Saturday March 16, 16.7miles/26.9km

Dick’s Creek Gap GA (69.2) to Standing Indian Shelter NC (85.9)

We had a leisurely morning at the hotel, I woke up at 8am and went downstairs to the breakfast room. One of the perks of this hotel is the full hot breakfast that is included! Eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice, and cinnamon rolls!

We arrange a ride back to the trailhead by calling another former AT hiker, Encourager. He picks us up at 11am and drives us the quick 20 minutes back to the trail. After we arrive, he talks about his life’s history, and he’s seen and done alot, so it’s like a TV episode, ha!

We start hiking around noon, so it looks like I will be hiking until sunset (7:45pm) to get to my planned campsite. The 4 of us start off up an easy hill, and soon come to a tree that we were warned might contain cottonmouth snakes.

It’s too cold for snakes / danger-noodles.

The trail in Georgia has been very nice, and this part is no exception. Smooth, wide trail!

I have to use the privy, and it’s still 1.5 miles away, so I hike faster. But unfortunately I also lose the group. There are views through the leafless trees most of the way.

I come around a corner, and there is a tree leaning over the trail, about 6ft up. Someone has taped a less-than-helpful note to it, “watch out for the tree”. Huh?

An hour later, I cross the state border into North Carolina! One state done, 13 states to go!

There is a trail register book near the border at Bly Gap. I love writing in these books, but this one is quite…soggy. 🙁

There is a cool tree at the border too, and it sits in the middle of the trail. Apparently it’s famous. Maybe like the Wanaka lonely tree on the Te Araroa?

Right after the border, the trail immediately turns rocky. Thanks, NC.

But, at least there are great views. It’s a clear sunny day (but cold, 50F),and I can see a the way back to the lakes by the town of Hiawassee, where we stayed last night. I think it’s called Chatuge lake.

I pass by another shelter, and sign that book. This one doesn’t seem to be used very often.

At the end of the day, I enter the Nantahala Wilderness. Cool.

I get to camp at 7pm, and meet several other thrus staying in the shelter- Giggles, Duck Hunt, and Rocks. I set up my tent, it’s much warmer than a shelter, and tonight is supposed to be below freezing temperatures.

Friday March 15, 9.4 miles/15 km

Steeltrap Gap (59.8) to Dick’s Creek Gap (69.2) (GA)

I woke up early at 6:30am, since I knew I had to catch the shuttle to the motel at 11am. It rained hard and thunderstormed all night, so I packed up a soaking wet tent, and hit a sloshy trail at 7am.

After 30 minutes, I was able to turn off my headlamp, and move a little faster thru the thick fog.

The next junction was called “Swag of the blue ridge”… huh?

There were a couple of viewpoints along the ridge, the clouds obscured most of them.

The rain stopped, and I was able to take some photos of the trail. It’s soggy from the 1+ inch of rain last night, but otherwise in great shape.

On the descent to the road, I came across a creek with a random small bench. Kinda creepy seeing that in the fog…

I get to the road at 10:45am, for the 11:15am shuttle to the Budget inn. I meet another group of hikers also trying to get into town – Woodchuck, Gunner, and Johanna. We wait around, 11:15am comes and goes, so we start walking down to road to a spot known to have cell signal. Along the way, another shuttle service sees us walking, and picks up the 4 of us. Perfect! We go straight to the Huddle House diner, and Johanna (from Denmark) discovers the joy of chicken & waffles. I get the same meal, plus a milkshake of course.

Since the Budget inn is full, we split a room at the Holiday Inn, and have full-on hikertrash pack explosions.

After a resupply at the very large Ingles grocery, we go to a Mexican restaurant. The margaritas & burritos were amazing.

I’m exhausted, but it’s a very entertaining group and we have fun staying up late in the hotel room. I get distracted by hilarious conversation, singing bad pop music, and learning new vocabulary.

Thursday March 14, 21.8 miles/35 km

Whitley Gap trail jct (38.0) to Steeltrap Gap (59.8) (GA)

I woke to the sound of slow raindrops on my tent, so I laid around hoping it would stop. Turns out, it was just condensed fog on the trees being blown off by the wind. I’m in no hurry, so I got going at 8am, only a 20 mile day today…

The fog muffled all the sound, and I was quite surprised to see a car appear 2 seconds after this photo was taken.

A few hours into the morning, a bear and I surprised each other, and s/he quickly ran off, so I have no photo. After that, I started playing music. I saw no people all morning!

I stopped at Blue Mountain shelter for lunch, and there were already 7-8 thru-hikers there getting set up for the night. In the beginning of this trail, most people do 8-12 miles/13-20km per day, so I guess they are done by lunch!

I was there for 30 minutes, so I got a little cold. When the temperatures are in the mid-50s and it’s wet, I either keep moving or get in my tent. So off I go…

This was a neat tree!

This trail has plenty of water sources, so much more than the PCT or CDT. Usually they are a small stream that crosses the path, but sometimes I get to drink from a waterfall.

I descended 1000ft/300m to Unicoi gap, then back up the same elevation to a ridge on the other side. It was noticeably colder up there on the ridge. But I see green, spring is coming.

Cool winding path.

Just before the shelter I intended to stay at, is an exciting waypoint on the map.

Turns out, there is no factory, and more importantly, no cheese. It was a historic 19th century cheese factory. I feel deceived! But not that surprised, since I questioned why anyone would build on an inaccessible 4000ft ridge…

I get to the Tray mountain shelter, and there is a sign “full” made from sticks on the ground. The photo doesn’t show it well.

So I continue another 1.5 miles to Steeltrap Gap. It’s almost 1000ft lower in elevation and much warmer. I arrive to camp at 5pm, and I see another tent already set up. They are a couple from Georgia who are section hiking a 30-mile segment. Rain is forecasted to start between 5 and 6pm, so we just talk thru our tents. Tomorrow is a short day, and the first town day!

Wednesday March 13, 23.6 miles/38km

Justus creek campsite (14.4) to Whitley Gap trail jct (38.0) (GA)

I wake up to the headlamps of other parties packing up, and decide its time for me to get going. Since I usually have a cold breakfast, I’m ready in 30 minutes and hit the trail at sunrise… which apparently is late at 7:30am!

I go by Gooch shelter, where most people are still in their tents. An hour later I get to Gooch Gap (mountain passes are called “gaps” down here), and I see a gathering of hikers, which usually means trail magic. And it is!

Bonnie & Paul are local B&B owners, and have brought coffee, decaf tea, fruit, cookies, and juice! I also meet Oaksie and MacGyver, who originally planned to just do a 30mile section, but now might do the whole trail. And met Andy, who thruhiked the 300mi Benton Mackaye trail last year.

Since I confused the coffee urn with the tea one, I flew up the next few hills (I don’t drink coffee). Good views.

I knew I was getting near another gap, when I saw an oncoming group of 30-40 dayhikers, and they all smelled clean.

And then I found a hat, the exact same kind as mine. I knew who it belonged to, since we just had a conversation about being hat twins… MacGyver. I reunited it with its owner a few miles later at Woody Gap!

Funny signs.

The trail so far has been very nice, thanks GATC!

Just before lunch, I meet Emily, a first-time thru-hiker. We chat for a bit, and she is one of the best prepared hikers yet I have met on this trail. She even has a Thrupack fanny pack, which is a creation of my friend Skunk Ape (fellow PCT 2015er)!

After lunch, I do the biggest climb yet, up to the summit of 4442ft/1354m Blood Mountain. It’s also the highest point on the AT in Georgia.

It’s a quick descent to Neels Gap, where the famous Mountain crossings store resides.

Since this is a place where most hikers stop in and upgrade some of their gear, and drop what gear they don’t need, their hiker box is legendary. Indeed, there are 4 Rubbermaid bins of goodies. I snag some better tent stakes, tenacious tape, and some food. One of the bins appears to be all sawyer squeeze pouches, books, and prophylactics…huh?

After spending too much time at the store, I hike up the last climb for the day. There are some beautiful camp spots, but it’s still early (before 5pm) so I continue.

My intended camping spot at a gap doesn’t have any good options, so I climb a short hill and setup on the ridge and watch the sunset.

It’s supposed to rain a bit tomorrow, and maybe a bit overnight. Should be interesting!

Tuesday March 12th, 22.6mi (8.2mi approach trail+ 14.4 AT)

Amicalola Falls Visitor center to Justus creek campsite (14.4)

I woke up at 7:15am, and it was still dark. This is a strange part of the Eastern time zone. I packed up quietly, and headed over to the ranger office to check-in for the hike. They opened at 8am, and there were 5 or 6 other hikers waiting as well. The Georgia chapter of the ATC does a great job, part of the check-in process is a presentation on LNT (leave no trace), and safety in the backcountry. Then, each hiker gets a photo, and a number. I’m hiker #838 this year! And since Bob and I are both hams, my photo is… different.

Hikers also get their pack weighed, mine is 34lbs. Too much food and candy!

After the check-in, time to walk! The approach trail is 8miles long, and starts with the iconic arch.

It is a cold morning, but nice weather. Good thing it starts out with hundreds of stairs to get warmed up!

I see a few other hikers along the way, including this guy from Maine, he is hiking home!

I get to Springer mountain, the official start of the AT, at noon and have lunch. There are 6 other hikers there too.

The first (of many) white blazes!

Then, I head down the mountain, and after a mile the trail crosses a USFS road, which is a popular trailhead. There are more Georgia ATC volunteers there too. They have heaps of good advice for water, camping, and of course more LNT.

I hike on, and it’s a warm day now, and on a nice trail. I don’t even have to get my feet wet at stream crossings! This is so different from the Te Araroa…

I stop at Long creek falls and have a snack. There is a family there, and the little boy keeps asking where my hiking poles are (I don’t use them). He even offers to make me one. 🙂

I continue on a few more hours, passing probably a dozen more hikers. Most people starting out do 8-10 miles per day, so I probably won’t see them again.

I get to Justus creek at 6pm, and call it a day. There are 7 other hikers camped here, mostly on the lower terrace. We have dinner and hang our food bags. It’s such a change camping in bear territory!

Monday March 11th, 0mi

Atlanta Airport to Amicalola Falls Visitor center (GA)

Here we go! I landed at Atlanta Airport this morning, arriving on a redeye flight from Las Vegas (Gobble’s parents got married!). I took the MARTA train to Sandy Springs, and resupplied at the Publix (grocery store down here).

There was also a Chick-fil-A, thrift store and REI nearby, which was perfect.

I had arranged a ride to Amicalola Falls with Ron’s AT shuttles, and he picked me up at 3pm. We then picked up another hiker, and we were on our way! There was some traffic, so we arrived just after 5pm. I opted to stay at the shelter near the ranger station, and do the check-in and registration in the morning.

There are a few other thru-hikers staying here too- Nick & Jenna from Minnesota, a guy from Brooklyn, and a Virginia woman who recently retired from the military. They are all too excited to sleep… but I’m gonna pass out after this long day!

Day 115: Wednesday February 27th, 20.5mi/33.0km

Riverton Holiday Park (2929.7/29m) to Tuatara Backpackers Hostel, Invercargill (2962.7/10m)

Achille is hiking separately with his dad today, so the rest of us (Kuba, Kacka, and me) hike out from the Holiday park together. We get a pretty late start at 8:30am, and after 30 minutes we leave the streets and enter the beach. It starts off as a nice beach walk, which is promising, because we have 22km on the beach today.

An hour later, some dark clouds start to move in, and the wind increases. It’s not cold, but with the wind, it feels much colder.

The precipitation starts, so we all stop to add waterproof layers to our backpacks and bodies. 

A few minutes later, the rain and hail starts to fall. It’s not much rain, but the wind is blowing it so hard that our legs are soaked pretty quickly. And the force of the rain/hail kinda hurts! 

An hour later, the rain stops, and the sun even tries to come out. But it’s still very windy, which the patterns in the blowing sand show:

We are very cold and don’t want to stop walking, but eventually hunger takes over, and we take advantage of a sheltered spot in some tall beach grasses. The sun is out, so it feels slightly warmer too.

After 22km, we finally leave the cold, windy Oreti Beach. Our map shows a restaurant up ahead, about 2km down the paved road. We walk quickly with excitement (and to stay warm), and stop for a 2nd lunch at the Cabbage Tree Restaurant. It’s pretty fancy and expensive, but they let us in and we order some hot drinks and food. After an hour of eating and warming up, we leave and roadwalk the final 6km to Invercargill. We walk to the Tuatara Backpackers Hostel, which is the closest lodging to the trail. We book bunks for two nights, since we will walk to Bluff (the finish!) tomorrow, and then hitchhike back here for the 2nd night. The rest of the evening is a blur, I think I walked over to Pak’n’Save, a warehouse-style grocery chain. After a dinner out, I’m back at the hostel at 9pm and asleep at 10pm.

 

Day 116: Thursday February 28th, 21.1mi/33.9km

Tuatara Backpackers Hostel, Invercargill (2962.7/10m) to Stirling Point, Bluff (2996.6/7m)

We hike out just after 8am, and weave our way thru downtown Invercargill for 2km.  We rejoin the TA on the west side of town, near the Waihopai River. The first 3km of the route are beautiful, on the Invercargill estuary Walkway, which is an elevated walkway thru tidal marshes. 

The trail stays near the water, but of course ventures thru cow pastures. It’s not a day on the TA without cows!

We hike thru farmland for 8km, and then take a quick break just before we re-join the road. The first 11km of today were on hike/bike paths, but the final 23km are a roadwalk, mostly on SH1. We keep ourselves entertained by the various local wildlife though!

The entrance to the town of Bluff is marked by the characteristic huge letters. Some nice tourists took our photo, but didn’t have very good accuracy, ha!

Roadwalkin’.  Bluff is the southernmost town on the South Island.

There is a cafe/cinema in town where all TA hikers stop to sign a giant map of the trail. It was a quirky little cafe, museum, and cinema all in one (now called “Oyster Allsorts”). There was a short film about the “Aurora Australis”, (the Southern lights) but we didn’t stay to watch it. Achille signing his name on the wall:

It ain’t easy being cheezy…

We hiked out of the cafe, and 20 minutes later arrived at Stirling Point, the southern terminus of the TA. It has one of those neat directional signs to some global major cities.

I barely had the arm strength to make this pose! 

I love climbing things.

Then we staged a bunch of ridiculous photos too.  Almost made it!

Kacka and Kuba posing with our celebratory watermelon and champagne. Yes, the watermelons are tiny in NZ (and very expensive).

We went in to the nearby Lands’ End B&B, where they give out finisher medals to TA hikers, so cool! We ordered a drink and sat outside, since we probably didn’t smell great. It was getting later in the day, so we walked back down the road to hitchhike to Invercargill. Since it’s a dead-end road, there was little traffic, but eventually a guy in a minivan picked us up. We arrived back in Invercargill at 6pm and had dinner with Achille and his father.  We discussed some of the more memorable days on the trail, and had a good time reminiscing. It feels so weird to be done with this trail!  But I’m not done hiking in NZ yet, I have another week in the country and a few small side-trips planned!

Day 110: Friday February 22nd, 21.9mi/35.2km

Te Anau YHA Hostel/Princhester Road (2762.7/211m) to Lower Wairaki Hut (2797.9/482m)

I get up at 6am, and quietly leave to go get breakfast across town. I quickly eat a mini apple pie, carrot cake, and hot chocolate, and return to the hostel to pack up. I meet the bus at 6:55am, and it drops us off at 7:45am at Princhester Road. The “us” is because there are two other Southbound hikers! We walk together for the 6km road section, and I take a quick break with them at the Lower Princhester Hut. 

I say good-bye and take off, going up and back down the saddle at a pretty quick pace, despite the mud. It’s a nice trail when it’s in the forest, but the tussock sections are slow and wet.

I have a lunch break at a rocky outcropping, but it’s kinda cold and windy so I only stay for 30 minutes.

I get to the Aparima hut at 3pm and have a snack indoors….there are sooo many sandflies outside! After another 3 hours/13km of mostly pleasant forest walking, I arrive at Lower Wairaki Hut at 6pm.

Apparently, I’m the only person here! I spread out and dry out my gear, and make dinner. I spend a couple hours reading a book, and the always-entertaining Hut logbook!

I was awake so early, so it’s easy to fall asleep by 9pm.

 

Day 111: Saturday February 23rd, 21.6mi/34.7km

Lower Wairaki Hut (2797.9/482m) to Birchwood Station Cabin (2832.6/110m)

I get up at 6:45am, and pack up with my headlamp on – it stays dark so late these days! It’s cold, and I hike with my vest and beanie on for the big climb (up to 1000m elevation). The trail markers have encouraging messages!

It’s pretty windy up top, so I don’t linger for the views, and hurry down the hill.

It’s an easy jog down the hill, adn I arrive at the Telford campsite at 9:45am. No one is there, so I continue onto the Mt. Linton Station farm. It’s nice walking on farm roads and 4wd tracks all morning, with pleasant weather.

I stop for a couple quick snacks, but the sandflies are terrible!

At noon I have a half-lunch, and I get some cellphone service – Kuba and Kacka are only 1km ahead of me! Right after lunch, I pass a Northbound girl who confirms this. The farm roads are easy walking and surprisingly scenic.

Hi cows!

Eventually I catch up to Kuba and Kacka at 3pm, we walk an hour to the road. A few hundred meters off the main road is Birchwood cabin, which is privately owned by a local resident. It’s $20 which seems like a fantastic bargain since it’s warm, dry, and spacious. We arrive pretty early at 4:30pm, which is perfect because it starts raining a few minutes later. We enjoy some beers around the fireplace, and listen to the hard rain outside. We swap stories over dinner, and also get to know the other hut guests. After all that socialization, and shopping for gear for the AT, I’m finally in bed at 11:30pm.

 

Day 112: Sunday February 24th, 16.9mi/27.2km

Birchwood Station Cabin (2832.6/110m) to Merriview Hut (2859.8/87m)

We purposely get a late start, since we know we have a short hiking day. I wake up at 7am, lounge around, shower, and we leave at 8:45am. The first 5km is on country roads, and it’s a quiet Sunday morning.

It’s still cold, and we move quickly up the hill. It’s only a 300m climb, but it warms us up nicely! Then we join a nice dirt road, and this sign makes me smile.

The three of us pass the older Kiwi couple, who are stopped and looking at birds. We continue onwards, and it’s a nice easy walk down the hill, and we have lunch just before the paved road. It’s cold and windy out, but we find a sheltered spot in the sun. It’s a fast lunch, since the clouds start to sprinkle a little bit. We walk a road, then a nice forest road for 4km.

We arrive to the Merriview Cabin at 3:15pm, and Achille is there! Yay! We hang out and chat all afternoon, and the Kiwi couple and a Northbound hiker show up too, but they camp outside. There are a bunch of hikers staying here, it feels like a small party!

We all have dinner together at 7pm, and I’m in bed much earlier tonight at 9pm.

 

Day 113: Monday February 25th, 22.1mi/35.5km

Merriview Hut (2859.8/87m) to Campsite by Old Machinery (2895.3/168m)

All 5 of us in the cabin are awake at 6:45am, and are hiking at 7:15am.

It’s a nice sunny day, but very cold, only 5°C! And all of us (except Achille) are stubbornly wearing shorts, ha!

We warm up a little on the roadwalk, and even more so after the sun rises. The trail enters the forest, and it’s on and old 4wd track, and not muddy, so it’s pretty nice walking. We get to the top of a tussock hill, and we can see Bluff (the TA’s finish) in the distance! Cool.

The four of us (Achille, K, K, and me) have a snack break at the radio tower, but as usual it’s windy and cold, so we continue down the nice dirt road, and have an early lunch at the bottom of the descent in a sunny warm gravel quarry. After lunch, the hike starts with an easy 200m climb up a hill, which is in a dense forest.

At the top of the climb, we leave the forest and have a warm enjoyable ridgewalk with views.

Bluff is in the distance, on the peninsula behind the ocean bay:

The four of us are talking all afternoon, and we stop at the final hut on the TA, Martin’s Hut.

To our great surprise, it’s filled with trail magic!

Sodas, beers, candy, fruit! After 30 minutes of indulgence, we hike another 7km to a camp spot by some old mining machinery.

Happy Baby and Pegleg are there too! (Hikers from the USA that we met earlier). With 4 tents its a crowded little space, but we make it work. We have dinner at 7pm, and we think this will be our last dinner in the forest, since the next couple of days finish at hostels/holiday parks. I fall asleep easily at 9pm.

 

Day 114: Tuesday February 26th, 21.4mi/34.4km

Campsite by Old Machinery (2895.3/168m) to Riverton Holiday Park (2929.7/29m)

The four of us pack up quietly in the dark, for a 7:30am start. Happy Baby and Pegleg are still sleeping. It’s a nice walk in the Longwood Forest, along the Ports Water Race, an old mining ditch.

The weather starts off sprinkling for 15 minutes, then it gets dry and even sunny! Kuba and Kacka fall behind, so Ach and I chat for an hour, and the time flies by.

There are a couple options to exit the Water Race track, but we hike it to the end, and have a snack at 11:45am. K/K arrive 15 minutes later, and we all walk together the 5km roadwalk to a cafe in Colac Bay for lunch. We have burgers, salad, beer, ice cream – what a great meal! There is a short 2km of roadwalking after lunch, which has all sorts of interesting things. A smiley house:

And a Simpsons bus mural:

The beach walk after lunch is on soft gravel, which really sucks.

Soon enough, the trail leaves the terrible gravel, for the grassy bluffs above the beach.

It gets interesting when there is a fence to cross, with no gate. Climb on, Kacka!

We climb up to a lookout point, which is a surprisingly steep climb. It’s a little tourist lookout point on a 168m tall hill, with a view of Riverton Village:

On our way down to the carpark, Achille runs into his dad! He was planning on meeting his dad tomorrow to hike the last two days with him, but his dad’s flight arrived early! There were many hugs and excited words (mostly in French, so I couldn’t understand, but they sounded excited).

We all walk to the holiday park together, and Happy Baby and Pegleg are there too! There is a group dinner and beer hour, and I think we are all savoring these last few days on the Te Araroa. We keep talking excitedly about the finish, and all the memories on this trail for the past four months. I can tell no one wants it to end, but eventually we get to bed at 11pm.

Day 106: Monday February 18th, 22.4mi/36.1km

Muddy Creek Carpark (54.7/510m) to McKellar Hut (**/620m)

I get up at 7am, and pack up quickly in case it starts raining (it looks like it might). I go to the kitchen and charge my phone, then walk over to a cafe and order a hot cocoa and chicken pie…yum.

I walk back to the campground, and the shuttle picks me up with two other hikers at 9am. It drops us off at the start of the popular Routeburn Track, and I start hiking at 9:30am. There are sooo many tourists!

The Routeburn Track is beautiful though.

I stop at the Routeburn Flats hut about 7km into the hike, and get a snack while waiting out a rainshower. I hike on for another 2.5km, the views up to the Routeburn Falls hut are foggy.

I take a short break at the Routeburn Falls Hut. It’s close to 0°C, so in some spots the rain falls as snow (barely).

From here it’s all uphill to the beautiful alpine section.

There are heaps of views, even with all the clouds!

I have lunch at the Harris Saddle shelter, a cool A-frame shelter. While I’m inside with a bunch of other hikers, it stops raining (for now), so I get some photos!

I hurry down the hill and get below treeline before the next set of rainstorms arrive.

Once the storms arrive, I hike non-stop to the end of the Routeburn Track, and pass a very impressive Earland Falls along the way.

From the terminus, I turn onto the Greenstone Track, and hike for 6km in steady rain to the McKellar Hut.

I arrive at 7pm soaking wet below the waist (I have an umbrella), and dry out in the huge hut. There are only 6 other hikers here, and it’s built for probably 24 people, so spacious! I have dinner at 8pm, and pass out at 9:30pm after a very tiring day.

 

Day 107: Tuesday February 19th, 17.8mi/28.6km

McKellar Hut (**/620m) to Greenstone River (2680.3/482m) to Taipo Hut (2690.4/720m) + 18.5 Greenstone Track

I get up at 7am, and get hiking at 7:30 with my raincoat and umbrella on. Looking back at the hut:

It’s raining lightly, but steadily. It’s a nice trail and I cruise all morning without really stopping.

The valley is beautiful, and there are cows everywhere. I get to the Greenstone River crossing, which means I’m leaving the Greenstone Track and re-joining the Te Araroa! I cross on the swingbridge, and get to the nearby Greenstone Hut at noon. I take my time and enjoy lunch in a huge empty hut. I chat with the hut warden, Eli, and he has hiked the TA last year! He also fills me in on the weather forecast…

I finish my wrap and snacks, and head out 40 minutes later, just as the couple from the hut last night are arriving. I climb the easy 200m to the saddle, and then promptly get lost in swampy tussock. The GPS track is off frequently here, and I eventually learn to ignore my phone.

I arrive to Taipo Hut at 3pm, and two other guys are there on a long weekend trip. They discuss their adventures, we share some whiskey, and spend the afternoon sitting around in the sunshine. I have dinner with them at 6:30pm, we swap some more stories, and I’m in bed at 9:30pm.

 

Day 108: Wednesday February 20th, 25.4mi/40.8km

Taipo Hut (2690.4/720m) to Campsite by Mararoa swingbridge (2731.2/563m)

I get up in the dark, at 6:45am, and pack up quietly, as the other two guys are still sleeping. After I finish packing and eating breakfast, they are awake and we say good-bye. I hit the trail at 7:30am, and the first 12km to Boundary Hut are thru fields and some tussock.

Some of the stream crossings are sketchy, since it rained so much last night. I make it to Boundary Hut at 11am just in time to use the toilet, and then read the Hut logbook. I love that my friends leave me notes! (in Czech)

I continue onwards to Carey’s Hut, where I stop for a 30 minute lunch. It’s a very nice spot, right next to North Mavora Lake.

More notes from my friends!

As I’m leaving, a hiker shows up, and he passes me an hour later on the 4wd track. It’s an uneventful and relaxing afternoon, as I walk along the lake. I arrive to the trailhead and Mavora Lakes Campground a couple hours later.

There are heaps and heaps of people camping here! I cross the outlet of the lake on a long swingbridge, so fun!

It’s a beautiful day, so I keep going on the Mavora Walkway, which leads me into a cool forest – it looks like Fangorn Forest!

I enjoy the forest walk for a couple hours, then at 6pm I stop and setup camp by a swingbridge. The Mararoa River is high, so I’ll probably have to cross this bridge tomorrow morning and walk the road, since the normal track requires a river ford. 

After eating my last dinner (tomorrow is a town day!), I relax in my tent and fall asleep at 9pm.

 

Day 109: Thursday February 21st, 19.6mi/31.5km

Campsite by Mararoa swingbridge (2731.2/563m) to Te Anau YHA Hostel (2762.7/211m)

I get up early at 6:30am to the sound of sporadic raindrops! Oh no! I pack up fast, before more rain comes…it’s such a pain to pack up during rainfall. I hike across the swingbridge at 7am, and I can tell there’s no way I’d be able to ford that raging river! I walk the quiet dirt road all morning, only seeing 4-5 cars.

It starts raining at 9am, and continues until 11am. My umbrella is up all morning. It leaks a tiny bit, but still way better than no umbrella!  It’s a boring walk, and finally at 11am the rain stops, and I even have a shadow!

I get to the highway just before 1pm, and walk the 2.5km to the start of the next trail section at Princhester Road. I get a hitch from a guy who takes me halfway, then another hitch from a group in an RV. They are from Delaware – what are the odds, it’s like the smallest state in the US. They drop me off at the “entrance” to Te Anau around 2pm, and I’m greeted by an enormous takahē, which is a flightless bird found only in this part of South Island.

After a nice lunch of salad, fish, and beer, I check-in to the YHA Hostel, and lounge around until dinner. I walk to town for dinner and do my resupply shopping. After a long shower at the hostel, I’m in bed at 11pm.

Day 103: Friday February 15th, 10.9mi/17.5km

Wanaka Base Hostel (2666/289m) to Aspiring Hut (9.5/485m) + 8km Rob Roy trail

I get up at 7am, for the 8am bus to the trailhead. I didn’t sleep well, because two people cam into the room last night at 3am and unpacked – Wtf?  I walk to the bus stop and have a nice chat with a Kiwi who just sold his local home. The 2 hour bus ride is nice, and I start walking at 10am. 

Even though the Cascade-Rees Saddle track is a side-trip, I take a short side-trip from it, up to the Rob Roy glacier.

The scenery is spectacular, and it’s an easy 4km walk on a nice trail.

The 4km trail ends at a spot named “Upper Lookout”, and there certainly is plenty to see.

I see sooo many tourists on my way down. I rejoin my original track, and hike for about 15 minutes to find a nice quiet spot away from the tourists. I take a break and have lunch, and dry my tent. 

It’s a nice, flat, easy 2 hour walk up the Matukituki River valley.

And there are plenty of cows. Moo.

I arrive to the Mt. Aspiring Hut early at 2:30pm.

There is a big Dutch group there, and also 3 or 4 Israelis. I get setup in my bunk, and have a nice conversation with a German guy over dinner. The view from the dinner table is pretty sweet.

I go to bed at 9:15pm, and it’s loud in the hut – grrr. Eventually I fall asleep around 10pm.

 

Day 104: Saturday February 16th, 16.4mi/26.4km

Aspiring Hut (9.5/485m) to Shelter Rock Hut (35.9/895m)

I sleep in a bit until 7am, since everyone was so loud last night. I pack up and eat, and all the Dutch group is still sleeping – ha! I start hiking just before 8am, and it’s a nice trail in the forest.

The trail climbs up and up, somewhat steeply.

Just before treeline, I pass a group who is just breaking down their camp…at 9:30am! As I get higher, views of the Matukituki River valley (that I hiked up yesterday) appear.

And looking up the valley:

I climb very steeply another 700m above treeline. It’s so steep, that this is not a trail that I would consider hiking in the other direction.

Up in the fog, I see some cool Kea birds! They are native to the South Island of NZ, and the world’s only true alpine parrot. Quite large too, at 1kg and about 50cm long.

The trail becomes especially steep near the top part of the climb.

I get to the top of the climb at 10:30am, and then over to the Cascade Saddle at 11:30am.

What amazing views!

As I descend from the saddle, the Dart Glacier comes into view.

It’s an easy descent down to the bottom of the Dart glacier, and I pass a few hikers coming up, including a DOC ranger.

I get to the Dart Hut at 2pm, and have a very late lunch. The view from the hut is spectacular, and there is a paraglider in the distance!

I chat with a nice Kiwi couple, and an American from Rockville MD. I continue on at 3pm, climbing up to Rees Saddle (el. 1471m)

I arrive to Shelter Rock Hut just before 6pm. The Israelis are here, and I have dinner and conversation with them for awhile. I didn’t sleep well the last two nights, so I’m in bed early at 9:15pm tonight. 

 

Day 105: Sunday February 17th, 11.7mi/18.8km

Shelter Rock Hut (35.9/895m) to Muddy Creek Carpark (54.7/510m)

I get up at later 7am, since I know it’s a short 5-hour hiking day. I get dressed and move over to the kitchen building (it’s a large hut complex!), and eat breakfast while catching up on journal entries. I depart at 8am, and it’s a cold morning – I wear my red puffy coat until 9:30am!

Looking back at the hut:

There are some nice waterfalls along the way.

I don’t see anyone else all morning until 25-mile creek at 11am.

I cross the swingbridge over 25 Mile Creek, and then I see 12-15 people all at once, hiking into the park. It’s a nice warm sunny day, and the morning flies by with mostly enjoyable hiking. 

I get to the carpark at 12:45pm, a little early for my 2pm ride to town. I sit down and eat, and a guy from San Francisco chats with me for 10 minutes before he begins his hike. I entertain myself for an hour, and my arranged ride comes at 2pm. 

Another girl shows up at exactly the same time, and asks for a ride, and she comes too. We get to Glenorchy at 2:45pm, and I promptly get a campsite and lay down in the nice warm sun. 

I wander over to the general store at 5pm and get dinner, and then visit the lake. After a long shower, I’m in bed at 10pm.