On the 8th of February 2021, along with a small group of family and friends, we set off from the Divide Shelter, packs on our backs, to traverse the Humboldt Mountains to Routeburn Shelter. With a heavily overcast sky and weather forecast threatening heavy rain, severe gale force winds and possible snow on the alpine sections of the Routeburn Track, we were somewhat apprehensive.
This blog post is predominantly a pictorial record of our tramp as no amount of words that I can type would be adequate to describe the grandeur and beauty of scenery along this track.
Day one, The Divide to Lake Mackenzie Hut.
Cloudy but dry at first, we were able to make the side trip up to Key Summit to experience the stunning views of Lake Marian in it's hanging valley, the Hollyford Valley and surrounding mountains between the gathering clouds and rain showers. By early afternoon the rain was steady as we walked through forest towards Lake Mackenzie hut, stopping at Lake Howden for lunch and passing the Earland Falls on the way.
Persistent rain through the night continued in the morning as we set out on the steep ascent up to the alpine tussock land beyond the tree line, far above the Hollyford Valley shrouded in mist below. Apart from a brief glimpse of Lake Mackenzie we walked in near white out conditions for the next four hours over a rocky and rough track to the Harris Saddle shelter. After crossing the saddle, the swirling clouds and showers abated and as we traversed a narrow rock ledge high above Lake Harris the sun shone through brightening the expansive views of the lake and down the Route Burn valley towards Routeburn Falls hut, our destination for the night.
Day three, Routeburn Falls Hut to Routeburn Shelter.
Our last day on the Routeburn Track was a comparatively easy walk, mainly along the relatively flat river valley of the Route Burn on a well formed and maintained track.
We thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the Routeburn Track although we found some of the rougher portions of the track challenging. It was a little disappointing to have not enjoyed the views across the Hollyford Valley on day two due to the mist and cloud but this is an environment that experiences rain roughly two days out of three. Most of our group are in their sixties and we would recommend this 32 kilometre track to anyone with a good level of fitness and well prepared.
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