Sai Tricie Baba

Hey all,
We've just taken another little jaunt into the alps, up around Mt. Cook, and we have some pictures to share. There were heaps of snow dumped on the mountains the day we got there, so we had a white pre-christmas of sorts. We're back in Pleasant Point for Christmas, having dug many many potatoes to satisfy the masses, and are settling to down to enjoy our down under holidays. Tricie is whipping up some of her famous tofu pot pie and has instructed me to note in the blog that I find her witty, beautiful, and an amazing cook.

Also, in reference to the title of this post, I must explain that while we were high amid the snowy peaks of the massive alps, tricie contemplated the serenity of the mt. cook lily, and attained a profound enlightenment. Eating and sleeping are to be the core tenets of her spiritual teachings, and she is amassing a following of many devoted disciples. She is now to be referred to as Sai Tricie Baba, or, more informally, as Tricie-ji (pronounced: tree-shee-gee). She wishes you all a merry christmas, happy channukah, super kwanzaa, joyous festivus, dandy boxing day, and god-bless-america new year.

Ditto from me.
And now the eye candy:

Mt. Cook / Aoraki - Elevation 3754m

The Mount Cook Lily is only found in this high-altitude part of NZ

The first part of the trail up to Mueller Hut (above left) and the final snowy ascent to the ridge

The view from the top - Mt. Cook on the left, Hooker glacier and its lake at center

Left: The Mueller glacier and a cloud-topped Mt. Sefton
Right: The ridge leading to Mueller Hut, with Mt. Sefton and the Footstool visible in background

Our Summer Solstice celebratory cheese plate at a lovely "campsite" on Lake Tekapo

Tramping in the alps

Hey everyone, I'm writing a post mostly just to show you all some pictures of our hiking trip in the Lake Ohau National Forest in the southern alps. We're staying at a great little farm now that grows organic strawberries and raspberries. Our hosts are Chrissie and Giles, two young world-travelled folks who are settling down to do the farm thing for a while. We pick strawberries, dig potatoes, and try to keep the weeds at bay.

I have this much to say - no one should ever gripe about the cost of organic produce. Ever. The enormous amount of human labor that goes into it is really staggering. Every weed must be removed by hand, and the plants must be cared for with exceptional attention. Even then, the number of fruits and veggies lost to pests, fungus, disease, weed overgrowth, is massive. I will never scoff at the funny-shaped, far from perfect fruits of an organic strawberry pint ever again. After all, they are perfect because they aren't covered in poison. Which is what everything non-organic is.
I've learned too that there is no half-way point between organic and non-organic, especially where fruit is concerned. Either you're munching on pesticides and fungicides and herbicides, or your not. We are so lucky to be here and learning and working with these young farmers who care enough to resist the pervasive push of conventional farming, which in new zealand, even more than the U.S., is de rigeur.

Well, enough of my little rant, here are some photos from our hike and our recent travels. We've got another trip planned for this weekend up at Mt. Cook. Happy holidays to everyone there across the pond...


Our first glimpse of Lake Ohau




The view of Mount Cook / Aoraki from our campsite alongside Lake Pukaki.




Hiking up the Hopkins Valley




Getting wet in the Huxley Valley



A textbook example of a 'braided stream' for you geo-folks out there.



But to call it a stream, is a bit of an understatement...



In the middle of the "stream" crossing one of the many braids on our way to Red Hut




Our final day in Huxley Valley