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The Routeburn Track (33 km) - 21-24
April
Day 1: Routeburn Shelter to
Routeburn Flats Hut (6.5 km)
Barbara & Eileen again dropped
us at track start. In the pouring rain we began our
journey to the Routeburn Falls Hut. The streams and waterfalls
along the way were incredibly beautiful with the enormous flows of water.
When we got to the Routeburn Flats Hut we decided to call it quits for
the day and stay there. We settled in just as soon as
the DOC hut warden OK'd our change of plan.
Rodney had the fire roaring in no time and DOC provided us with a light
from 6 to 10 p.m. Luxury!!
Day 2: Routeburn Flats Hut
to McKenzie Hut (13.6 km)
Today was going to be a long
day headed up to Routeburn Falls Hut in drizzle,
where we had a quick break and unanimously decided we had slept in the better hut, by far!! The
sleeping quarters at the Falls Hut are very dark and dingy, a skylight or
two wouldn't have gone amiss. On up the
hill we climbed following the Route Burn to its outlet from Lake Harris.
Rodney performed a little hokus pokus stunt and informed me that the sun would soon shine or it
would hose down, he wasn't sure!!??
Thankfully for us, the weather began to clear. A steep
sidle and we finally surmount the Harris Saddle (1255m) and arrive at the
shelter the lunch. Conical Hill was climbed by some and we were
blessed with the mist parting, showing the magnificent views below.
Onward we walked along a well marked track along the exposed
Hollyford face before finally catching a glimpse of Lake McKenzie Hut
far, far below. The zig-zagged descent to the hut was knee- jarringly steep and the rain had
again set in for the day.
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