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| Everybody knows that hiking is just all about looking good |
Since we had taken four days off to do the Routeburn Track we were at the mercy of the weather which can be a little bit unpredictable in the fall in Queenstown. When the alarm clock woke us up ridiculously early on our first day off, it was dark and pouring rain out. We were tempted to hit snooze and stay in bed but instead dragged ourselves out of bed and put on our hiking boots. After about an hour drive to Glenorchy plus another thirty minutes on unpaved road, we reached the trail head and started off.
Since the Routeburn Track is not a loop, most people pay for transportation from one end to the other (about 7-8 hours around the mountains). Unfortunately, this transportation is extremely pricey and would have cost around $300 for the both of us. To save the cash, we choose to drive ourselves to one end of the trail, hike as far as we could and then back track to the car. Not a perfect option since it would be tiring and we probably wouldn't be able to see the entire trail, but it seemed like the best choice for us considering.
Our first day was to be the hardest and we had to make it from the Routeburn Shelter in the parking lot all the way to Mckenzie Hut on the other side of the Harris Saddle. We estimated that it would be about 9 hours of hard hiking assuming that the weather held. The trail started off in dense forest along a river which we crossed via many hanging bridges. The trail slowly headed upwards and became steeper and steeper until we passed the Routeburn Flats Hut and reached the Routeburn Falls Hut in view of a pretty spectacular waterfall.
Everything about our experience in NOLS came flooding back to me: the heavy pack, slippery and steep footing, awesome views and getting short of breath. It felt great to be back outside and backpacking again and it was also nice to be on an uncrowded trail since it was the off season. For the most part, the weather cooperated and we just had a little fog, clouds and rain. When we reached the highest point we had blue sky and sun which provided a panorama that was well-worth the walk up.
The last two hours of the day were by far the most difficult as we were both tired, hungry, cold and very eager to get to Mckenzie hut. The final part of the day's hike involved steep switchbacks down a side of a mountain in order to descend to the hut and camp along the shores of a lake. When we hit tree level we were enveloped in a completely different type of forest in which everything was covered in moss and ferns. When the evening fog set in it cast an eerie green glow over everything and as darkness was falling fast we were only too happy to reach the hut and set up camp.
Truthfully, in my head I was thinking, "Oh my gosh, we have to do all this again backwards?" Now I understand why everyone pays for the transportation!
oh my gosh this looks gorgeous!!!