We were certainly fortunate once again today with the weather. It typically rains more than half of the days in December and is overcast for a good portion of the days it does not rain. Today was our second day in a row of blue skies. In fact the crazy ranger named Katie at the hut this evening told us that it was 28 degrees (82 for all you Americans) which is very warm for this time of year as far down south as we were. It was so hot that once we finally got to the hut, we decided to go down to the swimming hole which was a local glacial lake with water temperatures just above freezing. We all went for a wade but then my dad and I decided to jump in. I immediately became disoriented and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a minute before I found my way back to shore...very refreshing!
The cabin was nice again with three bunkrooms. Two smaller ones with approx. 8 beds and then a large one with 20 something beds. Fortunately, we got one of the smaller room with the 8 beds. It wasn't too hard to fall asleep tonight after the long walk and the refreshing swim.
Camouflage
Beautiful panorama view
Nice pigtails! You found those on the ground, right? 
About to cross one of the many avalanche zones. They weren't kidding either as we were hearing avalanches all day long - some were quite loud! 
It's hard to tell how big this trout was as there is nothing to really compare it to in the picture but this guy was a big one 
Like a symphony of koru ferns 
I think the old man is lost, should we help him? 
Me jumping into the freezing cold waterVideo of Dad jumping into the COLD glacial lake!
Well Nate, you've done it again, capturing the essence of the Milford track in narrative and photos - and yes, I did just happen to find those ferns lying on the ground. Dad.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful hike. I remember Bear Grylls warned not to jump into freezing cold water, though. Glad to see you two survived.
ReplyDeleteBear Grylls is a weanie!
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