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A few hours later, we completed our 11 mile day, arriving at
the last hut, Dumpling Hut. We were early, it was hot, and after
three days without a shower, we both knew we were getting a
little ripe. We decided to brave a quick dip in the local swimming
hole and I mean a quick dip....I've swum in the cold Saco River
of New Hampshire in May, but that was bath water compared to
this dip. But oh, did it feel good and refreshing when you got
out.
That night Ranger Scotty at Dumpling Hut introduced himself.
He was the most entertaining of all the rangers. He really had
his own comedy act. After giving the few Aussies in the hut
a hard time about the recent football games (There is a notorious
rivalry between NEW ZEALAND and Australia over soccer that's
been going on for ages), Ranger Scott reminded us how lucky
we were to have no rain, and he was quite disappointed with
the whole situation. He told us they had received 24" of rain
in the past WEEK prior to our start (not unusual), and only
three days of sunshine in the last 24 days...and we had all
three of them! Part of hiking the Milford Track is the rain
that usually comes with the territory. We tried hard not to
appear too disappointed.
After packing up for our last day on the track, we taped Tracy's
blistered feet to assist her for the last 11 miles. It was another
beautiful day, but the going was rather slow. We stopped mid-day
for a long rest at Giant Gate Falls, where there is a nice canopied
shelter, and a chance to soak our feet in the stream once more.
The terrain soon returned to the more gradual and tropical scene
we had started with at the beginning of the track. Our early
start put us at the end well in advance of the pick-up boat
to Milford Sound. While we sat and waited, we came to understand
the true meaning of the name Sandfly Point, as the flies feasted
upon us. One of our hiking companions even went so far as to
jump in the chilly lake to get away from them.
Sore and getting eaten alive, we rejoiced at the sight of the
ferry that would take us back to civilization. The ferry ride
through Milford Sound was shorter, yet more spectacular than
the ride out from Te Anau. At the heart of the Sound, the giant
Miter Peak jumps over 5000 feet straight out of the water. It's
the pointy, tropical looking peak you see in almost every tourism
ad for New Zealand. After arriving in Milford Sound village,
we still had to endure a two-hour bus ride back to Te Anau before
we could enjoy a hot shower, cold beer, and a soft bed. The
nearly full bus consisted almost entirely of hikers from the
track. One poor woman who wasn't a hiker, had the misfortune
of having to board our bus. She quickly voiced her opinion by
exclaiming, "You people probably don't even notice, but you
all STINK". After four days and more than 37 miles of hiking,
I'm sure we were pretty offensive.
If you are planning on leaving Te Anau the same day you end
your hike, I would highly recommend you change the plan. Our
original plan was to take the early ferry, and immediately drive
from Te Anau back to Queenstown, but exhaustion and the lure
of a good meal, hot shower, and comfortable bed, were too good
to pass up for more hours of travel. That evening we gorged
ourselves on fresh venison, chocolate cake, and ice cold beer.
We stumbled back to our hotel room, collapsed on our bed, and
fell into the deepest coma of sleep. It was the end of one adventure,
and the beginning of another.
