Misty morning

We drove across the plains to Staveley this morning, thinking to walk up Mt Somers. I should have realised that after the bad winter storms we had earlier the track would be a mess. It was, so we just went up to Duke's knob instead. DOC isn't expecting to clear the track up Mt Somers until the spring. I imagine a lot of Canterbury tracks through the bush are in bad shape at the moment, and it would obviously pay to check before heading out next time.

It was a lovely day, though, and we stopped along Thompson's Track (the road to Staveley) for me to grab this view of the mountains with mist and smoke. The fires were deliberately lit; it was a good day for it, almost no wind, and this time of year farmers are cleaning up debris without risking having the fires spread.