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Published: April 15th 2008
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Routeburn Shelter
Layered and loaded- ready to go! The Routeburn Track is one of New Zealand's most famous walks (not a leisurely stroll through the park, but actually a fairly tough hike). It starts out near a little town of Glenarchy and passes through forests and over mountains to come out near Milford Sound. Most people cover it as a 3 day hike, but due to our time constraints, we completed it in 2 days. We thought that was a good pace, except for being pass by several runners on our last day who RUN the whole track in 3-5 hours.
Josh's friend Ramsey was kind enough to drive us to the start of the track before sunrise. If we went through the track transport it would have been expensive, we wouldn't have gotten there until 9:30, and would be spending the day walking with other people. Needless to say we owe him BIG TIME!!!
All of the brochures warn about inclement weather, so we made sure to pack many warm, waterproof layers. As promised, it was raining and very very cold the entire first day of our journey. Josh's clothes weren't quite as waterproof as he remembered, and serious worries about hypothermia crossed our minds. I
Swing Bridge
It was a bit dark when we started, so we couldn't see how unsteady these things were! rented gear from a local hiking shop and managed to stay fairly warm and only a little wet. I think the excitement of sleeping in a tent kept my heart rate up. Our backpacks were loaded up with food, clothes, sleeping bags, a tent, and Cedrick- it's definately worth the investment for a proper hiking pack with padded straps and the works.
The hike started out fairly gradual which gave our muscles time to wake up. We began walking along a riverbed and through some fantastic scenery. There were several swing bridges that we used to cross over streams- it was the strangest feeling being suspended over water and rocks by wire and 2x4's.
There are 5 huts along the trail. They're owned by the Department of Conservation and very well kept. We stopped at one to warm up and grab a light lunch. We couldn't stay too long because we had to make it to our campsite before it got too dark.
The views were a bit limited due to the overhanging fog, but the landscape was truely remarkable. We were surrounded my huge mountains with several waterfalls trickling down their sides (the rain made them even
I think we go this way
Most of the trail was fairly well marked, but there were a few patches in the bolder field where we really didn't know which way to go more impressive). We passed through large bolder fields, crossed several little streams (and some that were not so little), and followed a path that lead right through a river bed (not beside, THROUGH). We had to jump from rock to rock, trying to keep our feet dry. After a while Josh stopped hopping- he was wet enough anyways, so what would a little river water do? Because it was raining so much, the waterfalls were just pouring down the mountain- we even got to walk through on that was overlapping the trail!!!Some parts of the trail were very narrow and ran right along the edge of the cliff, so we couldn't tell stories then and had to focus on the path (well, I think that rule was meant just for me).
The weather backed off a bit by late after noon and we arrived to the campground with a little daylight to spare. We hiked 9 hrs the first day, covering 20.1km to reach Lake Mackenzie. The area had a hut and a campground. The hut sounded like the drier option, but it was like a bunk house crammed with about 40 people and didn't really feel like you
Seriously?!?!
I had just walked through a waterfall and was standing on the cliff's edge, looking down on the tree tops and out into the oblivion of the fog were one with nature. We stuck with our original plan to sleep in a tent. It was a quick setup and we snuggled up inside to get warm. I think the shear exhaustion for the days hike made us oblivious to the dropping temperature.
It was so peaceful at the campsite. I peaked outside in the middle of the night and was blown away by all the stars in the sky. The clouds had moved out and the mountain peaks and trees created a frame for the best view of the day.
The next day was beautiful- bright blue skies and not a cloud in the sky. Several people were backtracking the trail up to the top of the mountain to get some of the views they missed out on previously due to the weather. We had to press on to catch the bus (and I'm not sure my legs would have been up for the challenge!)
The second half of the trail was my favorite. All the tress were covered in moss and gave off an "enchanted garden" vibe. The trail winded through the trees and across little babbling brooks with small little bolders as stepping
Day 2
The hike was much more pleasant on day 2- bright enough to need sunnies!!! stones. We were stunned by Earland falls, a massive waterfall that ran off a cliff 174 meters above. There was a small pond where the water collected and a perfect rainbow created in the mist of the falls. Absolutely breathtaking!
We stopped at Lake Howden for a picnic lunch with the friendly bumble bees, then carried on the Divide- the lowest east/west crossing in the Southern Alps. This marked the end of our hike- 32.1km in total.
We had arranged transport back to Queenstown via one of the transport companies. Most people warned us about the steep hike, but no one mentioned the torture of a 3 hr bus ride on cramped bench seats. I think that was the worst part of it all 😞
We replenished with a yummy steak dinner once we got home and tried to stretch out our muscles. Josh's SI joint is still bothering him, but that gives me the opportunity to play PT 😊
The pictures really don't capture the true essence of the hike- nature is pretty amazing, and God sure has a lot of colors to choose from.
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