Day 39: Perry Saddle to Brown Hut, Hitch to Takaka

We awoke before the sun, packed our things, and started down the last descent to the trail head.

 The rains had passed, and it was a perfectly clear day.

Ah, the sun.  After three days of rain and bugs and mud, it felt so good.

   

 And success!  We made it to Brown Hut (at the end of the trail) before 10:15.  We were told there would be a shuttle bus at 11:30.  But we were determined not to pay the $45 a person for the bus if we could avoid it.

 So we walked out to the trail head, and got ready to ask nicely for a ride.

And despite all our worries, within 15 minutes, Vladimir pulled up.  He had very nicely just given someone a ride to the Heaphy (30km out of his way, up a dirt road) and even more nicely decided to let 3 stinky hikers into his car and give us a ride back to Collingwood.  There, on the main road, we got another ride pretty quickly, and made it back to Takaka before 2!

Molly and I celebrated with a beer, some fish and chips, and then went back to our place to pass out.

A successful hike, indeed.