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Tramping New Zealand |
DAY 12 - Routeburn Track 2/3
My first sleep in my fancy lightweight bag/blanket combo was okay. Actually, there never would have been much chance of being cold with so many bodies around.
On the deck outside are a lot of squawking sounds:
The first kea I have seen
Getting up early has its advantages
For breakfast Dave has prepared some Oatsoup —
that's oatmeal with too much water in it; but it tastes just
fine. Without further delay we are on our way.
This time my walking stick is ready.
Routeburn Falls in the early morning
Where we just came from
Those rays aren't blessings from heaven; they're the result of not having a sunshade for the camera.
More stairs up toward Harris Saddle
Harris Lake is exquisite
Walkers behind, excitement ahead
This is why I go hiking
The woman who just passed us has a hat labeled "High School Musical". When I asked her about it last night, she said that she simply liked the design of the hat but had never attended high school.
Around the corner is new scenery
At Harris Saddle there are 'Us & Them'
shelters — one for Us trampers, and one for
Them richies who have opted for the Guided Hike option.
Inside that building can be seen various juices and other
goodies awaiting today's contingent.
Harris Saddle Shelter
One option here is to stash our packs and take the side trip up
Conical Hill for some better views. Dave remembers having
done that four years ago, then wondering why; in any case, I have
enough on my plate already. As I guessed, this trail has
been non-stop rough all the way. Having to watch
every step carefully takes a lot of the fun out of any walk.
I filter some water at this time,
because my bottle is nearly empty
It should be mostly downhill now; but will it be?
New views to the west
The trail traverses that slope
Somewhere in here, a hiker asks out of the blue, "What's the capital of Egypt?" Dave answers, "Cairo". Then the man asks, "Would you also know the capital of Cambodia?" Dave answers, "Phnom Penh". That raises the man's eyebrow as he continues by.
There is very little easy walking
Unusual leaves on these plants
Stoat traps line the trail
I love tarns
We can see all the way to the coast
After a lengthy slog on a trail that seems somewhat out of place up here on the hillside, our destination finally comes into view:
The Lake MacKenzie Hut is 900 feet below
Enjoying the summit
Lake MacKenzie
It takes us more than an hour and a half to get down there, but eventually we do. That was one difficult trek, for me at least.
Views from the hut grounds
This time, the bunkroom is upstairs and is configured differently. Once again we have arrived early enough to grab some actual bunk beds, and this time Dave opts for the upper one.
Later arrivals get to line up all in a row
Some folk talk about going for a swim, and the idea appeals because it is pretty warm here now; but the flies are out and no one would want to see my red undies anyway.
That woman carries an umbrella everywhere
Get a hat, lady!
⇔
Tonight I opt to have no dinner; in fact, I have been somewhat off my feed since this trip began. I watch Dave prepare the dehydrated meal of spicy thai chicken a la something, which is a pretty simple process: boil water, pour into bag, wait at least ten minutes. We have a couple of packets of coffee and some cocoa as well.
Inexplicably, Ranger Clive will not be talking to us tonight;
so by 8:30 we might as well turn in.
