There we boarded the ferry for the ride up the rest of the lake to Glade Wharf. We had been told to expect at least on day of rain during the four days on the track. We got four. Fiordland averages over 8 metres of rain annually.
There was quite an assortment of packs on board. Everyone was trying to keep their equipment as dry as possible.
After about an hour on the trail we reached Clinton Hut, our accomodation for the night. The huts have comfortable, spacious bunkrooms and gas burners in the common room for cooking. Everyone also appreciated the wood stove as we were all pretty wet and cold. We were some of the first to arrive at the hut right on the heels of the ranger so we had our pick of bunks. Flush toilets were also very refreshing.
The next day we continued up the Clinton Valley. The weather was best (least rainy) in the early morning and late afternoon so we got an early start. It started to snow just as we arrived at Mintaro Hut. We did not get too wet and were able to warm up pretty quickly. Other trampers were out in the wet and cold for munch longer.
In the late afternoon the ceiling lifted and we we rewarded with fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. Three of the younger (fitter) trampers hiked up to the pass to see sunset.
Here is Doug cooking dinner. We carried our own stove so we did not have to wait for a gas burner in the hut. Hot meals were a blessing.
Everyone tried to get their clothes to dry out as much as possible by hanging them around the wood and coal stove.
We got another early start the next day to get to the summit while the weather was still somewhat clear. About 6-8 centimetres of snow had fallen overnight but the footprints of the three guys from the night before had frozen so the footing was a little slippery. Even so, the snow blanketed everything in a magical way. It was spectacular.
Here I am on the way up with the head of the Clinton Valley behind me.
This is the 12 second drop. I am not particulary comfortable with heights so this was as close to the edge as I was willing to go. I did not want to test out the timing of the drop.
We made the summit of MacKinnon Pass while the weather was still clear.
We had gorgeous views of all the peaks around us as well as the two valleys. We had come up the Cliinton Valley and were headed down the Arthur Valley.
Here is Doug heading down. He made first tracks for a while at the summit. As we started down it began to snow lightly again but not so much as to make the footing too treacherous - or so we thought at the time.
Here are my boots in the snow. The new gators we had purchased in Te Anau worked perfectly to keep our lower legs dry. My boots are not waterproof so that was a moot point.
Some of the steeper sections had wooden staiways built in. Above my right shoulder you can seen a green wooden stoat trap. Stoats are an introduced species that have decimated the native bird populations. They are now being trapped and removed so the bird populations are protected.
At lunch time we saw this helicopter take off from the guided walks lodge. We found out later that it was a medevac copter. One of our group had fallen on the way up the pass and broken his leg. He had to be airlifted out by winch.
We took a short side trip to see Sutherland Falls, the highest falls in NZ.
I got drenched trying to stand so close to the falls.
Because there was still so much snow in the highcountry this early in the season, there were lots of areas where we could not stop.
The third and final night we stayed at Dumpling Hut in the Arthur River valley. Here the keas (mountain parrots) were very inquisitive and destructive. They had pecked holes in the roof so there were leaks in the common room that the ranger had not had a chance to fix yet.
The final morning of the tramp we heard kiwi birds calling just before daybreak and decided to take a wlk before breakfast. We walked about 100 metres back up the trail and back and then headed down the trail. Doug was about 10 metres ahead of me. About 100 meters down the trail, a large brown mass hopped across the trail between us. I hissed his name to get his attention and then we saw it in the brush alnongside the trail. The great KIWI BIRD quest had been fulfilled. They are huge - about 40 cm tall (round). And boy can they run. this one took off up the trail and we could not keep up with it. It doesn't look like much in the picture as it was running away but we saw it! Third time was the charm.
The final day as we ambled down the Arthur River Valley, there were waterfalls after waterfalls. This one is McKay Falls.
The last few miles were pretty long but we made it to Sandfly Point. Everyone had warned us about the sandflies but they are nothing compared to Maine black flies.
Milford Sound was pretty well socked in. The top of Mitre Peak was not visible.
The short ferry ride across Milford Sound returned us to get the bus back to Te Anau.
We had completed the Finest Walk in the World. Fiordland is spectacular, even in the rain. If you ever get to NZ, Fiordland must be on your itinerary.
Here we are arriving at Glade Wharf, The trail head for the Milford Track. Coming off the boat we had to step in a detergent solution in the yellow bucket in an effort to control the spread of dydimo, an algae otherwise known as rock snot.
After about an hour on the trail we reached Clinton Hut, our accomodation for the night. The huts have comfortable, spacious bunkrooms and gas burners in the common room for cooking. Everyone also appreciated the wood stove as we were all pretty wet and cold. We were some of the first to arrive at the hut right on the heels of the ranger so we had our pick of bunks. Flush toilets were also very refreshing.
The next day we continued up the Clinton Valley. The weather was best (least rainy) in the early morning and late afternoon so we got an early start. It started to snow just as we arrived at Mintaro Hut. We did not get too wet and were able to warm up pretty quickly. Other trampers were out in the wet and cold for munch longer.
In the late afternoon the ceiling lifted and we we rewarded with fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. Three of the younger (fitter) trampers hiked up to the pass to see sunset.
Here is Doug cooking dinner. We carried our own stove so we did not have to wait for a gas burner in the hut. Hot meals were a blessing.
Everyone tried to get their clothes to dry out as much as possible by hanging them around the wood and coal stove.
We got another early start the next day to get to the summit while the weather was still somewhat clear. About 6-8 centimetres of snow had fallen overnight but the footprints of the three guys from the night before had frozen so the footing was a little slippery. Even so, the snow blanketed everything in a magical way. It was spectacular.
Here I am on the way up with the head of the Clinton Valley behind me.
This is the 12 second drop. I am not particulary comfortable with heights so this was as close to the edge as I was willing to go. I did not want to test out the timing of the drop.
We made the summit of MacKinnon Pass while the weather was still clear.
We had gorgeous views of all the peaks around us as well as the two valleys. We had come up the Cliinton Valley and were headed down the Arthur Valley.
Here is Doug heading down. He made first tracks for a while at the summit. As we started down it began to snow lightly again but not so much as to make the footing too treacherous - or so we thought at the time.
Here are my boots in the snow. The new gators we had purchased in Te Anau worked perfectly to keep our lower legs dry. My boots are not waterproof so that was a moot point.
Some of the steeper sections had wooden staiways built in. Above my right shoulder you can seen a green wooden stoat trap. Stoats are an introduced species that have decimated the native bird populations. They are now being trapped and removed so the bird populations are protected.
At lunch time we saw this helicopter take off from the guided walks lodge. We found out later that it was a medevac copter. One of our group had fallen on the way up the pass and broken his leg. He had to be airlifted out by winch.
We took a short side trip to see Sutherland Falls, the highest falls in NZ.
I got drenched trying to stand so close to the falls.
Because there was still so much snow in the highcountry this early in the season, there were lots of areas where we could not stop.
The main trail was closed due to avalanche hazard and we had to take the detour which switch backed straight down. My shorter legs did not appreciate some of the huge steps. We did hear several avalanche booms as were on the bypass so I guess it was the safer option.
The third and final night we stayed at Dumpling Hut in the Arthur River valley. Here the keas (mountain parrots) were very inquisitive and destructive. They had pecked holes in the roof so there were leaks in the common room that the ranger had not had a chance to fix yet.
The final morning of the tramp we heard kiwi birds calling just before daybreak and decided to take a wlk before breakfast. We walked about 100 metres back up the trail and back and then headed down the trail. Doug was about 10 metres ahead of me. About 100 meters down the trail, a large brown mass hopped across the trail between us. I hissed his name to get his attention and then we saw it in the brush alnongside the trail. The great KIWI BIRD quest had been fulfilled. They are huge - about 40 cm tall (round). And boy can they run. this one took off up the trail and we could not keep up with it. It doesn't look like much in the picture as it was running away but we saw it! Third time was the charm.The final day as we ambled down the Arthur River Valley, there were waterfalls after waterfalls. This one is McKay Falls.
The last few miles were pretty long but we made it to Sandfly Point. Everyone had warned us about the sandflies but they are nothing compared to Maine black flies.
Milford Sound was pretty well socked in. The top of Mitre Peak was not visible.
The short ferry ride across Milford Sound returned us to get the bus back to Te Anau.
We had completed the Finest Walk in the World. Fiordland is spectacular, even in the rain. If you ever get to NZ, Fiordland must be on your itinerary.
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