Day two involved the services of Trips 'n' Tramps again, this time to lead us on two hikes in one day. The first hike was up to Lake Marian. That was a killer; our super-human guide, Sacha, cherubic and blonde (and reminded me of tennis player Kim Clijsters), cleared a path by ripping, breaking, and hacking up dead but thickly entangled foliage as she led us up the rugged mountain. The only signs of a trail were the little plastic arrows tacked onto the occasional tree trunk. I would've been lost in a second, but Sacha clearly knew her way around.
In addition to the purely navigational hurdles, the terrain itself was wet, slippery, muddy, covered with rocks and tree trunks and dead branches and anything else you can imagine would block your path in a rainforest that has had all winter to regrow what had been cleared out by trampers during the last tramping season.
This was probably the hardest hike I'd ever done (I am not a regular hiker), so it goes that it was the most rewarding as well. When we reached the lake, it was just past noon, and the sight of the wintry scene, under deep blue skies and unfiltered sunlight, was beyond bliss.
Other than a few quacking ducks out on the lake, the place was serene and quiet. Sacha thanked us for hiring her to lead us that day, because she had never been to Lake Marian at this time of year and had never seen it with so much snow. We sat on warm rocks and ate our lunches. At one point, Sacha pointed out a small avalanche coming down the mountain.
On lodging: we stayed at Te Anau Lakefront Backpackers, right by the lake in tiny, low-key Te Anau, the nearest town to Milford Sound with accomodations. It was so devoid of people that one night when James and I walked home from dinner, it felt like we were the only humans left on earth. And when we looked up in the sky, we saw not one but two shooting stars that lasted much longer than any I'd seen in the Northern Hemisphere. We could also see the Milky Way. It was the first time I'd knowingly seen it. It was really clear, and looked really close. At first I thought I only saw clouds. But there were no city lights for clouds to reflect. Plus, it looked really... milky.
211
Lake Te Anau |
212
Lakefront Drive (our hostel is just out of frame) |
213
indication of our elevation |
214
snow among ferns (Sacha in b.g.) |
215
more fern, less snow |
216
snow angel |
217
closer |
218
gives you an idea how bright it was |
219
Lake Marian, further than it looks |
220
Lake Marian |
221
Lake Marian |
|
| back | MAIN | next | |||