Yoo 437 - NZ...Glaciers

 ^^ glacier. right there.

 ^^ franz

 ^^ waterfall. surprising.

 ^^ hike to fox glacier lookout

 ^^ fox

 ^^ lookout

 ^^ fern!

Franz Joseph and Fox are glaciers along New Zealand's west coast. There are some pretty awesome expeditions to these glaciers, usually involving helicopters and ice axes and crampons.

But they're hundreds and hundreds of dollars per person and didn't make our splurge list.

So we just did the public hikes to each. Fox Glacier was, by far, my favorite. Not as many people and the hike was way more involved.

In fact, we're pretty sure we were some of the only people to make it to the glacier lookout that day. Mostly because there was a near-impassable creek about 5 minutes from the end that was extra swollen with rain.

We got to the creek and stared at it...debating if we wanted to walk thru it (barefoot on sharp rocks?) or hike up it for a while to find a better crossing....

Scouting out a better crossing won, despite how sore and tired we were from mucho hiking the prior days. It took us the better part of half an hour before we realized that there weren't any good crossings.

But we had to reach the glacier lookout!

So the Gregman bucked up, found somewhat suitable jumping and landing rocks (the landing rock was basically a pyramid...so not suitable at all), and prepared to jump. I prepared to watch him break his ankle and be swept downstream. This is when he crumpled up his jacket and threw it across, so it wouldn't get in the way of his superman leap.

Only his jacket flared in the wind and landed in the water on the other side of the creek.

Now he had to jump! He was about to lose his jacket!

I watched as he jumped, teetered on the pyramid landing rock, and then lunged to safety on the opposite bank. Also, he saved his jacket from being swept downstream.

Whew. Relief!

Minus the part where I still had to make the jump! Enter my studly man. (i don't call him studly very often, but he certainly deserves the distinction here.)

That man of mine rolled a 150-pound rock all the way into the creek so I had a closer rock to jump to. I feel part-pansy for admitting that. But it definitely gave him some husband points.

Admittedly, all of that story is probably a "had-to-be-there" kind of thing that might be mildly humorous with a video, but thanks for letting me try.

The glacier lookout was worth the effort of the hike, though it would have been an experience actually hiking on the glacier. Someday maybe we'll go back, rich and able to afford all of our whims. And then we'll have these stories of "roughing it" to tell.

Have a great day :-)