Wanted: Two New Pairs of Men's Feet
Trip Start
Mar 23, 2008
1
6
48
Trip End
Sep 23, 2008
Te Anau,
New Zealand
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
We hiked the Kepler in 2.5 days/2 nights. Most trampers take 5 days/4 nights. The reason for this is that only two locations along the track were suitable for camping. The members of PLT II were not willing to pay $40/night to stay in the cushy huts.
We hiked the first day along the banks of Lake Te Anau and arrived 3 hours later at a beautiful beach named Broad Bay. We took a quick swim (or shower, as we call it), and spent the afternoon lounging on the beach and setting up camp
Bridge Along Kepler Track
. The only other tramper at the beach was from Boulder, Colorado, of all places. The following morning, we woke up before the sun, packed up camp and set out on what would be the hardest, longest, most epic hiking day Max and Benny have ever had. We started out at 400 ft above sea level and
climbed through the bush to an altitude of 4500 feet. We spent the better part of the day above the bush line, taking in amazing views of the surrounding mountains, lakes and passing clouds. This was scenery that was unlike anything we had ever seen before, and we have both been on plenty of hikes around the US and Canada. We then gained and lost another 1000 feet before descending 3000 feet courtesy of 96 switch-backs. By the end of the day we were both hurting bad and had really, really sore feet. We ate a meal of Raman noodles and went directly to bed.
We woke up the following morning and hiked 12 miles through dense, green mossy forest. The forest is similar to those in Olympic National Park, but much larger and greener. This day was filled with flat hiking, but turned out to be harder than the day before due to the condition of our feet. We pulled off the track at Rainbow Road and caught a ride back to Te Anau
Lake Te Anau
. Max can barely walk today and I am still quite sore. We'll take a few days off then drive to Queenstown for more tramping. Our camera ran out of batteries on this tramp, so we only have a few pictures that were taken at low elevations. These pictures do not even compare to the scenery we saw along the ridge line. Don't worry, Shake Down Trip = never ever leave without plenty of extra batteries!
Today, RICK is getting a 4-wheel alignment and coolant flush. Max and I are doing laundry and resting the legs for the next adventure...
Comments
hi
you guys are the trampiest trampers new zealand ever saw.
hahaha, couldnt resist.
love,
em
From Green Bay walkers to New Zealand trampers
Love the gymnastics! The new jacket looks great, too! What fabulous photos from the top as well as over the sand. Hope the feet are less sore today and RICK enjoyed his flush! Love, Mom and Dad K
Hate to say it . . . .
But i tole ya. Think of you every day. In your new favorite place. with your new favorite RICK. and your new found facial hair. love you mean it.