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hello everybody, again its been a while since the last post, but weve been up to alot lately.

Routeburnt

Dan Paton
2006-02-22 12:04:03

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the cold nights that lie ahead. We wandered the streets of Glenorchy until tusk, taking in the mountain views and enjoying a cold beer at the local pub before bed.
In the morning our shuttle took us to the foot of the Routeburn. The conditions weren't looking too promising but we were all too excited to look back at that point. We took our first steps onto the track , happy and dry. We would soon learn that times ahead would not be so pleasant. The walk to our hut only lasted a short two hours through rainforest and very heavy rainfall. Walking through the forest provided us with some shelter from the rain that morning. We arrived at our camp site, cold and wet, and decided to set up the tent. Moral was low and nobody felt like doing much other than remaining in our sleeping bags. Everything was wet with no signs of drying on the horizon. I think we must have spent about sixteen hours total in the tent that night, sleeping on and off and deciding not to make dinner because it was too cold outside. That night proved to be the coldest night for all of us.
The next morning wasn't much different. We woke up early to get moving again, with everything still cold and damp from the rain. There was talk of not even completing the track, but just to turn back and catch the next shuttle out. But the sun started to show and warm us up to the idea of finishing the track. Probably the best decision that was made. We picked up all of our wet gear and made dinner for breakfast. We found ourselves taking off our jackets once we got moving as we began to warm up. The sights were nothing short of breath taking. Walking above the treeline, seeing snow-covered mountains and rolling fiords, reminded us why we planned this trip in the first place. We looked at eachother and smiled knowing that this was "it". Everything we'd planned for, all of the struggles, all of the money. The sights alone made it all worth while. We hope you enjoy the pictures, but unfortunately they do not serve justice to the real thing.
We made our way through the track, another six hours of climbing uneven terrain, and arrived at our campsite just as the snow began to fall. This night would be no warmer than the last. Dinner was actually dinner tonight and we crawled into our sleeping bags around 7 to try to keep warm. Mike and I revealed our damaged feet to eachother. I think I took the brute of the situation, as my feet were badly blistered and clammy beyond belief (refer to picture). All we wanted was sleep, but constant shivering kept us awake. Dan had the right idea when he threw on some Bob Dylan in the middle of the night to put him to sleep.
Although we did suffer mild effects of hypothermia and dehydration I don't think we would have traded it for anything. Wounds will heal and clothes will dry but the memories will remain the same. Cheers boys.

PICTURES

until next time everyone, stay safe, warm, and smiling.

dp and the schmidts

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