Since the great walkshere in New Zealand are almost impossible to get hut permits for during the high season, Trail Cutter and I decided to run the Routeburn track in a day. However, the track itself is not a loop. So, to create our loop, we chose to run to Lake Howden and then take the Caples Track out to where we had stashed our bicycles. From there, we must make a ~30k bike ride back to our waiting van and some hot food.
Much of the track from Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls hut has a gentle grade. This section of the Routeburn track is in the woods, so while we grabbed a few views on our way up the first hill, most of it was tree cover. Since we weren't stopping to gawk at the views continuously, this part of the journey went by in just under two hours.
After leaving Routeburn Falls Hut, the track climbs into a basin below some towering peaks containing Lake Harris. From here, the views really start to open up and become something special. For the whole climb up to Harris Saddle, I did a lot more photography than running.
After leaving Routeburn Falls Hut, the track climbs into a basin below some towering peaks containing Lake Harris. From here, the views really start to open up and become something special. For the whole climb up to Harris Saddle, I did a lot more photography than running.
Beyond Harris Pass, the Routeburn track winds slowly along, offering expansive views. The track itself was a bit more technical than I thought it would be, so we only ran around 50 or 60 percent of it. It's hard to say if the highlight of this section of the Routeburn track was the view of Lake MacKenzie or the massive mountain range off to the right. But overall, this was by far my favorite part of the track.
From MacKenzie Hut, the track heads back into the woods for almost the remainder of the way down to Lake Howden. It does pop out occasionally to some views, but the highlight of this last section is definitely Earland Falls. The waterfall must be 300 meters or more, and due to recent rainfall, it was gushing with water.
After a brief stay under Earland Falls, we headed down the hill to our lunch spot at Lake Howden and the start of the Caples Track back to our bicycles.
From Lake Howden, the Caples track Heads south and then rises uphill to the east as it climbs toward McKellar Saddle. The Caples track is well maintained and is downhill for almost the entire way back to the car, which made running it easy. But there is only one thing I am never going to forget about running this section.
According to my map (Gaia) and Traicutter's Map (NZ Topo), the total distance for both these tracks should have been about 55k. However, by the time we reached 55k, my energy was running out. I looked at my map to give myself a boost, hoping to see that we were close. But I saw that we still had at least 5k remaining. Trailcutter's map agreed, and after moving for 12 hours, I felt like sitting down and going to sleep.
Luckily, we ran into a few rangers who told us we were getting close and gave us a landmark I could count on to at least have something to keep my spirits up. All in all, by the time we reached the parking area and our bicycles, we ran about 62k.
Personally, I was very concerned about my ability to bike the final 30k back to our vehicle, but I was pleasantly surprised that being on the bike actually felt like a relief. By around 10:30 p.m., we were back at the van, making burgers and trying our best to stand.
I'm not sure I want to do 90k in a single day again. Maybe 80 or 100 instead.
For another Great Walk in the area, you can always take a look at the Milford Track.