Golden Glow: Brewster Hut Photo Diary

3/1/19 - 3/2/19

The final hike of Alex’s and my honeymoon in New Zealand was to Brewster Hut. The hike was another New Zealand classic: relatively short, but strenuous. In less than 3 miles we gained 3,200’ of elevation over gnarly roots and steep ridges. But, the destination was stunning. Brewster Hut sits at the top of a ridge with sprawling views of the Aspiring Range. The hut also acts as a base camp to summit Mt. Armstrong or the glaciated Mt. Brewster. We were fortunate to adventure to one of those destinations during our trip. Knowing how highly regarded Mt. Armstrong is as a sunrise spot, we decided to head up there for our final sunrise of the honeymoon. We started out from the hut well before dawn with only our headlamps and the faint glow of the moon to illuminate our way. It took us two hours of scrambling in the dark along an unmaintained trail before we finally made it to the top with only minutes to spare before sunrise. I spent most of the hike wondering if we were going the right direction and hoping it was going to be worth it. I was overjoyed to see it was, most definitely, worth it. I couldn’t have asked for a better final sunrise in New Zealand before beginning our long journey back to the states!