Crossing the Hope River

We were surprised to reach the swing bridge over the Hope River as early on as we did. We were equally glad as the afternoon turned out to be hot and at times the cooling breeze disappeared. From here it was another 1/2 hour to the hut.

These swing bridges have signs stating only one person at a time must cross. This came in after the Cave Creek viewing platform collapsed, killing and maiming several people.

View large and you can nearly hear the river :-)

It's been a pleasant day, not difficult, but still plenty of up and down to keep the heart rate up.

I last crossed this bridge nearly a year ago, going the other day. On that occasion I spotted a large brown trout below. None today. This is primarily a tramping trip but I can't help thinking how many fish I've walked past today. Maybe tomorrow I'll cast my small rod and see what happens.

One of the best bits today has been hearing bird song. Possums, rats and stoats have decimated our native bird population. Sadly it's rare to hear several birds at once. In parts of the forest we passed through today it was a treat.