Routeburn tramp stats
Pronunciation - "root-burn"
Distance: 26.4 miles (including both optional trails)
Elevation gained: 6,459 ft
Days/Nights: 3 days / 2 night
Trail type: One-way
Day 1 - Up to the falls
As the tramp start date approached, I started keeping a closer look at the weather forecast. Which, as you might be able to guess, forecasted rain. Of course. Not buckets and buckets of rain like Tongariro, but it could be "heavy at times". The timing kept swinging back and forth, but the update the night before we started suggested it would clear later in the day. So we shifted our transportation to the trailhead to later in the morning (with the side benefit of getting to sleep in and enjoy the fantastic breakfast at our AirBnB). We got picked up around 10:45am from Queenestown and headed off into the mist. Literally, it looked like we were driving into the clouds and rain. Lovely.
Guess where we're headed...
We arrived at the trailhead around 12pm or so and the wet stuff was falling, and trampers finishing looked pretty damp (soaked through). Since we weren't in a huge hurry, we hunkered down with our lunch and Kindles and waited to see if the clouds would break. Slowly but surely, around 1pm, the sun started peeking out a bit between the rain showers. We gave it another hour and then set out with our hopes buoyed by the sun. The first part of the trail was a pretty flat jaunt along the valley and the Routeburn stream all of the way to Routeburn flat, which was (surprise, surprise) a nice flat area at the base of the surrounding mountains. There was a nice shelter and a smattering of campsites with spectacular views looking up in just about any direction. We had our afternoon snack and soaked in some sun before heading up to the Routeburn Falls hut (our desitation for the night).
One of the many swinging bridges we crossed
One of the many reasons we had bridges
The climb up was pretty steep at times scrambling up and over the rocks, but totally worth it. We arrived at the hut a bit quicker than expected (always nice!) and just beat the next wave of rain (even better!). And the word "hut" doesn't really do it justice- alpine lodge is a bit more appropriate. There weren't fireplaces and rugs everywhere but it was clean, had a bunch of cooking tops, and organized bunkrooms. The rain kept coming in fits and starts with the sun almost taunting hikers between the spells. The nice thing about rain and sun, though, is rainbows! We were treated to a few rounds of rainbows across the valley!
Spectacular, eh?
Tree at Routeburn Falls
Day 2 - Up and over the saddle
Per the hutmaster update last night, the forecast for today was supposed to be rain early and easing in the afternoon, so we planned a lazier morning and waited until the weather broke again. However, the weather flip-flopped and switched to fine in the morning and isolated showers forming around midday. By the time we saw the change, ate, and re-packed, it had started raining. We waited around for about an hour until we had a break in the rain and set out on the trail. The trail climbed up and past the Routeburn Falls, into a valley, and then up to Harris Saddle in the mountain range that we would cross to get to the other side. As we hiked along, a few small drizzles popped up for long enough to stop, put on a rain jacket, and start sweating. Oh well. Better to have a rainjacket than to not. The trail up ended at a large alpine lake with a day-use shelter.
Harris Lake just under the saddle
Harris Saddle with some small alpine pools full of fresh rainwater
There was an extra spur trail for those wanting more leg burn, so of course, I went up there. Bridget was kind enough to watch my bag inside the rainproof shelter while I went up. The trail up was pretty touch-and-go in spots. The rain had made the rocks pretty slick, so scrambling was a bit more exciting that usual. By the time I got to the top, the clouds had descended once again, and I was having flashbacks of Tongariro. The visibility was pretty close to "just forget about it" with a light drizzle accompaniment.
All socked in
However, not more than 15 minutes later, the clouds had broken and pockets of sunshine were poking through. I could see the mountains behind to the East and sort of make out the range across the valley to the West. The photos don't really do it justice, especially since timing was key as the clouds moved so fast.
Somewhat cleared up
Everyone says the weather in the alpine can change quickly and they aren't joking. It was surreal to sit and watch the clouds come and go, rise and fall. After my break in the clouds passed and the rain began to fall again, I headed back down to the trail. The rain this time, though, was much stronger and I was pretty well drenched by the time I got back down to the hut. We had our lunches and waited for the next few waves of rain to pass before getting back on the trail. When we saw a break in the clouds, we went for it. The rest of the trail for the day snaked its way along the mountainside slowly descending below the treeline before one last climb over the ridge to Lake Mackenzie (our destination). Our timing was pretty impeccable. We seemed to line up with the break between the showers lining up down the valley. The clouds across the valley slid their way up and along, giving us glimpses of the peaks shrouded behind their cover.
Clouds clearing across the valley with some glaciers peeking through
The trail ended at Lake Mackenzie, but not before winding back down through a "fairy" forest on the north aspect of the ridge lining the lake. This forest was quite unique in the incredible amount of moss all over the place. Like all over. It blanketed everything in sight. It almost looked like a nice layer of soft, green snow. Maybe that's more the snowboarder in me than the hiker, or maybe not. Anyway, this happens due to the 18-24 feet of rain they get here every year. It rains over 200 days per year and is considered rainforest, so the moss gets its favorite damp environment to grow. And grow it does. It actually creates a deep enough layer for the trees to grow into. So it wasn't uncommon to see huge boulders covered in moss with trees growing out of the top with moss on the tree trunks and hanging from the branches. It was wild.
Moss Forest
Anyway, the hut/lodge was a welcome sight after truding nearly 8 miles by that time. It is located just next to the lake, which was refreshing to soak my feet and wash up a bit. The hutmaster gave his evening talk after dinner, and he was hilarious. He probably talked for 30 minutes about the geology of the region, the park's work to eradicate the pests (he even had a stuffed stoat as a prop), and the history of the trails we walked. Quite educational and entertaining. Oh, and two of the fire exits in the hut are windows that you just jump out of - seriously. We finished the evening on the front porch sipping hot chocolate and watching the sun try to cast some color on the clouds.
Lake Mackenzie nestled in the valley
Lake Mackenzie from below
Sunset
Despite having plans to wake up early and make sure we had time for a bonus trail on the way out, the hustle and bustle in the cabin didn't wake us until well after our alarms were set. Oh well. We packed, ate, and got out in the trail without too much of a fire drill. Luckily, long legs make for fast walking, so we made up the time. The trail climbed back out of the valley where Lake Mackenzie sits and wound its way down and around to the parking lot at the end but not before passing by cascading waterfalls, alpine lakes, and majestic views of the mountains in the Fiordlands.
Earland Falls
Lake Howden
We also had enough time to catch the bonus trail up to Key Summit. This was quite an anomaly. The summit is actually relatively flat and home to its own ecosystem complete with carnivorous plants, ponds/peat bogs, and trees. All on top of this big hunk of rock jutting out into the valley. Totally wild, eh?
Alpine lake at Key Sumit
Can't get too many pictures of that view!
After exploring Key Summit, we finally finished the last few kilometers (total distance of 10 miles for the day) down to the end of the trail where our shuttle back to Queenestown was waiting. Since this route was a one-way trail and not a loop, we had a 3.5 hour trip back to Queenestown. But our shuttle driver was pretty funny as well, so he made the trip go more quickly. After an extra 30-minute delay at some bridge construction (funny story as to why it is still under construction), we made it back to our AirBnB and started prepping to pack up and head out the next day.
Anyway, all said and done, another excellent tramp for sure!
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