A Year of Hiking, Week 8: The Kepler Track

KEPLER TRACK, TE ANAU, NEW ZEALAND

This week's hiking the Kepler Track surely made up for the last two weeks of strolls to Hut Point, and trodding the same old paths I'd been walking for six months, my boredom with which left me uninterested in writing about them. What follows are excerpts from the good old fashioned journal I keep, with some bits and pieces about the walk. 

Monday, February 20

From Brod Bay, the trail rose steadily for the next four hours. Though the incline was seldom steep, it was always relentless, and I found myself stopping often to catch my breath. As the elevation increased, the undergrowth thinned, and the occasional gaps in the trees afforded increasingly expansive views. Near the treeline, a pale hairy green moss hung from every tree and plant. The faint green fur draped on every surface leant a sort of ethereal, muppet quality to the forest.

Tuesday, February 21

The raindrops started to fall just as I left Luxmore hut this morning. The cold rain wind and rain nipped at my cheeks as I made my way across the open mountaintops. The rain eventually stopped, and the walk was a long series of moments of awe, stopping to gape and gasp at the splendor stretched out in every direction. I walked across several narrow saddles, the mountains falling away on either side of me, plunging into deep fjords and crystalline waters. For most of the morning, I hiked above the clouds. As the day warmed, the clouds thinned to bare wisps, winding around the mountains far below.

Wednesday, February 22

The forest in this hanging valley is lush with ferns and moss, sopping wet from last night’s rainstorm. I stumbled upon more of the colorful and amazing fungi with which I am rather enamored- one called “Purple Pouch” and another named “Puffball.” I do believe they put the four-year-olds in charge of naming the mushrooms. The severed end of nearly every stump and fallen log blossoms with an oyster-like fungus. I spotted a few more of the large red-capped variety.

The cool lake at the end of today’s walk was the perfect thing for my tender feet, in spite of the massive sandfly population.

Thursday, February 23

The last leg of the trail was an easy 1 ½ hours through mossy beech forests, but the steady cold rain made me all too happy to reach the end, where a shuttle delivered me to a hot shower and a cup of tea.