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The greatest Great Walks (Milford, Routeburn and Kepler)

In the Fiordland area in the southern part of the South Island you can find the three most popular hikes in New Zealand. The Milford Track being the most popular closely followed by the Routeburn. The Kepler was created not too long ago to let some pressure off especially the Milford. I am not sure how well this worked considering you still have to book the Milford Track half a year in advance to be sure to get a spot. The Kepler is normally the track people end up doing if they have not booked in advance.

MacKinnon Pass on the Milford Track

Being a keen hiker and researcher I of course booked the Milford already in July last year so our spot was safe. There are usually cancellations so if you have not booked you can still get lucky but would require checking the booking site everyday which is not what I fancy on a holiday. At the time of booking I did not realize we would do as many hike as we have. Now we have done 8 multiday hikes and a few day hikes including all of the three above.

The hikes mentioned above are also the most expensive ones costing 54 NZ dollars per person per night. This is the same price as a standard motel room but here you have to share more or less dirty kitchens, toilets and sleeping quarters with snorers and people with no respect of others. I understand that they do charge this much considering how hard it is to maintain tracks and huts in this environment. But being on holiday and wanting to do a lot of hiking it unfortunately quickly becomes very expensive.

One of the many waterfalls on the Milford Track.

Partly because of the price but even more because the recommended times on the Great Walks was becoming too easy and tedious for us (spending too much time in huts is simply not comfortable or fun enough in the long run) we ended up doing these three tracks in different ways. In the Milford case we didn’t really have a choice, you had to spend one night in each hut. They let 40 people start the track every day (on top of that there is the guided walk) and you are only allowed to go in one direction in high season. So the Milford was an easy hike, 3 nights and not very strenuous. We had lots of time on the track which in our case was perfect because Andy had some problems with his knee and by the end of the track he was basically fine again. This track requires ferry transport at each end and bus to take you back to square one which also makes it the most expensive one.

Part of the ridge on Kepler.

Andy’s knee problems originated on the Kepler Track which we did faster than recommended spending only one night on the track instead of two or three. This meant two longer hiking days, 30 km each. Due to Andy’s knee, which started to give him trouble on the second day, we cut that day short at 20 km and caught the bus the remaining 10 km. I had thought this hike would be very strenuous with two long days including about 1700 m total elevation but it turned out not to be so bad. Maybe we are getting more fit after all. 🙂

On top of Conical Hill on the Routeburn Track

The Routeburn Track which was the last of our hikes we decided to do as a day hike, or at least two thirds of the track. The complete Routeburn in one day would have been easy being only 32 km. But the problem is that it is a one way trail and you have to get transport from the finish back to the start which is a 4-5 hours drive. So we decided to hike the most interesting part over the Harris Saddle, down to Lake Mackenzie and then back again. Meaning we managed to make a 32 km hike into a 42.5 km one because we wanted to get back to the point we started. This was a bit more strenuous than anything else and our bodies needed a day or so to recover.

As for the tracks it is hard to say which one is more beautiful because they are a all a bit different. The Milford has the most variety with its streams, waterfalls, steep valley sides, the mountain pass with good views, forest and boat rides. It is known at “the greatest walk in the world” for a reason, it is really nice. However if what you are after is a more alpine experience the Routeburn with better views (especially if you climb the Conical Hill), alpine lakes, nice forest and streams might be to prefer. The Routeburn still has a lot of variety and more time above the tree line with good views. The Kepler, which is a bit of a favorite for us, has the best views and a trail along a long ridge (I love ridges). However the forest is not as nice and it misses the streams and waterfalls. But that ridge is worth it! Actually I would recommend hiking the ridge over to the hut on the other side and then going the same way back the next day instead of doing the complete loop. That way you have a better change of getting good weather on the ridge.

You can decide for yourself which is your favorite by looking at the images below:

Milford Track

Routeburn Track

Kepler Track

The challenge – North West Circuit on Stewart Island

After hiking a number of Great Walks we started to feel we needed a challenge. The North West Circuit on Stewart Island would definitely be the longest and hardest trail we have ever done and most probably ever will do. The fact that this is the place where you have the best chance of spotting kiwis was another reason for going. The route we chose was in total 132 km and almost 5000 m elevation including the highest peak on the island, Mt Anglem. The trail is not maintained like the Great Walks and features lots of roots, steep slopes and mud. We had read a lot about knee deep mud all along the trail and were prepared for the worst.

Sunset at Big Hellfire Hut.

It had been dry weather for two whole weeks when we arrived at Stewart Island and only a few showers were predicted in the next couple of days. The hike would take 9 days so we knew that we could get any kind of weather before we were due back. A few days of heavy rain and the track would be very wet, muddy and slippery. We believe we were very lucky and had only light showers a couple of days.

Mud, mud, mud.

Doing the Circuit clockwise is not the usual way to do it and not a lot of people go in this direction. Reason being that the first few days will then be the longest and hardest when you still have a very heavy backpack. But we did want a challenge so off we went. It was hard the first few days but I thought it continued that way the whole time. Of course that was partly our own fault. First of all it was hard just because it was long, many consecutive days on a difficult trail. Second we decided to add a side trip on day 6. The side trip was climbing Mt Anglem which is the highest peak on the island with its 980 meters. It may not sound very impressive but the trail was even steeper, more washed out and muddier than the rest. This day we hiked in total for 9 hours and were completely exhausted in the evening. Our bodies did not seem to really recover after this and even if the remaining days were easier we felt more tired.

View from the top of Mt Anglem. We were extremely lucky with the weather, the only day with a clear blue sky. That made it worth the 3 hour climb to the peak.

Before we started I was mostly worried about the mud and the length of the track. What I ended up thinking was the worst was all the ups and downs, high steps and roots to climb over. It was basically very exhausting all the time. It was mentally hard to be out for so many days and after a few days we dreamed of fresh fruit and beer instead of freeze dried food and oatmeal.

East Ruggedy Beach.

What you see along this trail is a large variety of scenery including beaches, forest, bush, and sand dunes. We did meet a few people along the way but most of the time we were alone in this wild country which was absolutely amazing. And we did see 4 kiwis! Apart from the kiwis there are lots of cool birds on this island like red crowned parakeet, robins, wood pigeons and fan tails. Although it was hard work it was worth it and very rewarding in the end.

Sunrise at Bungaree Hut.

First thing I did when we came back to Oban was to order a big salad for lunch. Wonderful with fresh food! In the evening after a long hot shower we went for hamburgers and beer. 🙂

More photos:

Stewart Island – North West Circuit

The stats:

The ocean!

Last time any of us saw the ocean was as we were driving to San Diego in the beginning of January 2011. Now, one and a half years later, we are finally looking at the ocean again. This time it is on the Canadian west coast.

We boarded a ferry in Prince Rupert that would take us to Port Hardy in the northern part of Vancouver Island. Although the ferry goes between islands most of the way we caught a glimpse of the ocean at a couple of occasions.

The ferry ride was about 15 hours long and started 7.30 in the morning. For convenience sake we got a cabin with sea view. It had beds, a desk and the best shower we have had during the whole trip. We believe the ship is build in Germany because the shower was European style with a shower head you can actually remove.

The past few days had been rainy and cold so it was very appreciated to be able to relax in the warm cabin when we were not outside looking at the views. We are now looking forward to some warmer temperatures and will travel south until it becomes comfortable again. 🙂

The first half of the day we spent in the cabin because the weather was not very nice but it got better the further south we got. In the afternoon we passed by a couple of inhabited islands. As the sun came out it was suddenly nice to be outside and enjoy the sea air.

Small island close to Bella Bella

The town Bella Bella

To hike a 14er

By now we have been on the peak of half of the 55 14ers in Colorado. You might wonder why we have to climb that many. Once you have hiked a few you get hooked and want more. Although they are all about the same height they are all different. The hike itself can be easy walking or partly technical climbing. There are usually several ways up a 14er and we have chosen both easy and harder routes. The harder ones are the favorites since they feature less people and more fun. The view is different on each peak even if they sometimes are very close to each other. Sometimes there are green rolling hills around, sometimes rugged ridges and rock faces. The crowd is always different, you might be alone on the peak or trying to find a spot to sit down among dozens of people.

Below is a photo album from this years adventures in Colorado.

Since there are many thunderstorms in the mountains this time of year it takes some planning to avoid getting stuck on a peak when lightning strikes. According to our experience the clouds starts forming around 10 am and usually the first rain starts somewhere between 12 and 2 pm. We do not like hiking in rain so naturally to avoid it we get up very early in the morning to make it to the top when the sky is still blue and start heading down when we see small fluffy clouds that in no time will transform into dark rain clouds. This means that for a longer hike where more peaks are combined or there is a very long approach we start hiking before 4 am. Just after 5 am it is light enough to hike without a head lamp and usually the first part of the hike is not so difficult to find. Another good thing about starting early is that it is cool and very nice hiking temperature. For easier hikes we might not start until between 6 and 7 am.

On the trail as the sun is rising. (Mt Bierstadt)

The weather seem to be something that people does not care much about until they are in it. We are usually among the first ones on the trail. Does people not read the weather report? Have they not seen what the weather has been like the past weeks? It is always the same according to our experience. On basically every peak most people will barely make it to the top to get a good look at the view before the clouds roll in. These people will most probably get caught in the rain coming down but will at least be off the peak before the thunderstorms hit. Then there is always the guy we call the 11 o’clock man (or woman). Usually this is one person hiking alone who starts heading up the mountain around 11 am as we are almost down again. He will definitely not make to the top before it starts raining and will have to turn around without even reaching the peak unless he wants to risk getting hit by lightning. This must be very frustrating, going through so much for nothing. We are equally fascinated every time.

It is very obvious which are the popular peaks and not. On a few peaks we have been alone, maybe meeting a few people on the way, and on other there have been crowds. The popular ones are naturally those where you can reach a trailhead with a normal 2wd car and still do not have to hike too far. It is amazing though what people put their 2wd’s through to reach a trailhead. We saw one very sporty car, probably even lower than the original model, on a very obvious 4wd trailhead. He must have damaged his car driving to and from this trailhead. Is it worth it?

One of the more popular peaks, Grays Peak.

Clothing is another interesting thing. I think it is quite cold on a 14er, the wind is usually strong and the air cold. I could not make it without long pants and long sleeves, usually a windstopper on top of a long sleeved and a short sleeved merino wool shirt. The most Americans though are wearing short (for girls usually very short) pants and often tank tops or t-shirts. My body would scream and refuse to work if I would wear that. I can not possibly hike fast enough to warm my body during these conditions. Maybe on the peak they will put a thin wind jacket on before they hurry down again after taking the obligatory peak photos. It was very obvious as we were hiking Mt Shavano. A lady started just after us and had about the same pace. As the sun came out we stopped to put on sun block on our faces and put on a extra jacket because we were now above the tree line and the temperature had dropped and the wind was chilly. She stopped at the same time, also to put sun block on but she also took her jacket off and zipped off her pants! Does the American bodies work differently or are we just incredibly cold??

The summary is that we can only warmly recommend hiking 14ers in Colorado. It is a beautiful and friendly area with peaks that will fit everybody.

Cathedral Peak

One of our goals in Tuolumne was to climb the Cathedral Peak. It is rated a 5.6 which should be an easy climb for us. The theoretical number of pitches were 5-6.

Cathedral Peak as we are approaching. The climb is up the left ridge.

We got up before the sun and started the approach at dawn. It took us almost 1.5 hours to reach the base of the climb. It took us a few minutes to gear up and have a sip of water. The mosquitos were bad so we did not linger at the base.

I started leading the first pitch which featured a hand crack custom made for my size of hand. Andy did not like it as much. Second pitch Andy lead. Third pitch I ended up choosing the wrong way and made a belay station before I was supposed to due to the rope drag being heavy and the crack much more difficult than I thought. Andy had to come to the rescue. After this point we did shorter pitches than was described in the topo and ended up with 8 pitches instead of 5 or 6. It was a great climb that had some great spots like the hand crack, a chimney and some airy bits close to and on the peak.

Andy having a rest at one belay station.

Me in the chimney.

As always it took us a bit longer than it says in the guide books but we were the first ones on the cliff and the first ones on the top. There were a number of people coming up after us but we only saw them from above and did not actually meet anyone during our climb. We were surprised because it had said that this route is always full of people.

Andy on the peak.

It was a great feeling to sit on the top of Cathedral Peak. There is not a lot of space up there and we were happy we were the only ones. The view was spectacular and is always so much better if you actually made an effort to get there.

Me on one of the rocks forming the peak.

The view from the peak. If you look closely on the image you can see a guy on the top of the spire, the Eichhorn.

The down climb was described as a 4^th class (should be easy) and probably was if you found the exact right way. We found a tree and ended up rappelling down to save some time and energy. Once back at the Meadow we went to the store, bought some soda and chips and had a rest at the creek before we jumped in it. The creek is not colder than average summer water temperature in Sweden so it is ok.

Hiking back after a great climb.

Yosemite Valley – good and bad

We had both been looking forward to going to Yosemite. I had been there before about 10 years ago and could remember the guided climb we did in Tuolumne and the long and strenuous hike up Half Dome. All were good memories which had made me want to go back for a long time.

As we drove into the Yosemite Valley a Thursday afternoon it was packed with tourists, bicycles and more noticeably cars with drivers who were looking more at the views than the road. There are a number of camp sites in the Valley which were all fully booked since months. If you travel like we do, not reserving anything in advance, you can basically forget about Yosemite Valley. Unless you want to spend half of every day checking the waiting lists for last minute cancellations. If you do get a spot you have it for one night and the next day you have to do the same thing again. Hence you will never have time to actually do anything during the day because you have to be at the campground reservation office early afternoon.

Disappointed we ended up at a campground almost an hour away towards Tuolumne Meadows. We decided anyway to go back the next day to the Valley, do one hike, look at some sights and then head on to Tuolumne for hiking and climbing.

We had also been hoping to be able to hike the Half Dome but gave that up pretty quickly as well. To get a last minute permit for that you have to call (and you can guess how well cell phones work in the National Park) and get on a waiting list two days in advance of the day you actually want to do the hike. There is then a lottery and if you are lucky you get a permit. Otherwise, better luck next time. But since camping was so difficult to find and we want to get a very early start for that hike we decided to put our energy on other things instead. There are other peaks to climb and hikes to do. We can always come back some other time when we are willing to plan ahead. This kind of thing really throws me off. One peak is not important enough to go through that much trouble. We had just come from Mt Whitney where we had to go through a similar thing and were not ready to do it again.

The day we did spend in the valley we hiked up to Yosemite Point which is just passed the Upper Yosemite Falls. As we started in the morning there were not too many people on the trail but it filled up later in the day as we were heading down again. It was quite interesting to see the variety of clothing and equipment for the hikers on this trail. The shoes people were wearing was anything from alpine mountaineering boots to hiking shoes, sneakers, toe shoes and leather sneakers (definitely not made for hiking).

Yosemite Falls from the valley floor.

Just above Yosemite Falls.

We thought is was a nice half day hike with pretty views from the top, well worth the effort. A bit too crowded for our taste but that is what you get here. It is really a spectacular valley and I understand why so many come here. It is a brilliant place if you want to see a lot in a small area. The rock faces and water falls are very dramatic and situated in the best possible way.

View of the valley and Half Dome from Yosemite Point.