zkbro

Routeburn

2025-01-25 19:42

Distance: 34.72 kilometers
Elevation: 1562 meters
Moving Time: 4:50:39
Elapsed Time: 4:57:35

Ran the Routeburn track today to relocate a car for a family walking it. Routeburn is one of our 11 great walks, so is one of the more busier routes I take, but it's a beaut, and different weather out here can make for a completely different experience, so I'm never bored of it.

My direction was West to East, The Divide to Routeburn Shelter. Weather was perfect, moody clouds, spitting rain early, keeping it a nice temperature.

After 1 hour I met up with my crew, had a yarn, swapped keys and continued on our ways. I opted not for my usual dip at Earland Falls. Wasn't quite hot enough.

When I got to Harris Saddle I had in my head that I wouldn't go up Conical Hill this time because I didn't really need the extra kms and vert and I'd seen it a few times. All was well and good, I went past the track that goes up, but 200m up right on the saddle I looked left and thought it looked like a nice wee scramble off the beaten track. So monkey see, monkey do. I quite enjoyed that little bit, and got some good new vantage points of Mt Xenicus over the other side, and got a bunch of ideas for some future adventures. I came back down the dedicated track, then continued the long descent down to Routeburn Shelter.

I got a crazy expensive ham and cheese croissant and warm can of soft drink at Mrs Woolly's General Store in Glenorchy, which tied me over for more reasonable hour drive home. Don't regret it.

I don't know why, but I'm super concious of greetings when on busy trails. It's kinda annoying my head is like that. Anyway here were some of the fleeting greetings from walkers that made me chuckle: