“On a Mish” #26 The Lake with My Last Name (Part Two). Valley of the Trolls / Lake Wilson. Mt Aspiring National Park. 20.4.2012. Near the famous well worn Routeburn Track is a lake with the same name as my last, and a valley that is said to be full of trolls. The description alone was enough to get me excited about going for a visit and after climbing a big peak with views the lake and valley I knew it would only be a matter of time before I returned armed with my tent and the goal of checking out the lake with my last name…
We ran into a group being guided by our fellow workmates and it was a real display of how much we (the track guides) love the area. Returning to the place you spend your working time might sound strange to some, but when your workplace is the Routeburn Track you get sad when you have to finish a shift / trip!
The forest in the Routeburn Valley is a perfect combination of trees and ferns. A sight I never tire of is the first glimpse of Routeburn Falls at Routeburn Flats. The golden grasses are surrounded but forward by towering mountains, with some peaks hidden by the steepness of the lower cliffs and near-vertical walls. The centrepiece of this picturesque area is the impressive Routeburn Falls. From Routeburn Falls it is seen cascading its way through the mountains before it joins the Route Burn (river) at the base of Mt Xenicus(1912m). World class scenery everywhere!
The real climb above the valley and into the alpine zone begins at the top end of the flats. It is a good grunt uphill to the epic location of Routeburn Falls Hut / Lodge. We stopped in to say hello to our work mates at the lodge, and to tell them what we were up to. It is awesome knowing your buddies are not far away if something goes wrong while out on a mish. After a cup of tea, we left the comfort of the lodge and hiked into the basin above.
In the old days guided walkers used to be taken into the Valley of the Trolls on their rest day at Falls Lodge. Many took up the opportunity and the beaten in track they used still remains places these days. This makes it easy to get down into the Valley of the Trolls from the Harris Saddle(1255m). As much as I love off track bush bashing, following a track definitely gets you to where you want to go faster. We made our way through the tarn dotted bog above Lake Harris, and now we were finally in the home of the Routeburn Track trolls, although they seemed to be hiding from us!
It was now well into the afternoon, so we found a campsite, pitched the tent, then took in the epicness while planning our morning excursion to the lake with my last name. Now was the time for rest as above us was our next challenge, the scramble above the Valley of the Trolls and up to Lake Wilson…
