Wild terrain
View to the SW from Avalanche Peak, New Zealand. Dappled light on a beautiful day! Tough hike to get here but well worth it. The mountains are rising fast (being on a plate boundary), and are wearing down fast as well! This area drains into the Waimakariri River, an amazing watercourse that is so choked with sediment of all sizes that it can be a mile wide in places and has channels that change their course over time. A classic example of a braided river. In the southern hemisphere, the snow lasts longest on south-facing slopes like that just below.
Wild terrain
View to the SW from Avalanche Peak, New Zealand. Dappled light on a beautiful day! Tough hike to get here but well worth it. The mountains are rising fast (being on a plate boundary), and are wearing down fast as well! This area drains into the Waimakariri River, an amazing watercourse that is so choked with sediment of all sizes that it can be a mile wide in places and has channels that change their course over time. A classic example of a braided river. In the southern hemisphere, the snow lasts longest on south-facing slopes like that just below.