Hokuri Hut peeping out of the Hollyford forest
Day 3, Saturday 4th, consisted of the rest of the Demon Trail to Hokuri Hut, almost at the northern tip of Lake McKerrow, and apart from a couple of breaks in the bush, it was mainly tricky and slippery track, undulating along the lakeside, but totally enclosed by thick forest. Hokuri Hut was a welcome sight, and here I met Bill and Gary, who had just come from a trip anti-clockwise round the Pyke Loop. They looked in a real state, with scratched legs, raw elbows, and some serious stories. Gary kept on going south, but Bill stayed the night and kept us all entertained with tales of places like Lake Wilmot and the Black Swamp, both evil spots by the sound of it. That's when I caught the glint in Rick's eye.
Gary, you see, had got the wrong end of the stick. I'd told him that I'd have loved to try the Pyke, but I wasn't equipped, and besides, I was on my own, but when Gary had bumped into Rick on the Demon Trail, he'd told him that if he wanted to do the Pyke, he should talk to this guy with a beard in Hokuri Hut; me, in other words. So Rick told me this, and we laughed and dismissed it out of hand, but as Bill unfolded his story of a living hell, we started looking at each other in that 'whaddya reckon' way. And so was born the germ of an idea that grew, and by the time we went to bed we were considering the Pyke Loop, against all common sense. It all depended on the weather, and we could get a weather report from the Lodge at Martins Bay the next day (the Lodge being the private hut for guided walkers, where they have luxuries like radios and food).
