Tasman River white

Tasman River white

with glacial silt – white clouds hide

Aoraki's peak

We are hiking the trail through Hooker Valley, following the Tasman River, shallow, studded with boulders, milky white from glacial silt. Alpine flora poke up through the rocky terrain. At the head of the valley looms Aoraki, the highest peak in the Southern Alps, a shawl of white clouds spread over its snow-covered crown. An apron of white ice, the Tasman Glacier, slowly slides down the mountain. Our hike ends at a blue lake where little icebergs calved from the glacier float in the frigid water. Hot from hiking, I jump in fully clothed. Feels great!