So now we are all sitting here in the dining room, either writing, reading, eating, and relaxing. Feel like we are in a secluded resort with cheap fees.
I feel pretty tired. Good thing we get to go to bed early. Tomorrow is our last day which takes us out.
March 18, 2003
I heard people next door. Their alarm went off at 6:00. I couldn't sleep after that so I started packing my things up. We had breakfast and we were on the trail by 7:45. There was a beautiful sunrise over the beach. Wish I could stay a little bit to enjoy it, but have to move on. The mileage was shorter today, but not by much. The trail was a little easier. There is one section that has two routes, the low tide and the high tide. The high tide route takes longer, but since the tide was in, we had to do it.
Then there was a section that was closed off. There was an alternate route, which was steep and muddy. There was a rope there that we could use to pull ourselves up.
There were 3 sections that drop us along the beach so we could walk in it. It was quite nice. No one on the beach and the waves were crashing on the rocks. I saw deer tracks in the sand. I thought that was interesting, that the deer would be at the beach.
The worst section was the last section. It was the same as the first section going out. All the stairs that I was grateful to have to go down. I was ungrateful on the way up. They actually weren't as many as I thought. We finally made it back to the car. We had thoughts of showers, clean clothes, and food on our minds.
We got back into town about 4:00. We had a reservation at Te Anau Backpackers. For Laurie and I, it was like our second home in New Zealand. It is our 4th night here. We were able to get a room that held four people only. This was nice, because we could have had a dorm with about 10 or more people.
After showers and clean clothes, we were presentable enough to go into town. We did our wash and shopped. We picked up a roasted chicken, potatoes, and green beans for dinner. We just had to cook the potatoes and beans. Julianna and Ann Marie picked up some fresh strawberries. Nice to get into town and have something other than cheese and noodles. We got all of our stuff packed because we are heading out tomorrow for another three days.
March19, 2003
Right now I am sitting, really laying in the my sleeping bag listening to the Keas. It is only a little before 8:00 pm and I feel like I could go to sleep right now.
This morning I got up, ate, packed Ann Marie's car and used the internet. We didn't have to be at the DOC until 9:30.
We took the bus to the divide where we start the Routeburn Track. I realized I forgot to fill my water bottles. I had some still from the last hike. I was hoping I would have enough.
There were a bunch of people there. They were on the guided walk. The Milford and Routeburn are the only two, I believe, that are guided. We started hiking about 11:10. My pack felt pretty good even though I was carrying my tent again. This time I actually need it because we are camping at the campsites. When Laurie and I booked this track we decided to camp because it was cheaper. After doing the Hump Ridge we thought that we really didn't want to carry our tents. So we checked with DOC to see if there was room at the huts. There wasn't any room. Now that I have my tent up, I am happy tenting.
The hike today was great. The trail went up, then down, then up, then down. We took a side trail to a summit view. The mountains are incredible. I liked the last hike with the beach and everything, but the mountains are what really move me. The mountains aren't all that high, but just look so massive. They are jagged and rough formed by glaciers. Snow is still on them in spots. After the summit walk we walked down the trail to a hut. It wasn't where we were staying, but we had a nice relaxing lunch there. Then we were back on the trail. We came to this waterfall that was beautiful. The name of it is Earland Falls and it is about 224 feet high. It wasn't massive, but the water was falling over the edge of wide cliffs. There wasn't a lot of water, but because of the amount of water and the way the sun was hitting it, it created a rainbow. The rainbow had every color possible. It was beautiful. I sat there for a while enjoying it while I aired my feet from my boots and socks.
We continued on and finally made it to the camping area which is right next to the hut. The camping area is pretty nice. It has a pavillion with picnic tables and it also has two stainless steel worktables with sinks. No gas cooker, but you can't have it too easy while camping. Ann Marie and Julianna were staying in the hut, but they visited us at dinner time. There are quite a few people camping. I can hear them from my tent. They seem to be speaking several languages over there.
Okay, it is now 8:17. I guess I'll read. Not much more for me to do.
March 20, 2003 Happy Birthday Tim
I woke this morning thinking it was time to get up because it was light out. When I looked at my watch it was only 1:30. I got up to go to the bathroom and the moon was gull and it was right in front of me. The moon lit up the snow capped mountains and it looked pretty.
So I got up for real about 7:10. Laurie heated so hot water and I had hot chocolate. The fly of my tent was soaking wet. It was from the condensation. My therma rest was wet and my bag was damp. It is not fun packing up wet stuff, but at least is wasn't raining. The day looked to be promising. I wasn't that hungry so I packed up and Laurie and I were on the trail by 8:20. Ann Marie and Julianna had already left their hut.
I knew it was going to be a hot day because by 9:30 it was warm. The trail goes up and down the mountain. It was pretty seeing all the surrounding mountains with snow. I didn't think our mountain was much smaller but there wasn't snow.
