Saturday Departure from Bracken Ave was at 7.50am.  At the Paeroa Café we studied the Topo Maps and identified the track, important features such as River Crossings, side streams, Junctions, farmland/ Bush, contours of the map indicating terrain, high points  etc. At the start of the track, Hua chose to lead, prayed for the tramp and closely followed the map with guidance from others, as she successfully led us along the track. A sharp heavy shower as we loaded up turned into showers as we proceeded along the track. We had a snack stop at the junction to Daly’s Clearing and a lunch stop at the river after 2 hours. We continued along the somewhat muddy, very wet track to the river, where we all crossed by boulder hopping or wading. Soon we were at the hut and we enjoyed some welcome sunshine for a short while. Over our hot drinks we reviewed the planning for the tramp. Different participants had completed Risk Management, Equipment Order lists, the Costing form, and the menu. Questions about these were discussed, and we viewed samples of a Survival Kit and a sturdy ground sheet. Alasdair related accounts of lost trampers, including the guy who turned up at 1.30am, and needed escorting to the end of the track in the early hours. His main point was Stay where you are if you are lost. The more you move, the more likely you are to move out of the likely search area, when S&R come looking. Participants used the Coleman and MSR stoves to cook the dinner, after which we relaxed, apart from those of us discussing the Summer Tramp Order for Equipment for the multiple tramps. Sunday It was a comfortable night in the hut, followed by delicious breakfast, cooked by those who had never cooked porridge before! Once packed up, we had a demonstration of how the Emergency Fly can be used to create a shelter using 2 tramping poles or tree branches. We all learned how to huddle under it to find protection, if in an exposed place and needing to plan for a contingency/ unexpected situation/ injury. From here we departed the hut at 9.30am, took the high water track (less than 15 min) and tramped to the river stopping place, where Hua shared a Devotion about having faith in the unseen, such as a plant cutting that will burst into life, and situations where we can find hope. We exited the track at 1pm, and returned to the Paeroa Café for a well-deserved lunch! COST:  Hut $15 (booked online), Transport $20, Food $6.00, Equipment Levy $2.50.