The padded seats as you look out the windows at the fjordlands around you...
The pre-made sandwich at the lodge (that is anything but another dehydrated meal in a bag)...
A long, hot shower with the mini scrubber your wife bought you...
The pure sight of a washer and drier...
The trash can to conveniently dispose of your "rubbish"...
The beer at the front desk (even if it doesn't taste like the IPA you'd expect from the label)...
After being outside and bouncing between huts for 4 days, it's amazing how much satisfaction you find in all the little things you would normally take for granted.
What a hike!
Turns out the huts are just a tad closer together than what I had thought. Maybe I confused the Kilometers for Miles, or maybe I was just so excited that I didn't pay enough attention. Whatever the case, I would say it was a hike made for 3 days. However, the 4th gave us plenty of time to explore the various side trails, take lots of photos, and meet all kinds of interesting people from all over the world.
It's amazing how like-minded all these folks are from their different backgrounds and locations all over the globe. And the few differences make for good comedy, whether we're talking about how the Aussies say [Feesh and Cheeps], the New Zealanders...where everything is "Koo", or how an American pronounces pretty much anything...compared to the Europeans, Aussies, and Kiwis that make up the majority here. I've gotten the impression that some of the locals just want to hear us talk...they seem very amused by our accents.
More about the trail...
The next morning we woke up and packed off for more uphill to our next destination - Routeburn falls hut. When we arrived, it was freezing cold. We quickly changed out of our wet clothes (it rains a lot here) and struck of a game of Rummy in the common area. We got terrible sleep that night - we shared the place with about 20-30 others. At some point in the night we heard this loud THUD next to us and then another BANG and a SCREAM. It sounded like someone fell off the top bunk. Anyways, we never did find out exactly what happened, but people were pretty wrestless after that.
The next morning we woke up to a fresh layer of snow. It was absolutely beautiful. And the view from the hut overlooked the mountains and previously-golden valley we had hiked through the day or so before. Jude and I got an early start that morning. We enjoyed tramping through all the new snow...and making the first tracks. Although I did break one of my hiking poles, which was a bit of a bummer. About 2-3 hours after we took off, we reached the "saddle" where the wind was really going wild. We took a quick break in the shelter, but realized we needed to keep moving. We hesitantly made our way up "Conical Hill" which is the absolute highest summit near the trail. It was a cold, icy, slippery way up, but the top rewarded us with views clear across Fjordland. It was so unusually clear, we could see past the Tasman Sea, all the way to the Ocean, and could see the waves breaking on the sand bar. From there we had a really long day of hiking, and even though we were descending...it felt like we were always climbing...and climbing large stone stairs for that matter...which made the pack feel that much heavier.
The fourth day was an easy one, and we got to the hut just before the downpour, which lasted all night. The early morning greated us to a full moon on the lake, and pretty soon we reached the end of our hike.
Well here we are now, at Milford Sound. From the Valley the Mountains look unbelievably huge...they are SO FRIGGIN STEEP. They're no where near as tall as the Rockies, but they look perceivably look bigger - just because of how quick they rise from the valley floor. You can even see the glacier (pronounced "glassier") on the peaks. Jude is out building piles of stones and getting eatin by Sand Flies, while I finish my second New Zealand beer.
I love you all and will write soon. Wish I had a way to upload some of the photos...
Cheers
Ryan
