Kepler Track 2008

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Kepler Track 2008

Day 1 on the Kepler Track

NZ DOC

The Kepler Track is 1 of 5 "Great Walks" created by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The DOC provides "huts" for shelter along the way. Each hut comes with bunkbeds, cooking facilities (bring your own food), sanitary facilities and (ice) cold water running water. Each hut also has a hut warden (ranger) who lives on site, in a small separate cabin.

The profile shows the first two days on the Kepler Track. It's a demanding couple of days, at least for some. The first day is a 3.5 mile walk in on the flat through the forest, followed by another 5.1 miles in which the trail rises about 2,700 feet (slightly more then 2 Empire State Buildings), ending at the Luxmore Hut, which was home for the night. The second day is a 9 mile walk with about 1,700 of rise in the first 7.5 miles, followed by about 2,600 feet of down in the last mile and a half or so. That's pretty steep down...

All of the pictures were taken by Bob. Here are the pictures from day 1 (click on any picture for a larger image):

This photo was taken after we we'd walked a few miles on the trail. It was well marked throughout the hike, so there was never a point at which there was any doubt about the way to go. It's raining. It's been raining since the start of the hike. It was raining when we got up that morning, and it just kept raining.

More of the forest during the flat first mile and a half. Even when the trail rose steeply up, it still looked like this. If it seems familiar, you've probably seen The Lord of the Rings.

We don't have any pictures from the forested part of the uphill portion of the trip since it was, yes, still raining, and we were concentrating on reaching the hut.

We've just reached above treeline. Unlike New England or anywhere else I've hiked, the trees just suddenly stop, and then there are no trees and just tussock, a type of grass.

Another view of the tussock. As you see, the trail is never in doubt. Luxmore Hut is out of sight, but just around the corner at the far end of the trail.

In case you were wondering, it's raining.

The view from the hut later evening, a foretelling of some of the vistas for the next day. Actually, this is the view as Bob saw it. Once I dried off (more or less) and sat down, I wasn't moving until the next morning. I probably should have gone out to check out the view, as it was not raining when Bob took this picture -- the only time all day when it wasn't.

Back to Milford Sound On to day two...

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	This photo was taken after we we'd walked a few miles on the trail. It was well marked throughout the hike, so there was never a point at which there was any doubt about the way to go. It's raining. It's been raining since the start of the hike. It was raining when we got up that morning, and it just kept raining.
	More of the forest during the flat first mile and a half. Even when the trail rose steeply up, it still looked like this. If it seems familiar, you've probably seen The Lord of the Rings. We don't have any pictures from the forested part of the uphill portion of the trip since it was, yes, still raining, and we were concentrating on reaching the hut.
	We've just reached above treeline. Unlike New England or anywhere else I've hiked, the trees just suddenly stop, and then there are no trees and just tussock, a type of grass.
	Another view of the tussock. As you see, the trail is never in doubt. Luxmore Hut is out of sight, but just around the corner at the far end of the trail. In case you were wondering, it's raining.
	The view from the hut later evening, a foretelling of some of the vistas for the next day. Actually, this is the view as Bob saw it. Once I dried off (more or less) and sat down, I wasn't moving until the next morning. I probably should have gone out to check out the view, as it was not raining when Bob took this picture -- the only time all day when it wasn't.
Back to Milford Sound	On to day two...