On our second day on the Milford Track, we woke to the promise of sunshine at Clinton Hut. We packed our things to head to Mintaro Hut. It was still dry out. Perhaps the threat of rain was simply just a threat.
Ever since I did the Routeburn Track back in 2015, the Milford Track was very high on my list. Last year, I was lucky enough to score permits for this once in a life time backpacking trip. The Milford Track is a highly regulated Great Walk in New Zealand. Unlike other popular tracks, this one follows a strict schedule. Because of this, every hiker spends four days and thee nights on the trail. Read on to learn more about our first day from Te Anau Downs to Clinton Hut.
After a rough breakup a few years ago, I looked at some photos of New Zealand somewhere and spontaneously booked a trip. My first solo trip! I originally wanted to do the Milford Track, but since that books up months in advance, the Routeburn Track was next on my list.
The Routeburn Track did not disappoint.
The rain doesn’t stop on the West Coast of New Zealand. It pours and pours and pours. My trip onto the glacier was canceled due to inclement weather. Shoes were still still soaking wet.
The giant bed in the hostel welcomed me with loving arms. My desire to lay around was very, very high. I thought about walking all the way out to Lake Matheson, but with the previous day’s soaking excursion still in mind, I wussed out and paid an old man a few dollars to drive me there and back.
The skies on the west coast of New Zealand were gloomy. It’d been raining on and off throughout the day. I finally made it to Fox Glacier after being cooped up on a bus all day. Never minding the threat of rain, I dropped off my gear at the Ivory Tower Lodge and laced up my boots. With a chance of my glacier trek getting canceled, I decided to go see Fox Glacier as up close and personal as I could get.