Day 3 on the Milford Track
About halfway to the top, we experienced the first of
two detours on the Track. A "slip" or washout on the way up forced the trail
makers to put ropes in place in order for hikers to pull themselves up about
150' and past the washed out area. It was easy enough yesterday when I had
no pack and the rope and ground were relatively dry. But on this morning,
the ground and rocks were slippery and the rope also. The 30 or so pounds
I had on my back didn't help much either.
When we reached the top of the pass, we found with the
clouds and rain a change that was visually intriguing and occasionally
interesting, but we made our way to Pass Hut to rest, fix something hot to
eat and drink (there is propane at the hut) and brace ourselves for a wet
and slippery trip down 1500'. We snacked and talked with three others who
were drying out and warming up.
