“A Mish a Day” #169 The Kepler Track – Part Three. Fiordland National Park. 5.5.2010. On most multi-day adventures in the hills you get into the rhythm of hut life. Friendships can begin in the strangest places. Waiting for bench space or a spare sink can lead to a random conversation with other hut users that can last most of the night. Part of the adventure is the chance to chat with like-minded wilderness people. The hut was busy with hikers arriving after a day out in Fiordland, and once again we found ourselves waiting for the older couple as the afternoon turned to evening…
The hut’s occupants all breathed a sigh of relief when all the chickens made it to the coup. It seemed like we couldn’t escape the drama on this trip. Early-ish the next day we were up before most, and our breakfast got a shot of adrenaline when one of the other people in the hut tipped their camping stove over. Flammable material spilled everywhere, and as if wanting maximum drama, instead of cooking on the stainless steel benches like everyone else the bozo was cooking on the very flammable wooden tables in the hut. Stunned into a statue, the person responsible for the rapidly spreading fire did nothing but look on in silence. I sprung into action and for the first time in my life I got to break the glass on the fire extinguisher holder. A couple of blasts and the fire was out, but the varnish on the table had been cooked off. Not wanting to get involved in any more drama, Jeremy Wilson and I quickly packed up and began our hike. Our plan was to hike out to Rainbow Reach and finish there. As our car was still at the control gates we organised to borrow one owned by one of my Routeburn workmates, drive to the control gates, then take the car back to Rainbow Reach. This took off the long hike alongside the Upper Waiau River. But before all of this we still had some hiking to do. The nasty weather from the previous days had disappeared and the morning was fine and frosty. We had the classic case of the sun shining on the mountains above, but not down in the frost-covered valley we were hiking in.
We continued on towards Lake Manapouri and when we got there we immediately knew we were going to have the same flooding issue as Lake Te Anau. Once again we waded our way through water, going from triangle to triangle until we finally got to dry ground near Moturau Hut. After, we made our way towards the swing-bridge to Rainbow Reach. The easy ground on the final section of track gave us time to reminisce over the last couple of action packed days. We got to the bridge and crossed over a very swollen and swift Upper Waiau River. At the carpark it was good to take off my soaked boots knowing they wouldn’t be put on the next morning. I highly recommend an adventure on the Kepler Track. The views and the physical challenge make it an absolute must for anyone with three or four spare days in Te Anau. I know with all the other added excitement Jeremy and I wouldn’t forget our adventure on the ups and downs of the Kepler Track!
