly made a place for us at the stove to dry our clothes and boots and we felt very peaceful and relaxed in their company.
We talked a lot about different things that evening, and the most memorable thing of that Christmas eve was the Christmas Pudding that one of the guys made, I am so sorry that I don’t remember his name!
Anyway I wish you all guys good luck and many more fantastic tramps! Dunkan and Alice, if you ever read this post, big HELLO from Greg and all the Best!
Just imagine how much nicer it could have been if you'd had a glass of powdered wine to go with all that water.
Powdered wine - eeeeewwwww!
I think I'd rather have no wine at all. A nip of brandy may have to do! (That's just really old wine, right?)
I spent my 50th on the Overland Track two years ago. (chose to do this with some friends, rather than stay home and have a party.
Walkeing into that nights camp site there were balloons and streamers with a big 50th sign! Very wierd seeing them in the bush.
Pics here : http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html
On my birthday night out came several gifts that were much appreciated.
- a HUGE cigar
- a badge with "I'm Frank" on it (while everyone else wore one saying "Frank's 50"
- THREE cans of bourbon and coke a mate had carried for days
- some fantastic chocolate
Another walker dropped by with some very old port.
We had a great night.
Suggest, straight bourbon, good cheese, (and some of that green stuff always relaxes the crew......)
Have a great New Year
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