Today was an exciting day, one in which I would start my first of two major hikes with this being the
Milford Track. This hike is listed as being among the top in the world and sees a lot of hikers such that I had to get the last of the available tickets to start on this day at least 4 months prior to starting. this is a four day, three night, track what has some strict requirements due to the sheer number of visitors.
Mike, from the evening before, said he was heading to Milford Sound and offered to give me a lift to Te Anau Downs where the boat was to meet us to transport everyone to the trail head, so I was able to save $20-30 in transport fees. I arrived a few hours early so I pulled out my sleeping pad and found a shady area in which to nap for a while.
The boat came in in plenty of time for our 2PM pickup. The ride along
Lake Te-Anau was lovely with the captain offering some information along the way of the various sites and features though it was cool enough that there was a halo around the sun caused by atmospheric ice crystals. There were about 40 of us in the 'freedom' hiker group (self-guided) and another 40 in the guided tours. The guided tours have electricity, hot showers, beds with linens, hot meals, and don't carry anything more than a water bottle and a few snacks. Freedom hikers are required to stay in the huts along the track on successive days in order to protect the area from overuse. The huts are all stocked with gas stoves, flushing toilets, and mattresses, but little else. We have to carry our own ignition sources, food, water, sleeping gear, and clothes.
The hike to the first hut was fairly short, however due to the ticket process, no one is allowed to skip to the next hut even if they wanted as most were filled each night. Another disadvantage is that there really are not any side trails available to explore. For this first day and most of the next, it seemed to be more like an unpaved sidewalk than trekking trail with a path wide enough for an ATV and pretty much flat the whole way.
It might as well been paved. While in that way it wasn't quite primitive outdoor experience, the views were astounding enough to quickly forget of such things. The hut wardens would give a talk each night about what to expect on the next day's trek. While I thought it was tough being in a room with a single snorer during the bus trip, try sleeping in a large room with 20 other folks. Seriously, I think it should be a law to keep the snorers in one bunkhouse and let those that actually want sleep remain peaceful in another. The first night I pulled my mattress out to the helicopter pad a little away from the compound to watch the stars until the morning dew started to settle at which time I had to get back to the hut
Today was an exciting day, one in which I would start my first of two major hikes with this being the Milford Track. This hike is listed as being among the top in the world and sees a lot of hikers such that I had to get the last of the available tickets to start on this day at least 4 months prior to starting. this is a four day, three night, track what has some strict requirements due to the sheer number of visitors. 
Mike, from the evening before, said he was heading to Milford Sound and offered to give me a lift to Te Anau Downs where the boat was to meet us to transport everyone to the trail head, so I was able to save $20-30 in transport fees. I arrived a few hours early so I pulled out my sleeping pad and found a shady area in which to nap for a while.
The boat came in in plenty of time for our 2PM pickup. The ride along Lake Te-Anau was lovely with the captain offering some information along the way of the various sites and features though it was cool enough that there was a halo around the sun caused by atmospheric ice crystals. There were about 40 of us in the 'freedom' hiker group (self-guided) and another 40 in the guided tours. The guided tours have electricity, hot showers, beds with linens, hot meals, and don't carry anything more than a water bottle and a few snacks. Freedom hikers are required to stay in the huts along the track on successive days in order to protect the area from overuse. The huts are all stocked with gas stoves, flushing toilets, and mattresses, but little else. We have to carry our own ignition sources, food, water, sleeping gear, and clothes.
The hike to the first hut was fairly short, however due to the ticket process, no one is allowed to skip to the next hut even if they wanted as most were filled each night. Another disadvantage is that there really are not any side trails available to explore. For this first day and most of the next, it seemed to be more like an unpaved sidewalk than trekking trail with a path wide enough for an ATV and pretty much flat the whole way. 
It might as well been paved. While in that way it wasn't quite primitive outdoor experience, the views were astounding enough to quickly forget of such things. The hut wardens would give a talk each night about what to expect on the next day's trek. While I thought it was tough being in a room with a single snorer during the bus trip, try sleeping in a large room with 20 other folks. Seriously, I think it should be a law to keep the snorers in one bunkhouse and let those that actually want sleep remain peaceful in another. The first night I pulled my mattress out to the helicopter pad a little away from the compound to watch the stars until the morning dew started to settle at which time I had to get back to the hut
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