I first hit Earland Falls after leaving Howden Hut early in the morning and then continued on towards Lake Mackenzie about 5 miles away. When I had booked the permits for the Routeburn Track, I had assumed that it was like the Milford Track in that one had to stay at a particular hut each night, however in talking to another hiker and the hut warden last evening, I found that was not the case.
I was originally scheduled to camp at Lake Mackenzie (hence the reason for my carrying a tent on this trip), but since it was only a few miles from Howden Hut, I would have had to wait around most of the day without anything else to do. I decided to push on to the next hut over Harris Saddle. This meant I had a lot of ground to cover with an additional 7 miles between Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie, over 12 miles of very mountainous terrain in total that day. While the distance itself wasn't too bad, it was coupled with the fact that I had the heaviest pack I've ever carried with a lot of material that I may not have needed (tent, gas canister, maps, extra clothes, charging equipment, etc). Once at Lake Mackenzie, I dropped my pack to do a one-hour side trip over to Split Rock, which is a massive boulder cleaved in half.
After I got back to the hut and finishing lunch, I made the final determination to push on, left a note for the hut warden so that I wouldn't be considered missing, and started the climb. The views of the lake were outstanding, but the walk definitely wasn't easy. Once I finally got up the to top of the trail, things were considerably more flat and easier to handle. I love the vista over Hollyford Valley and the near solitude I had pretty much the whole way. Once I got to Harris Saddle, I decided to forgo the extra side trip to Conical Hill since it would take an extra hour and I didn't think I could take the extra strain on my knees.
As it was I still had a lot of distance to cover with it being very steep and rocky downhill. I finally limped in to Routeburn Falls and was able to take a rest. Even though I wasn't scheduled to be there until the next evening, the hut warden said it was fine for me to stay since they were not completely booked that evening. Since my knee was a bit inflamed, I spent the rest of the evening listening to my audio book either by the falls themselves, or once it got dark, in the kitchen area.
I first hit Earland Falls after leaving Howden Hut early in the morning and then continued on towards Lake Mackenzie about 5 miles away. When I had booked the permits for the Routeburn Track, I had assumed that it was like the Milford Track in that one had to stay at a particular hut each night, however in talking to another hiker and the hut warden last evening, I found that was not the case. 
I was originally scheduled to camp at Lake Mackenzie (hence the reason for my carrying a tent on this trip), but since it was only a few miles from Howden Hut, I would have had to wait around most of the day without anything else to do. I decided to push on to the next hut over Harris Saddle. This meant I had a lot of ground to cover with an additional 7 miles between Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie, over 12 miles of very mountainous terrain in total that day. While the distance itself wasn't too bad, it was coupled with the fact that I had the heaviest pack I've ever carried with a lot of material that I may not have needed (tent, gas canister, maps, extra clothes, charging equipment, etc). Once at Lake Mackenzie, I dropped my pack to do a one-hour side trip over to Split Rock, which is a massive boulder cleaved in half.
After I got back to the hut and finishing lunch, I made the final determination to push on, left a note for the hut warden so that I wouldn't be considered missing, and started the climb. The views of the lake were outstanding, but the walk definitely wasn't easy. Once I finally got up the to top of the trail, things were considerably more flat and easier to handle. I love the vista over Hollyford Valley and the near solitude I had pretty much the whole way. Once I got to Harris Saddle, I decided to forgo the extra side trip to Conical Hill since it would take an extra hour and I didn't think I could take the extra strain on my knees. 
As it was I still had a lot of distance to cover with it being very steep and rocky downhill. I finally limped in to Routeburn Falls and was able to take a rest. Even though I wasn't scheduled to be there until the next evening, the hut warden said it was fine for me to stay since they were not completely booked that evening. Since my knee was a bit inflamed, I spent the rest of the evening listening to my audio book either by the falls themselves, or once it got dark, in the kitchen area.
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