We spent 3 nights and four days in the backcountry.  Two of our campsites were visited by bears–one almost certainly a grizzly.  We also saw elk, pronghorn, bison, pikas, mule deer, eagles, black bears and cubs, more wildflowers than either of us had ever seen and as many butterflies as well.  We crossed cold mountain rivers, twice had to run with our packs for about a mile each time to seek tree cover from lightning, and watched trees blow over all around us from the wind.  We honestly can’t wait to come back here!

This leg of our trip has turned into the Family and Friends Tour and we couldn’t be more thankful.  We had an amazing time with Emily, Dave,  Jamie and the rest of the Random Canyon Growlers who treated us to two shows during our week in Teton country.  Our overnight trip up Table Mountain has to be one of the best hikes we’ve ever done–there’s just no place quite like the Tetons.  We were introuced to a swimming hole complete with rope swing and 30 ft log diving board–except no one was able to make it to the end of the board before falling off.  We don’t have any pictures of that, so you’ll just have to make the trip to Victor to visit Emily and friends to see it for yourself.

After my stumble down Memory Lane we took off for a few days of backpacking in the High Uintas. I did remember how incredible this mountain range (the only east-west range in the US) and it’s high alpine meadows and lakes were.  I did forget how many mosquitoes are around this time of year.  A few days,  a few pints of blood, and one pancake/forest fire incident later we emerged from the mountains excited about our trip to Idaho to visit Emily!

The West Coast is one of, if not the most unpopulated part of the country and the reason must be the healthy population of these blood thirsty biters.  West Coast blackflies make New England’s blackfly population seem like it is on the brink of extinction.  As long as you’re moving they aren’t much of a  bother, but the moment you stand still a black cloud descends upon you.  We got quite good at jumping in and out of the car as quickly as possible and skilled at killing the ones that managed to get into the tent or car with us.  As a result, Agy is in desperate need of some cleaning (not too different from her owners), and we probably can’t donate blood for another 56 days.  Since our surf guide for New Zealand says, “…West Coast surfing is a spooky experience. Firstly, the swell is nearly always big, in fact you’re almost always waiting for it to drop and clean up before heading out.  You will also be sharing the breaks with a wide range of marine life–many of which have big sharp teeth!  Combine this with extremely cold and often murky water, and you have a true Kiwi hardcore surf destination.”  We figured the blackflies provided enough bloodletting so we stuck to the mountains.

That said, we’re not actually sure that the blackflies were the worst thing we encountered.  Following an overnight trip to Welcome Flats Hut-a fantastic hike up to some hot pools and mountain views) we headed to Fox and Franz Glaciers.  The glaciers themselves are magnificent, and we really enjoyed the moments of sunshine that we had at Fox glacier.  At Franz, however, we took a short hike up to Sentinel Rock which gives a nice view of the glacier and valley.  We got to the viewpoint and not long after a bus load of tourists struggled up one by one, each huffing and puffing and saying almost exactly the same thing upon arrival, “I thought this was supposed to be a short hike.”  Now, I don’t know if this is common for people on bus tours as a way to cope with being so close to 25 other people, but after their passing the trail smelled like the very worst part of a department store. You probably know what that means–the perfume section.  The part of the store where in order to pass through with the same number of brain cells you had at the start you have to hold your breath for the duration.  I think these folks were suffering from perfume induced asthma.  We quickly ran for the car once again and continued north.

Next up was Pancake Rocks–another unique coastal rock formation with shows of crashing waves and blowholes.  Check out the pictures on Flickr.  We continued north to Nelson Lakes National Park–a place we wish we had more time and more sun to explore in.  And finally, we made it up to Wharariki Beach at the northwest tip of the south island.  The weather wasn’t great while we were there, but it’s a remarkable and rugged beach.  We owe Pete a huge thanks for the recommendation on Wharariki and Glenorchy as well.  Thanks Pete!  Your map and advice have been really helpful!

Currently, we’re in Nelson figuring what to do next, but it won’t be long before we leave the South Island behind and head back North to, hopefully, warmer weather.  We’re both ready to spend some more time exporing the North Island’s beaches, caves, lighthouses, surf spots, waterfalls, and whatever else we find on our way.  Next WWOOF site is a cheese farm in Eketehuna!

In the two weeks we had set aside for Fiordland, we had sketched out a pretty busy schedule for ourselves.  First up–the Milford Track which has been called “the greatest walk in the world” by National Geographic.  We had a day or so to hang around Te Anau and camp on the edge of Lake Te Anau before we took the boat ride to the start of the track.  It was nice to have a some time to dry out our gear from the previous week of rain, relax on the lake shore, and soak up the sun. Fiordlands is not typically a place that people go to soak up the sun.  On average, they receive about 7 meters of rain per year.  If you do the conversion to our system of measurement, that equals a shit ton of rain.  By the time we got on the track, the sun was out and it pretty much stayed out for the next 12 days while we were backpacking.

We ended up doing the Milford, Routeburn, Greenstone and Caples tracks before heading to Colac Bay and our next WWOOFing stint at the Pavilion restaurant.  I’ve got to wrap things up quickly here as internet time is short, but check out the new pictures on Flickr–they tell a pretty good story.  And, if I told you everything here then we wouldn’t have any stories to tell when we get home.

Just remember to ask us about Warren, our Routeburn Track mix-up, and all the gourmet food at the Pavilion.