Practice Makes Photos

My situation in Arthur's Pass is, I dare say, pretty unique. Having begun my time here as a temporary worker, it's always been simpler for me to socialize with other working holidaymakers. However, I've now been here 10 months. When the locals started to realize that I wasn't running off just yet - and most of them began by asking "how long are you here for?" - social opportunities began to open up on that front as well. 10 months is the longest I've spent in any one place since I left university, and by January, I will have stayed here longer than any one place since I finished high school. Naturally, I'm a bit rusty at settling in and becoming part of a community, even if it's only for a little over a year. But I've been practicing, and everything seems to lead to something else.

Back when I first moved here, I mentioned that despite my love for the outdoors, I do not consider myself much of an outdoorsman. Apart from day hikes, most outdoor activities require expensive equipment, transportation, or training that I don't have. The good news is that I'm now surrounded by people who DO have those things. For instance, I think I am now better friends with hunters than I have ever been. I haven't yet taken up any offers to go out and fire a gun myself, but I have always had a fondness for eating wild meat, even before this year's Wild Foods Festival. So I recently came into possession of a goat's forequarter and turned it into stew, curry, and stock. Despite no butchering skills and a few ingredient hiccups, I had good reviews. (Thanks for the goat, Dave)

 

I've also been making more of an effort to get myself out walking the tracks around the village and further afield when I can. My work schedule had been hectic for much of September and October (by my own choice), and needing to take a 1.5-hour bus ride to buy groceries means weekends are not just free time. So opportunities to wander and discover are limited to one full day per week and the time before and after work. I recently managed to take my first swim of the season. As I dried off, I looked up to see the snow-capped mountain that fed the river I'd just been in. Not too shabby for an after-work dip. 

I also recently had the opportunity to learn how to use an ice axe for the first time in my life. Having grown up near the comparatively gentle Appalachian mountains, ice axes and crampons have always been for more ambitious hikers than myself. Up here, they're useful to have for almost any hike longer than a day. So last week, my flatmate Emily and I walked up to the local ski field with someone who knew what he was doing - thanks Geoff - and spent a day learning to self-arrest in the snow. We also spent some time bouldering and just generally used the ski area as our playground. There are videos of this, but here's a few of Emily's photos to tide you over.

Bouldering - the scenery here lends itself to dramatic photos.

Somehow, the first thing I saw in this photo was my neck beard.

Laying in the sun to dry off after ice axe practice...and getting sunburnt in the process.

This week's adventure was to the top of Avalanche Peak, which I climbed once before in January. This time there was snow on the track, but the view was still worth it. And this time, I was able to get photos with me in them (thanks Emily). 

Me looking at Mt. Rolleston, the peak I call "the postcard."

Look who showed up in time for lunch!

And as if all this wasn't enough, I have also been putting my brain to use writing quizzes for one of the two local pubs. Participation has grown every week and I'm enjoying the challenge of writing questions that are interesting but not impossible for a largely Kiwi audience. (From what I've heard, I may be guilty of keeping them a bit more interesting than possible)

So if it's another month before my next blog post, rest assured that it will have been a busy one.