Hello hello,
So, the Milford Track. AMAZING!
I put some pictures up, but they really don't show anything. You couldn't ever hop to capture the beauty of the place in a camera. . .
It was the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life. I can't really put in words. It was just jaw droppingly beautiful.
Like normal, I forgot something, and it just so happened to be the booklet with the times and distances in etc etc. So, I'm just going to be winging it a bit here!
Day 1.
A 1hour ish boat journey to the start of the track, was pretttttty cold and windy on the top deck so spent most of the time down the bottom in the shelter from the wind, topping up the tan.
When we got off the boat we had to dip our feet in some bug killing liquid type stuff . . . Was pretty painless.
At first though, we had to wait for all the $2000 guided walkers to shift there asses off the boat. Then I stomped it out.
The first day was only like 5k, so nothing really, the track was pretty rocky. DOn't want to make it seem like a stroll around Woodbridge . . .
Got to the hut in about 35-40mins (again, I have this all written down, just not with me!!)
Spent the rest of the day chilling down in the F F F F F FREEEEEZING river and reading my book. The first nights dinner was a disaster. I thought I would be clever and take some sausages and bacon, fry them and have them with some little speggheti hoops. Though, schoolboy error, I forgot the oil or butter, so the just kinda burnt! Div. Was going to have the left-overs in a sandwich the next day. Oh well . . . Ended up having just the hoops and some trail mix peanuts raisons type things . . . Not all at once though! Then everyone was gathered in the 'mess hall' so we all had chats and did a puzzle, didn't talk to everyone though. SOMe people kept themselves to themselves and others were just annoying!!
Day 2.
Longer day today, think it was 15k. Did it in 4hours 12minutes. I am a tank!! No, I'm sure people have done it faster, but I was happy considering the stooooopid weight of my pack and the alien, to me, terrain. Was first there anyway, so was chuffed with myself. Decided that I would have my T early so I didn't get in the way or have to wait for everyone else, got cooking my pasta and spoke to the hut guy 'Bushy' he was a good guy. . . Then a woman called Hedda showed up next, we ended up having a goooood chat and found out she had lived in the UK for a while and is now married to an American and they live in LA. They have been travelling for 18months. Crazy!! He is and AVID surfer, so was hiking with one of his boards on a different track . . .
We found out from Bushy that there was a swimming hole, so headed down there, swam, again it was FREEEZING! So, I actuall just paddled . . . Did a bit of sunbathing. Then Hedda headed back to camp, I went and sat with a slightly older couple, both 60ish, called Roger and Sarah. They are amazing people, they were English but had lived and travelled some amazing places. Whilst we were sitting there gassing away we heard an almighty crack, and witnesed an ice glacier thing crumpling and causing an avalanche. Was crazy HUGE. Sadly was too slow on the old camera :-( We carried on gassing and there was another one, again too slow on the camera. Apparently it is really rare to see them, and now I've seen two!
That night Hedda let slip that it was my Birthday and the American families I'd become friendly with the night before mad me 'pudding' which is actually Angel Delight and sang Happy Birthday, was really nice and felt CRAZY embarressed! We all played cards for a bit then headed to the sack. Hedda and me chatted for a bit and read our books then I opened my cards (mum, yours was class!!) and ate my birthday crunchie I had packed.
Day3.
Think it was about 14k
Apparently the most difficult day, it was, big old slug uphill. Though it was rewarded with unbelievable views. This is where the toilet and the Hut are . . . Was cold at the summit, so Hedda an me sat in the hut and had hot chocolate and waited for the cloud to dissapear, it did, but not completely. Bit of a shame, but still got some goooood pictures and amazing memories. . .
Headed off on the down hill (just like to say that I did walk most of it by myself, because I was sooooo sppppppppppeeeeeeeeeddddddddyyyyyy! I knew Hedda was behind me so I waited for her, though to be fair, she was uber speedy too. . .)
The downhill was horrible, I didn't realize how far it would be, we actually wentt down something like 900m, which is hard on the knees. Took me just under 2hours I think. When I got to the bottom I left my pack in a little hut, and headed off to Sutherland falls, which is fantastic. Its HUGE! Took about 20mins to run there, yes I ran!! (again, I'm a tank, right?! :-P) It's 580m high, and the force and power it created were immence. The walk/run upto it was all in forst, and as soon as you got close and the trees cleared you got soaked, and I mean soaked. Like normal the water was FRRRREEEEEEZING and the falls created its own wind which made it worse. ANyways, like a true hero, I headed under. Later found out that not everyone did, and the people that did wore waterproofs. I was in my shirt and shorts. Tough guy :-P Wasn't actually that great, just cold wet and painful. Totally worth it though, not many people can say they got slapped about by a waterfall!
I headed/squelched back to the pack shelter and waited for Hedda, then we both walked down to the falls again. We took a few pictures of each other infront of it, though I think I might have accidently deleted them :-( Hedda didn't fancy going under at that point, but she went back later . . .
Ended up sunbathing at the pack shelter for a couple of hours then tanked it to the next proper hut. Shotgunned a couple of bunks for Hedda ( who I think was about 30ish by the way) and me then got some early eats. Pasta and leftover tommy sauce. Classic.
ARGHGGGGGGGG!! The page just refreshed and I lost everything after this. Going to be brief now, because I've been on the net for ages and I'm hungry . . .
Met another lad called Tom, had good chats.
Hedda, Tom n me went for swims in the water, was the best water so far, slightly warmer, still frezzing, just slightly less!
Day 4
Good old hike today 18k I think. Was ill in the morning :-(
Sucked it up though and stomped it out to catch up with Hedda and Tom. We tramped for a bit and stopped at Giants gateway, or something similar, for eats. Went for a last swim, where I stupidly jumped about 8ft into the water and landed on a rock. Div! REALLY REALLY hurt. Ended up hobling the last bit, was alright though, had good chats with Tom n Hedda.
Got to the boat back to civilisation JUST in time. Took about 20mins to get to the land, all of us got on a coach, then split up at Te Anua. We said our goodbyes. Was actually V. sad. Though, I'm going up the North Island sometime soon. Going to stay with Tom and he is gunna teach me to surf.
Also got an invite to go stay with Hedda and her Husband, Mike, in LA whenever I want. Even in a years time.
All in all had the best time EVER. Maybe the best thing I have ever done in my life. .. So far :-)
Annoyed with this PC now so I'm off before I cry!
Oh, and I had my hair cut. Nice!
H x
