I sat down for 5 minutes and I was eaten up by sandflies, they were vicious.
There were quite a few people there at the hut already. I don't like the huts on this track as well as the Milford. I sat and spoke to a Brazilian couple on their honeymoon. Getting more information for South America. They suggested a few places in Bolivia.
There are many more Europeans traveling, especially people from the UK. I guess because their island is small there aren't many places to go plus Europeans get so much vacation. In the US it takes a long time to build up a lot of vacation time. Also, people feel that there is so much to see in the US, which is true.
Laurie and I took a 40 minute walk to some falls. I have found out that walking for a while without my pack and in sandals is good for my muscles.
It is amazing to go to bed sore and wake up feeling fine. That is what a good night will get you. So I guess it is that time.
March 14, 2003
We are at the Moturau Hut and it is quite nice. Some people skip this hut and I am so glad that we didn't.
When I first woke up I heard it raining out. I decided to stay in bed a little longer. It is so nice to have the luxury of getting up when you want. I was up probably by 8:00-8:30 and on the trail by 9:30. The trail was mostly a gradual down, but had a few switchbacks going up. Most of the trail was along a river. Eventually the river dumps into Lake Manapouri. The trail was in the woods, but you could see beaches along the lake. I decided to wait until I got to the hut before I checked out the beach.
The hut is in a beautiful location. It is in a sunny spot (the sky did clear today) and the lake is right in front of us. It is very windy now, which is good to keep the bugs away. The lake seems like the ocean because the water is so choppy and there are actually waves. I feel like I am at a secluded beach. There are only the few hikers that walked here. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I feel very fortunate to be here.
I walked down to the beach. I tested the water and it felt pretty good, cold, but not freezing. I walked a little down the beach in the water. I then walked in the sand and it felt like pebbles and sand were massaging my feet. I laid down in the sand and just let my body enjoy the warmth of the sun. I actually fell asleep for a short nap.
These are the kind of days I like. You hike and then you get the rewards for it. It made it all worthwhile.
The hut is very nice. We got here before a lot of the people, so we were able to get a bottom bunk. Today we did about 10 miles.
Talked to John from NYC. He is really into biking. You can tell just by looking at his leg muscles. He told me how he got started. He is doing the RAMROD, which stand for Ride Around Mt. Rainer in One Day. I guess it is about 160 miles, I'd say that is more than I could do.
March 15, 2003
I woke to the sound of the waves on the lake. At first I didn't know what it was and when I remembered it made me relax.
Just to let you know that I am not a slug everyday, I was up at 6:00, on the trail at 6:30. The stars were still sparkling and I wore my headlamp on the trail. I could hear some animal cries, but I wasn't sure what they were.
The day started breaking about 7:30 and the sun was coming up. It was a good hike. We did it much faster then the time they gave. We were in a rush. We needed to get into town to wash and shop. People from my hiking club were meeting us in Te Anau at 2:00 pm.
One thing about being the first one on the trail is that you have to break the trail of all the cobwebs.
We got to Te Anau about 11:00. We showered then went into town to do wash. The washing machines were designed to have the soap dispense itself. Speaking of automatic things, they have public bathrooms. The door would slide open with a button. I was afraid to go in thinking that it might not open. Then the toilet paper had a button to automatically dispense. As I was reading the directions to this bathroom, it said that there was to be no loitering and to prevent that, an alarm would go off and the door would open. I thought I would take my business elsewhere. I didn't want bells going off and doors opening while I was still sitting there.
Back to washing, I threw my wash in and while washing I could use the internet. I was trying to get in the internet. I could only see an internet sex provider. I kept trying to get out of it, but it kept saying it would disconnect me. I was all flustered because my time was ticking away on the machine. I certainly didn't want the internet to be my sex provider, I am not that desperate--yet.
As I was on the internet, yes I was able to get on without the sex provider, Ann Marie, my friend from my hiking club, came in. It was really good to see her, a little bit of home. Julianna came in afterwards. We went grocery shopping and got something to eat. Packed up and were on our way to Tuatepere. That is where the next track was going to be. It is called the Hump Ridge and will be the toughest.
Laurie and I made a reservation in the town. It doesn't have much, but we found something that was
$15 per person. We found something that we thought was the place, but I felt like it was a deserted
