Journal #9: Routeburn Track
3/10/16
Cover Photo: “Better Grab an Umbrella”
Sheep Spotted: ~500

***Routeburn Track Journal 3 of 3***

Cover Photo: Routeburn Falls right before the storm started.

Quick Disclaimer: This three-day trip has been fantastic from start to finish, but we were very fortunate not to encounter rain or heavy winds while we were in the mountains. It rains quite often in this area, and today while heading through the forest, we got hammered.

“If it ain’t raining, it ain’t training”-Bear Grylls

Although not as severe as had been forecasted, this morning we awoke to heavy rains and wind at Routeburn Falls. In theory this wasn’t a big deal, since the remainder of our hike was all downhill and under tree cover; however, being downhill also meant the that water was running straight onto the hiking path, creating big rapid-like rivers in certain sections of the track(big shout out to the guides Heather, Shaun, and Blair for standing knee deep in the rapids in order to help us get across):

Luckily we all survived the rain, and by mid-day it was clear and sunny again. This area of the track (Routeburn Falls to the Routeburn Flats/Road) is quite beautiful and peaceful- although it does not have the dramatic topography of the second day; it makes up for it with lush green forest:

Once we are out of the forest, we started to head back to Queenstown via Glenorchy. Here’s the photo our hiking company (Ultimate Hikes New Zealand) took of the group:

I’m back in Queenstown now and will be writing one final journal before heading to Christchurch. Stay tuned for that journal as well as my final analysis of the Craft Beers in the area!

-MB