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I woke up around 6:30am just in time to see the sky turning colors from pink to gray. Too
late to take a picture, unfortunately. It was a partly cloudy sky as we packed up and left
the hut around 8:30am.
The sun still hadn't crested the mountains yet as we walked along the Clinton River. We played
leap frog with Martin and Heike, who stopped often to take pictures. We walked through more
beech forest, passing through a particularly nice section of forest just as the sun started to
come out. I stopped on a small hill and brought out my tripod to take some pictures.
Clinton River
Forest
After about 3 miles, we stopped at a bluff overlooking the river. I know it was 3 miles because
there are sign posts every mile (and not, interestingly enough, every kilometer). We ate
and rested at the bluff, trying to avoid getting bitten by the sand flies. A few others came
and went as we rested. We met Chris and Sally from Australia, and Eran from Israel.
Resting in a clearing by the river
Looking at the forest across the river
After a break we returned to the trail. A few of the guided walkers passed by us. Their
packs were tiny. They didn't have to carry food or even a sleeping bag. They only had to
carry their own clothes. They basically had day packs on.
We went through a few clearings which had been cleared by land slides or avalanches. We soon came
to a shelter at the Hirere Falls overlook. The shelter was staffed by a guide so we asked to
make sure it was okay for us independent walkers to stay here and rest. The guide said it was
fine. But we wouldn't be getting any of the drinks he was serving to the guided walkers.
In case you're wondering, guided walkers pay about $1500 NZD for the privilege of doing
the guided walk.
Mountain reflections
Hirere Falls
While we were eating and resting, we met a guided walker smoking a pipe. Jean told him he
looked like Ernest Hemingway. He took that as a complement. We'd see him a few more times
later on the track.
Back on the trail, we passed a sign saying there was a view of Mackinnon Pass. Unfortunately
we couldn't see it because of the clouds. At least it wasn't raining much. We passed Hidden
Lake (you can't see it from the main trail because of the surrounding bush) and walked
past waterfalls flowing on the mountains to our left.
Jean at Hidden Lake
Typical section of trail
Jean standing in front of a bridge
The trail is wide enough for two trampers up until about the 11 mile marker. We passed the
Bus Stop shelter, crossed a couple of swing bridges, and then soon came to the intersection
for Pompolona Hut. We rested here a bit and Ernest Hemingway came by. He offered to buy us
a glass of wine from Pompolona Hut, but I think it was partly in jest. Besides, we still had a
ways to go.
We ran into Heike and Martin just as a rainbow appeared at the far end of the Clinton Valley,
the side from which we'd started. We all took pictures before they continued on up the
trail. The trail finishes off with a steep uphill climb. As far as I can tell, the Milford
Track has all the mile markers, but I did not see the mile 12 marker anywhere. It's possible
I could have missed it, but I was waiting for it for a long time. This was important to me
since Mintaro Hut is around the 13 mile marker. It's supposed to be 13.2 miles from Glade
Wharf, but the hut is in fact well past the 13 mile marker.
Look carefully to see the rainbow
After slogging uphill we finally made it to the hut. There was a warning about keas flying off
with anything left on the deck, so everyone hung their boots and jackets. I even hung our
trekking poles, just to be safe.
Jessica was teaching a drinking card game to some of the other hut occupants as we started
our dinner. The coal fire was hot and we hung our clothes around it to dry. We sat at a
table with Tom and Rhonda and Heike and Martin. Chris and Sally were making risotto! The
hut warden, Mark, came by our table to chat. He had a wry sense of humor, always trying to think
of something witty to say. I asked him how long he stayed up here. Apparently the hut
wardens stay 10 days, then they come down for 4 days off, then do it all over again. I guess
most people work 10 out of every 14 days, but it's a little different for them.
Chris and Sally making risotto
Mark came back later around 7:30pm to give a little talk. He was much more entertaining
and friendlier than the Clinton Hut warden. He told us that 3 people in the hut had already been
up to the pass and back today. He told us what to expect on the hike tomorrow. He also
mentioned the previous day's hut occupants complaining about wading through the trail. He told
us that in general, New Zealanders were the most common Milford trampers, followed by Aussies; trampers
from the UK, US, and Germany were equal in numbers -- these five countries made up about 85% of the
trampers on the track. For our group, according to the Clinton Hut visitor's book,
there were 14 Kiwis, 8 from the UK, 6 Americans,
3 from Sweden, 2 from Germany, 2 Aussies, 2 from South Africa,
1 from Israel, 1 from Canada, and 1 from Japan.
There were a bunch of notebooks in the hut which he invited people to write in, to share with
future hut occupants. There was some interesting stuff written in it. There were separate
books for separate languages. Many of the pages were devoted to sand flies or the watery trail
and included some pretty good drawings.
Mark mentioned that there was a good 4 kilometer (2 km each way) side trip to Sutherland
Falls, which he suggested we do. He said he'd post the new weather forecast in the morning,
but he said he didn't think the forecast would change the weather. You can guess what weather
we had in store for us.
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