Bob's Peak

Hi All -

Today we're writing from Te Anau, the backpacking capital of the world & the starting point for the Milford Track. We arrived here a couple hours ago after a two hour busride from Queenstown, where we spent last night.

Upon arriving in Queenstown, we checked into the delightful Balmoral Lodge owned by the very hospitable, Les. Our room had a spectacular view of the lake - a view that really made us just want to sit by the window & relax.

Despite that, we knew it was important to combat jetlag & to get out & about. We walked about a mile into Queenstown & enjoyed the local shops. Doug has already begun trying on New Zealand cowboy hats, which I'm pretty sure we'll leave with before the trip is over. After, we went up in the Skyline Gondola to Bob's Peak, a great vantage point in Queenstown from which we got to enjoy the gorgeous views. Queenstown is truly one of the most spectacular places we've ever been, though from what we've heard, it will pale in comparison to the places we're headed on the rest of the trip. Also at Bob's Peak, we enjoyed "luging". Quite fun, though I didn't go quite fast enough for Doug's liking.

After, we had a tasty dinner @ the Fishbone Bar & Grill. Kind of an eclectic place. We both tried fish we'd never heard of before & greatly enjoyed it. Though, I'm sure the fact that it was preceded by 5 meals in the airport or on airplanes made it ever better.

Tonight we're headed back to our B&B to get everything squared away for our "tramp" tomorrow. We've got some rearranging today to lighten our load & our B&B hosts are being kind enough to allow us to stow our extra luggage with them until we return, which is quite nice. They've also got an outdoor sauna, which I think will feel splendid after the Milford Track.

Tomorrow morning, we leave for the Milford Track. I am both frightened and excited by this journey. I have no doubt it will be hard (& the weather is quite veritable this time of year so we could be in for anything) but the views are also supposed to be out of this world. To give you some idea of what we're in for:

Day 1: 3 mile hike to our 1st hut
Day 2: 10 miles hut, including about an hour ascent @ the end to our 2nd hut
Day 3: This is the grueling day: 8.8 miles. Up ~500 meters, over a mountain pass, and then down about 800 meters on the other side. If we still have energy, we're supposed to check out the Sutherland Falls - New Zealand's largest, most impressive falls. At that point, though, I'm pretty sure you're going to be dragging me to my cot & not much else.
Day 4: 11 miles hike; Boat from Sandfly Point to Milford Sound; Milford Sound Cruise & then 2 hour bus back to Te Anau.

In all likelihood, you won't here from us again until Sunday (though there's a chance we'll post Saturday night after returning from the track, depending on our fatigue.)

Keep us in your prayers!
See you on the flip side -
Jen