Sunday, March 6, 2016

Milford Track Part 2


The first evening at the lodge we witnessed an excellent thunderstorm, lots of lightning and booming thunder. The next morning we started walking in the rain. About six hours later we finished walking in the rain. In between it rained. It may sound miserable but it wasn't. It was wet but not cold at all and it wasn't a torrential downpour, just a gentle, constant rainfall. 

In places we the trail was covered in knee-deep water from the swollen river. The valley walls are steep, forested mountains striped with waterfalls. Despite my earlier rainforest experiences, this was total immersion in nature. Forest so thick you cannot step off the trail, so wet that not a square inch of your clothing or skin isn't soaked. In the deepest parts it is dark even at mid-day. The wet smells and birds chirping all around you. The water is so fresh here you can drink out of any stream without worry of illness. There are very few places on the planet where that is possible.

The next day we hiked up a few thousand feet over Mackinnon pass. To describe it in a single word: Wild! It was of course raining, but the wind above bushline (as they call it) was howling at gale force. The rain blew horizontal in wind so strong that it would knock you off your feet. It was chilly but surprisingly not as cold as I expected. I was whooping and hollering down the trail, something I always do in extreme mountain weather, and this was one of the extreme days even for me.

There is a hut at the top of the pass where you can rest and eat lunch, even get a hot drink. The previous evening in my optimistic way, I had assured a couple of women friends I met from Istanbul, Meryem and Aycha, who were on the trek that the pass would be sunny. When they arrived at the hut, soaked and tired, they said to me, "hey Mark, the sun is not shining." 

Hiking down the pass to the lodge I witnessed some of the most spectacular waterfalls ever. Ok, I thought, this trek does have a legit claim to being the most amazing hikes in the world, though I still think the trek up the Buri Gandaki river valley to Manaslu in Nepal during the monsoon is somewhat more amazing. 

The next day it did not rain much and indeed the sun came out on our final leg of the trek. It was a long, flat hike out to Milford sound. Meryem and Aycha made a video and showed me that evening at dinner. In it they showed the sun and said, "hey Mark, this is the sunshine!" Ha ha. I felt guilty and bought them some wine.

All in all, a 33.5 mile trek in a very civilized manner. This is New Zealand's premier trek, they only allow 50 people to start per day and no camping allowed (lodges only). Once you start you cannot go back, if the river is too high to pass in spots, as it frequently is, the Dept. of Conservation (the national park service) will helicopter you over the impassable sections. No charge.

For many of the Trekkers, it was the achievement of a lifetime. The guides passed out certificates in the end and for many cried at realizing their accomplishment.

Highly recommended.

1) more of the hundreds of waterfalls on the Milford Track.



2) Milford sound. No rain!



3) Meryem and Aycha insist on having a photo with me...











1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love how you describe things. What a trip! I know that photos can't compare.

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