Premier guiding company Ultimate Hikes, operators of guided walks on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks, kicked off their summer Great Walks season on Friday, November 1 with a great team of experienced guides, including three who spent their New Zealand winter walking across the USA.
Hugo de Cosse Brissac, Oliver Missen and Daniel Munro recently completed the iconic 4264km Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada on the west coast of America, just in time to start guiding guests through Fiordland National Park.
Hugo and Oliver, who met while working for Ultimate Hikes two years ago took 149 days to reach the end, while Dan completed the trail with his sister in 165 days.
Hugo was inspired to add the feat to his bucket list after meeting Cheryl Strayed, the author of the book Wild, when she and her family hiked the Milford and Routeburn Tracks with Ultimate Hikes a few years ago.
“Listening to Cheryl talk about the trail got me really intrigued so late last year Oliver and I got the ball rolling to complete it. It’s only been a couple of weeks since finishing and it’s hard to articulate or sum up the experience – it’s definitely the wildest adventure on a scale that I’ll likely never encounter again.”
Daniel, who is starting his first season as a guide with Ultimate Hikes after spending the past ten years with the New Zealand Police force, says hiking is one of his passions and the PCT started out as a pipe dream.
“It ended up being the most epic adventure of self-discovery and the great evolution of the beard. It’s going to be a great story to share with guests while I’m guiding out on the tracks in Fiordland that’s for sure.”
Ultimate Hikes General Manager Noel Saxon is excited to have an enthusiastic team ready to guide visitors on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks, located in New Zealand’s picturesque Fiordland National Park.
“Our guides come from all walks of life and have incredible stories to share with our guests. Hugo, Oliver and Dan are examples of that, truly passionate about getting outdoors and literally having the world at their feet,” he says.
“We are looking forward to a busy season ahead but still have space on trips across both the Milford and Routeburn Tracks for anyone who is yet to experience these great walks.”
The 2019/2020 season runs from November 1, 2019, to April 20, 2020.
