Simply the most wondrous day of my life!
The day started a little rough. I had forgotten that Monday was New Zealand’s observance of “Labor Day”, so naturally most everything was closed including the rental car lot, which presented a sign touting “Call 63. 456. 892 for rentals any time”. Ok, I will. Not so fast. None of the phones in town accepted coins, as in there are no slots on the phones to receive them, only credit cards. For some reason the phones did not like my VISA card. So, I walked to the greatest invention in tourism history, the local “i” site, a tourism center that will help you book anything. They simply made the call and half an hour later I was cruising down the road in a Nissan 4x4 on my way to the Mt. Aspiring bush.
While walking to the car lot, I ran into the “calf contestant” from the Speights contest. The calf was now almost 50% older at a whopping 5 days.
The trip included about 30 kilometers of dirt roads and stream fording through spectacular alpine valleys, despite heavy cloud cover from the impending snowstorm.
This was when I came across another vehicle pulled to the side of the road. Similar to the affect in big cities when one person looks up and before you know it an entire crowd is gaggling at nothing, I stopped behind the other car to figure out what the specific interest could be.
A sheep had just given birth to a baby lamb and was in labor to deliver the second. Not more than 15 yards away I witnessed the birth of a brand new sparkling white lamb. Incredible! Within 10 minutes or so, this new, wobbly, creature made its way to all fours. Up and down, wiggly rise and fall, then magically stability. Mom was there all along with little helpful nose nudges under the rump to get things started.
After arrival to Raspberry Flat, I was off for a 3-hour pastoral hike up the valley toward Aspiring Hut. This was literally “pastoral”, walking between unfenced sheep and cattle along the riverbanks, waterfalls, and hills. The pack weight cut into my hips, shoulders, and chest, but seemed to fade as the hours passed. (Later, the reward would be surprising bruises on my hip-flexers.) After reaching Aspiring Hut at about 4:30pm, feeling so exhilarated there was absolutely no way I could settle down for the night that early, I jettisoned my pack and raced up the valley. The Department of Conservation office had talked me out of continuing up to French Ridge Hut, due to the big storm to hit in the evening, but I was determined to get to the views despite.
Literally, jogging in the newfound ether of pack-less travel, the end of the valley and French Ridge was in view in just less than 45 minutes. The sun was setting and the “alpine glow” was tremendous, but where was the storm? Things actually appeared to be clearing.
Simple answer, captivated by the summit views, I was looking the wrong direction. Turning to walk back to Aspiring Hut, smack, there it was grey, black and ominous. The storm front was like an octopus with long dark tentacles sweeping the valley floor and brooding head looming over the mountain peaks. The grey ink cloud of precipitation followed the initial storm body and covered everything in its path.
Announcing the introduction of the “Alpine Sprint”. I raced across winding trails and wobbly hanging foot-bridges little wider than a boot length to beat this literal tempest back to Aspiring Hut.
The pre-mist met me first as the pressure of the storm pushing up the valley launched forward gusts of wind and moisture ahead of the main complex. In classic form, just after reaching the hut and taking my boots and jacket off the deluge let loose. The drops beat heavily against the glass and then sheets of water flowed. Surprisingly, no snow fell. In the morning, the sky was still grey, but the mountains visible below the cloud deck were covered in a crisp white blanket. The snow line had stopped just a few hundred feet above the hut.
Sheep Anyone?
• It is true - There are more sheep in New Zealand than people. The ratio is over 10 to 1 with 55MM sheep and just 4.5MM people. This is actually down from the high water mark of 75MM sheep. The population has been reduced as deer farming has taken off to meet China’s demand for budding stag antler, which is ground to powder and believed to be an aphrodisiac or general tonic.
• Maternity Ward - Lambs are not born, but “dropped”. The season of birthing is called “lamb dropping”. Coastal, warmer regions will begin dropping in September, while cooler alpine environs won’t really begin until late October. An entire flock will drop within a week.
• Sex Ed 101 - Rams can inseminate between 25 and 40 ewes a day. A ram is given a “chest ink pack” of sorts to mark the rump of each ewe he mounts. Each ram is given a different color ink pack. The ewe’s cycle during this season is just over 24 hours so if not successfully inseminated on the first day try again tomorrow. Generally a ewe will only allow mounting by one particular ram each season, apparent by the consistent ink splotch color on her back.
• Housekeeping & Hygiene - After about a month the lambs are counted by running them through a shute, which separates them from their moms. Ewes and rams are sorted and tagged with a different color ear tag. Then their tales are clipped off, to help prevent something too gross to describe here. (No worries, moms and lambs are then reunited and live together for about a year.)
• Twins are Best – Ewes are sorted and kept by their ability to consistently bare twins. Solo birth ewes are typically given one more season to produce twins and then are “sent down to the minor leagues” so to speak. Hmmm… tasty.
• How old did you say you were? – Sheep’s age is measured in teeth. At about 18 months they should have two teeth, which is the earliest age a ewe would be “given to the ram.” Each year there after they gain two more teeth, until eight teeth which is middle age for a sheep. At the ripe old age of eight teeth, you are either producing or you are product.
• Yellow First, Then White – The firstborn lamb is almost always yellow. This is actually a protective coating to keep it warm while mom is busy giving birth to the second lamb. The second lamb is typically white and the first to nurse.
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