Hiking the Routeburn Track

I'm in Te Anau after coming off the Routeburn Track this afternoon, and I am sore. I'm also craving pizza and beer, but that can be easily remedied. The hike was amazing. We had three days of clear weather (very unusual for the area), and I did not re-injure my ankle or freeze any appendages. It was, however, much more challenging than I anticipated 32 km spread over three days would be. Perhaps it was my sub-optimal pack, or the fact I seemed to be carrying too much weight (cheese, anyone?). More likely it was my asthma and less than optimal cardiovascular system. But I made it and I'm so glad I did.

The track starts at the head of a long glacial lake and climbs gradually through a forest dark with moss covered streams and strewn with boulders. Water is everywhere; often the track is wet with it, and there are innumerable stream crossings. The first few are on suspension bridges, which sway far more than you think they ought to!! At about noon, you reach the Routeburn Falls hut, which sits on a grassy plain along a stream surrounded by mountains. I wound up spending a very long lunch break chatting with two Americans from California and a hysterical trio of fellow hikers.

It's only 1:30 to the next hut, but that time is all uphill on an extremely rocky trail. Everyone who has ever hiked with me knows that I do not have the best balance on the trail, and I was especially concerned about my bad ankle given my hiking shoes do not provide ankle support. So I took my time (I think I was the last hiker to the hut), but I arrived safely at the Routeburn Falls Hut.

These DOC huts are really something else. From October through April, the huts are supplied by helicopter and provide a coal burning stove, gas burners, running water, flush toilets, and bunk beds. Talk about the lap of luxury!! OK, it was really cold in the bunkhouse, but otherwise the facilities are amazing. The warden, John, turned out to be a real character. He took us for a walk after dinner to look at NZ glowworms, and finally explained to me the location of the Southern Cross (yes, I am an idiot). This was one of the brightest, fullest skies I've ever seen, even if all the constellations are upside down!!

John has travellers who speak unusual languages write messages on a large banner which he then displays. On the one from Christmas, there were visitors speaking Tamil, Burmese, and Urdu, among others. It is astounding what a diverse range of people visit this little corner of NZ. I offered to write something in Swahili, which John didn't have and got very excited about. Then of course I couldn't remember any of the relevant words!! I wound up just writing "Karibuni ya Routeburn Falls. Walima ni safi kabisa" which means "Welcome to RF. The mountains are awesome." He made me a cup of tea for my efforts (I was writing this with a brush in green paint, which takes a while), and I got to chatting with him and Jeff and Jennifer, two Californians who were staying with him. Anyway, we wound up having a great time and I didn't go to bed until nearly 1 am.

Not only was it much warmer in the cabin than in the bunkhouse, but I got served breakfast in bed!! wow. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we all didn't want to leave the cabin's porch with its phenomenal view of the mountains. I finally headed off about 10 am, and said my goodbyes. This portion of the hike is all above the treeline, and I reached the Harris Saddle (highest point on the track) at about 12:30. Everyone I met said the trip up Conical Hill was a slog, but worth it. As I reached the top about 40 minutes later, after scrambling up rocks and between crevices, I thought that was an apt description. The views of the surrounding mountains were incredible, and I could even see the waves breaking on the shore of the Abel Tasman Sea in the distance.

The trip to the Mackenzie Hut, although mostly downhill, was surprisingly difficult. Much of the trail involved descending from one large, irregular rock to the next large, irregular rock. It was difficult on my knees, but more so on my ankles. I may have been the last person to arrive at Mackenzie Hut, but I made it. This one was much warmer due to the lower elevation on the far side. Dinner this time was better as well: Mac and Cheese with dehydrated onions and peas. Well, anything tastes better on the trail, really :)

The third day involved a lot of ridge walking, which I enjoyed. After the first rocky section, the trail smoothed out and I didn't have to concentrate so much on my footing. It was a shame to enter the trees again, because it felt a bit like walking in a big green tunnel, with occasional glimpses of the surrounding mountains. Once again numerous waterfalls cascaded down jumbled rocks into the river far below. I arrived at Howden Hut at noon, in time for lunch. I was getting a bit tired of my "tasty cheese" (their term for sharp cheddar) and pita at this point. There was only a short steep climb up to the key summit, and then a gradual downhill to the trail's end at the Divide. A shuttle picked me up at 3:15 for the trip to Te Anau.

What an amazing experience!!