Sunrises that turn the sky purple and the clouds brilliant shades of pink and orange, rivers so vibrantly teal and so clear that every pebble can be seen on the riverbed, forests thick with ferns and the tweeting of birds, lakes of water sitting impossibly high on the tops of mountains, the sweeping depths of golden yellow valley floors lined with crisscrossing blue streams, snowcapped peaks fighting the suns warmth, immensely huge cliffs with dozens of cascading waterfalls, stunning views of the sea blocked from advancing further by glacier cut mountains, clouds eerily in the distance moving as if alive and swallowing everything in its path, wooded mountainsides completely covered in a thick soft blanket of moss, and emerald green pools of water sitting amongst a meadow of lush grass... this isn't a fairy tale folks, this is the Routeburn Track.
Words don't do justice to the beauty of the 19-mile hike A-town and I undertook early Monday morning. Getting up at 4am, we double-checked our packs for food and emergency gear before filling up with water and heading on our way. The hour and a half drive in the pitch-black soon became lit enough to make out figures of sheep grazing and mountain peaks in the distance. Arriving at the Routeburn Shelter, we stripped down to running shorts and t-shirts, stretched, and then began our mission.
Crossing swing bridges and climbing rock-faces, we made our way jogging and walking briskly up a steep ascent to the first hut on the track; stopping once or twice for the some of the dozens of photos taken throughout the day. Pausing for a few minutes to catch our breath and to enjoy the sun that was finally up, we began running into other hikers, some on their second or third day of walking the track. Within minutes we were off again, carefully picking our steps over loose rocks and water as we ran. Stopping only for pictures and to navigate passing hikers, we arrived at the summit of the trail after two hours of an exhausting climb. Two elderly Kiwis provided a wonderful break and some much-needed encouragement before we continued on.
The path became more narrow, snaking along a mountainside with very little room for error. A slip in the wrong section would inevitably send you a few hundred meters down a very unforgiving rocky cliffside. Starting to feel the fatigue, and definitely the hunger, we both took our time descending to Lake Mackenzie while enjoying the clear skies and warm sun. An hour spent eating, napping, and having a hilarious impromptu photo shoot left us rested and energized for the last 7 miles of the trek.
The track leveled out (in comparison to the first half of up and down zig-zagging) enough for us to pick up the pace. Still careful to watch every step, we found ourselves racing through the forest until coming upon the base of a massive waterfall. Falling from 1,000 feet up, water crashed over jagged rocks before settling into a crystal clear pool of calm water. Snagging a few pictures before heading out, we were forced to slow down and climb massive boulders until the trail appeared again. Realizing we were way ahead of schedule, and both not particularly ready to start running again, we spent an hour walking and reliving the glory days of playing rugby and the crazy times with the crew at Chico State.
Mid-story I realized the trail had become extremely level and made the decision to run again, figuring it was unlikely we would have such a nice gradient for very long. Ever the typical American, A-town busted out her headphones and picked a "sick beat" on her iPhone to keep pace with. Her beats must've been pretty sick because I found myself in a sprint just to keep up. Literally leaping over streams and banking off of rocks, I felt like we were in a video game and was very thankful for all the agility drills I had gone through playing rugby. Rocks aren't exactly as forgiving as cones and I quickly learned that looking up meant twisting my ankle and so kept my eyes to the ground.
Arriving at the last hut, thoroughly exhausted, we took in more water and set a goal -to run the last 2 miles in 20 minutes.
Then we turned the corner and saw the massive hill we had to climb.As we trudged to the top A-towns knee almost doubled in size and we both agreed it would be better for her to walk the rest of the way to the car. Ever the competitor, I figured that since I started the hike running, I was going to finish it running. Forgetting the ache in my legs and the pain in my ankles, I cruised to the car dodging tourists left and right. Finally at the parking lot, elated to have conquered 19-miles in 7 hours, I was far too quickly reminded of the one small error I had made that day- leaving the car keys at home.
Because the track goes in one direction, I had driven my coworker's car to one end and she had taken mine to the other. Being excited to have the opportunity to use one of my spare keys (that costs nearly $200 if you remember) I told her to lock my regular keys inside the car. Unfortunately the spare key was a few hours away still hanging out in the pocket of my jeans. A-town arrived as I was trying to wedge the door open with sticks. A few dozen broken sticks later, and with no cell phone reception, I had all but given up. Rock in hand, poised to smash a window, I looked up to see a campervan pull up. Weighing the fun of smashing a window against the cost of replacing it, I listened to A-town's suggestion and headed over to ask for help.
A van full of young hippie Germans is always promising! One stirring spoon and a carpenters measuring stick later, and presto, the car was unlocked! The Germans were surprisingly funny, and I spent a few minutes profusely thanking them and offering them gum as a reward. Thankful to have the lucky fortune of having a German carpenter save the day, A-town and I clamored into Pip (the van), high-fived ourselves to a job well done, and drove away smiling.
-Ashley
Fun Fact: Not only did I manage to lock the keys in the car that day, but an hour later I left the lights on and drained the entire battery. Luckily A-town has no qualm shouting at strangers, because we soon were rescued (for the second time in a day) by a drunk Virginian man with jumper cables!
I very much enjoyed reading about your day! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDelete<3