Wednesday - Fiordland National Park

BACK ON TRACK

Making and packing our lunch

The generators were turned back on at 7 a.m., but by then the sun had already awakened most of us. It was like waking up in heaven: peaceful, fresh, and well-rested, even though we were still a little sore from hiking nine miles yesterday.

Our first task for the day was to assemble our own lunches from the spread laid out in the dining room: bread, deli meats, all kinds of condiments, tomatoes, sliced beets, lettuce, cookies, power bars, and fresh fruit.

Two types of breakfast were available: continental or “cooked,” which today included Eggs Benedict. One could partake of both breakfasts--and several people did. Our guides, who did double-duty as servers, kept the toast racks on each table filled with more or less hot slices. Curious about the jar of Vegemite that sat next to the honey and marmalade, Nancy spread a little on one corner of her toast and quickly decided that it bore less resemblance to Nutella than to anchovy paste.

While we were eating, the people who had spent the night in en suite rooms, whose doors opened onto an outdoor walkway, reported that they had been awakened at dawn by a kea going door to door, jiggling each handle and squawking to get in. (We weren’t bothered because our bunk room door opened onto an indoor hallway.)

Before striking out on the trail, we all gathered at Lake Mackenzie for a group photo

The part of the track we tackled this morning climbed steadily up a series of switchbacks toward Ocean Peak Corner, so named because one can see the Tasman Sea from it on a clear day. (This was not a clear day.)  

Ocean Peak Corner

It wasn’t long before we were above the tree line, which is much lower in New Zealand (about 3000 feet) than in the Rockies (about 10,000 feet). 

We learned that one reason for the difference is that the native grubs and other insects that decompose vegetation to create soil cannot survive above a certain elevation here, so the trees don’t have enough dirt to grow in. Also, summer temperatures in this part of New Zealand are much cooler than those in Utah and Colorado. The lack of trees does not mean a lack of vegetation, however. We enjoyed examining the various alpine shrubs and wildflowers that Mike, today’s sweep guide, pointed out to us.

We also enjoyed filling our water bottles directly from clear mountain streams. Expecting limited sources of drinking water, Michael had planned to bring a filtering kit, but our guides assured us that we wouldn’t need it. Because there are virtually no animals other than birds in these mountains, there’s nothing to foul the water.

Hollyford Range

At Ocean Peak, the track turns a corner and begins following the Hollyford Face, an exposed ridge high above the Hollyford River. After this morning’s steep climb, we were relieved to be able to walk on some relatively level footing for a while. At one point, the clouds parted and we captured a stunning view of the mountain peaks across the valley.

Harris Saddle Shelter

By 1:30, we were ready for our lunch break at the Harris Saddle Shelter. It had just begun to rain a little, so it was nice to sit in the spare enclosure, take our boots off and relax for a bit.

Resting inside the selter

We opted to forego the more technical climb up Conical Hill, especially after others who already been to the top said that it was too cloudy up there to see anything. A few of the more persistent members of our group were rewarded with some fleeting but great views, however. Regardless, the view we got of Harris Lake after lunch was remarkable. We also heard the piercing “kea” call of the wild parrots, and saw a couple of them soaring way above our heads.

For the rest of the afternoon, we followed the Routeburn, which rushes in one end of Harris Lake and out the other, then tumbles into the valley below. (We were informed that because burn means “river,” calling it the Routeburn River was redundant.)

At this point, Nancy would like to express her gratitude for trekking poles. Michael had borrowed a pair when he climbed Colorado’s Missouri Mountain in 2012 and found them useful, so he and Nancy decided to invest in some of their own for this trip. We have Black Diamond Distance collapsible trekking poles, and they are great! If they haven’t literally saved our lives—and it’s entirely possible that they have—they have at the very least saved our ankles and knees.

Routeburn Falls Lodge

Seeing the roof of the lodge complex peeking through the trees as we approached Routeburn Falls was a welcome relief after our seven-mile up-and-down trek. Again we were met by a lodge manager (how does one get that job?) bearing refreshments, and then we were shown to our rooms so we could shower and do our laundry.

Dorm rooms open to an exterior walkway

Tonight the entrée was pumpkin soup. For the main--because Logan had highly recommended it--most of the people at our table chose the vegetarian pasta. It was delicious!

After the salad was served and the plates had been cleared away, we all waited eagerly to see what our dessert would be. We waited and waited for nearly thirty minutes, until some people gave up and started to leave. Finally, our guides/servers came out of the kitchen and shared with us a little history of the Routeburn Track and the tale of "The Final Night Dessert."

Routeburn Fall Lodge dining hall

The Routeburn Track has been in use for hundreds of years, first by Maori who were looking for “greenstone’ (jade), and later by Europeans who came looking for gold. Sightseers started coming from Queenstown in the late 1800s, and eventually the New Zealand Department of Tourism began adding safety improvements. As early as the 1930s, a predecessor to Ultimate Hikes had begun guiding trampers on day hikes along the Routeburn, and in the 1960s they started their first "all-through" overnight hikes. The lodges were more rustic then, and the trampers rougher.

The man who ran the outfitting company in the 1980s employed his brother as the camp cook. The brother had been an adventurous, rough-and-ready type, but after losing a leg while trying to wrangle a wild deer from a helicopter, he became frustrated and bitter. He didn’t like being stuck alone in the kitchen cooking meals for dozens of people night after night, but with only one leg, what else could he do?

One night when things had not been going well in the kitchen, he was feeling particularly morose and overwhelmed. The group had finished eating dinner, but the pancakes he was making for dessert were not yet ready. Impatient trampers expressed their increasing displeasure at having to wait in the unkindest, coarsest terms—which only exacerbated the one-legged cook’s frustrations. Finally he lost it. Taking up an ax, he chopped a hole in the wall between the cramped kitchen and the dining hall.

“You want dessert?” he roared. “Well, here’s dessert!” And then he started hurling pancakes at the startled diners through the hole in the wall.

Throwing pancakes

Since then, the Routeburn Track guides developed a tradition of throwing pancakes at their clients for dessert on the last night of the tramp--but now the activity is a little more controlled and done in the spirit of fun. So, like brides throwing their bouquets over their shoulders, the guides used skillets to toss pancakes over their heads to their partner trampers, who tried to catch them with a plastic plate.

Michael catches one using the clamshell method

Michael was able to capture his pancake using two plates like a clamshell. Nancy neatly fielded hers with just one.

Fortunately, we were not expected to eat the same pancakes that were being thrown (especially since many of them ended up on the floor). We each got a fresh, hot pancake, which we topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and a variety of sauces. It was rather delightful.

Edible pancakes

Routeburn Falls Lodge bunk

After that night’s briefing, someone picked up a guitar and began strumming, so several of us stayed to sing along and enjoy the beautiful view from the balcony—but we remembered to make sure we were done in the bathroom and into bed before the generator went off.

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Click here to view a photo essay of some highlights of the physical trail itself.

Click here to view a photo essay of some of the streams, rivulets and water sources along the trail.