Celebrated New Year's Eve in a great place, Barnyard Backpackers, and got organized for starting the four-day tramp on the Milford Track on January 1 - a great way to start the year! A boat ride took us to Glade Landing for the short hike to the Clinton Hut. The next few days were pretty interesting as the weather changed, bringing on rain, the potential for a helicopter ride over flooded portions of the track (instead we got to tramp through hip-deep icewater, saving the helicopter for bringing in a replacement bridge), a blizzard going over the pass, and a gorgeous last day on the track. Despite the wet, cold and cloudy weather, all had a super time and all that rain made for a spectacle of 'ballistic' waterfalls. We all discovered the importance of Tabasco sauce on freeze-dried food, and our cameras may never quite dry out, but we met some fun people (including our Japanese friend, Yoshiko) and will have many memories of this part of the trip. |