We made a quick excursion into Waitakere today to refresh the baits in the possum traps. As part of the Ark In the Park program, there is a regular maintenance and baiting program going on, which has significantly reduced the amount of predators in this ‘mainland island’. As a result, it’s one of the few places you can find Kōkako in the bush.
We try and get out at least once a month to help out. It’s a great reason to get into the bush, a good chance to try out new gear, and a great opportunity to give a bit back to the environment.
Today was a moderate/hard line – there are various grades of track you can go down – from easy, minimal effort bait lines, to the hard lines that involve a bit of climbing – and as was the case today – a bit of rope work as well.
We got the line done in a couple of hours, and it was a good chance to give the Ridgeline Torrent II Waterproof Pants I am testing out a good run.
I was pleased to find they didn’t cause me to overheat. There was a bit of warmth – as can only be expected with a waterproof pant, but not too much that I was cooking. Certainly, some decent zippered vents on the side wouldn’t go amiss, but nothing too major. Summer would be a different issue – but then, I can’t really see why you would be wearing long waterproof pants in the middle of summer anyhow.
Similar case with the Ridgeline Monsoon II Jacket – did it’s job – got a bit warm, and in this case, would definitely benefit from armpit zippers.
Another little modification I decided to make, was to replace the standard lanyard on my Silvia Compass with a blaze orange paracord line. At one point, while scrambling up a hill, the thin lanyard actually broke – and I suddenly realised that the compass could very easily disappear into the scrub. It doesn’t take much for you to lose things in the bush.
Another good day in the bush.
