Milford Track - check

We have been delinquent on our blogging. When that happens, you feel like you need to write a lot to make up for the big gap, but I’ll spare you that for the most part.

We finished up the Milford Track a couple of days ago.  If you google the Milford Track, the advertisement at the top describes it as “The Finest Walk in the World”.  That is a pretty bold claim, but it certainly is nice.  It is a four day hike, but if you are speaking like a proper kiwi, it is called “tramping”, not hiking.  The total length is 33 miles.  Over that distance, you first hike up the Clinton River valley.  At its headwaters, you climb up and over MacKinnon Pass and then down the Arthur River valley to Milford Sound.

The before.....

Our first hut, the Clinton Hut...

In part, Margaret and my inspiration for this New Zealand trip was seeing a Globe Trekker New Zealand episode on PBS when the kids were just babies. In that show, the host tramped the Milford Track and we thought we have to go do that someday.  So we did it.

This is super wet and lush country.  We had two partial days of rain, but also two clear days which I would guess is well above average.  Somebody told us that Milford gets 8 to 9 meters of rain per year.  That is an unsubstantiated figure, but I am going with it.  For you English units enthusiasts, that is an average of almost an inch of rain per day.  The country reminded me of a blend of the Napali Coast on Kauai (for verticality), Southeast Alaska (when raining), and the Sierras (for all the granite).  It was impressive.

The Kea, the world's only alpine parrot species.  You had to hide your boots from these guys as they are quite mischievous and destructive....

The kids did well on the trail.  We were carrying our sleeping bags, clothes, food, kitchen gear, etc. (no tents, or sleeping pads as we were staying in huts along the way).  The first day was short, but the next three days averaged about 10 miles per day,  which is decent chunk of mileage for a 14 year old and 11 year old.  Everybody travels in the same direction on the track, so we stayed with the same set of walkers every night.  Lucas and Walter were the only kids which made us a bit of a novelty in a good way.

At the top of MacKinnon Pass which was about 3500 ft....

Our teenage son in an unsuccessful attempt to be surly...

It was quite an international contingent on the track at least among our hut-mates.  Lots of Aussies, a few Germans, eight Americans including ourselves, couples from Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Austria, a woman from South Korea, a few Scots and English.  Interestingly, there was not a single Kiwi on the trip.  Apparently, they like to do it in the off-season when the tourists have gone home.  The trampers were clearly bi-modal with about an equal number of younger people without kids and older empty nesters, and then us in the middle.

The after looking a bit haggard and ready for a shower....

Four thumbs up for the Milford Track from the Morton family!