Over Harris Saddle to Mackenzie Hut

It rained and blew all night, so I had a great warm sleep snug in the Hut. The warden had said last night that a big  front was coming through, so all night I had thought tomorrow will suck, its the day we go above the tree line all day! Then the sun came up and it was glorious!!!

 Moosie and I shared a morning coffee and bowl of porridge ( well actually he couldn't eat as he was too nervous about the climb) and then by 8 am we were walking.

 We walked beside Routeburn Falls, and onwards toward the start of the river. It was cold but beautiful light, and I was alone in the valley.

 The trail was really good, but icey where the sun hadn't reached. As I climbed the sun rose behind me,

 And Harris Saddle came into view

 I was above the treeline of 1000m now so it was all grass and alpine plants

 I was having a fabulous morning, but looking at this picture I can see why my shoulders ached latter in the day, my pack was to high on my hips ( I did realise this about 2 hours latter!)

 Then Harris Lake popped into view about an hour from the hut

 It was still only 9 am, so cold and brilliant

 Looking back from where I'd come you could see the lumps of rock left as the glacier that carved this valley receded

 Harris Lake, the track sidled high above it on a narrow goat trail

 Then suddenly I come around a bend and could see the grassy flat of Harris Saddle, and through to the Hollyford Valley and snow capped Darran mountain range. Yippee, this was the top of my track at 1255 metres, and I had done it in under the suggested time!!!

 Moosie and I took a well earned break at The Shelter,

 The views of the Darran mountains across the valley came in glimpses as the clouds scuttled past

 It felt like they were really close, but in fact there is a really deep valley between

 The track was pretty steady and flat for about the next 2 hours as I walked along the top of the ridge

 There were lots of different alpine plants up here, and this one was surprising in that it looks like a cactus!

 But mostly it was alpine grasses and shrubs

 The track was quiet damp from the rain, and I was glad that I was walking on a sunny, still day. You can imagine how exposed it would be in a storm

 The cloud chased me through the pass and down the valley, but luckily it seemed to wait behind me

 At times I could see the Hollyford River fare below

 The after a few hours I rounded a point and could see Lake Mackenzie. My tired legs didn't enjoy the steep descent!!

 The track zig zagged down so I went past the lake, and doubled back

 Then dropped into the most amazing moss covered forest

 I swear if I had sat much longer that the moss would ahve started to cover me. It was amazing, elves definitely live here!!

 Finally to the valley floor and lovely lake ( and Hut!). It was still early afternoon, so another nap was in order before a stroll around the lake

 The evenign come in and this was the view from my spot on hut porch to the Darren Mountains