Well we made it back from our backcountry bush adventure! We walked the Routeburn track, which is one of New Zealand's "great" walks, but then we decided to add on another trail at the end of it called the Greenstone. We initially booked the Routeburn before we left Canada, but then we realized that in order to get back to your staring point to pick up all the stuff you didn't want to carry on the trek, it's like a 3 hour drive/bus ride because of the way the roads go, and it's 120$ per person in transport! So we cheaped out and decided to go back on foot via another track. This area gets a lot of rain and they say to "expect" to get wet at least one day, and that being soaked and having muddy boots is part of the Routeburn experience. So I would say we did experience it!! All in all though it was great and we were actually pretty lucky as far as weather goes. The Routeburn especially goes over a saddle through the mountains that provides some stunning views below that would have been impossible to see had it been cloudy but we had a more or less clear day until we crossed the saddle and then the clouds started to set in. Our first day, before we really started getting some elevation was a picture perfect day, not a cloud in the sky and lovely and warm. Our campsite was right beside a river with picture-esque views of the mountains. On our second night a storm set in and there was CRAZY wind, and I actually thought our tent was going to break or fly away! It rained hard all night and (of course) all the stuff in our tent got wet (thank goodness for my dry sack- the Nikon made it without getting hit by a drop of rain). The next morning it was a little hard to get motivated and pack up in the rain but we did it and the first 4-5 hours of the hike were kind of drizzly but then we stopped at this hut and had some lunch and dried ourselves off so we felt a lot better. All the little streams along the track had so much water from the rain and we couldn't even stand beside the waterfall that is on the route, it was just so powerful! In the afternoon the sun came out and we felt a lot more optimistic. We finally reached our desitination at about 9pm after almost 12 hours of walking! It was pretty intense and we were pooped! The scenery however was worth it. The track ran alonside the river, in a valley between mountains and there were sheep and cows grazing. The clouds were slowly lifting from the mountain tops and the air was so fragrant and clean. We stayed in this little hut last night on the track so we got a good night's sleep and headed off at about 7am this morning so we could catch the shuttle back to town by noon. And now we are sore but great! We've showered, had a nap, had a fantastic meal of pizza and wine by the water and have a nice warm bed to sleep in tonight. We even managed to dry out all of our camping stuff so it's ready for the next adventure.
We don't have a plan for tomorrow yet...maybe some R and R :>)
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