Beautiful Lake Harris sits just below the mountains of the Harris Saddle
Day 1 was an easy couple of hours wander to Routeburn Flats, a lovely river flat where the sandflies weren't too bad (nowhere's really bad after the Hollyford!) and the views were wonderful. The weather, in an atypical display of sympathy, had cleared to sunny and hot, and the skies just got clearer and clearer as the walk went on, something to be appreciated when you're high enough to be right inside most clouds.
Day 2 saw the most spectacular landscape, though, heading up onto the Harris Saddle, home to the beautiful Lake Harris and some of the most inspiring peaks you'll ever see. It's a bit pointless going on about how impressive the views are, because it's only possible to understand when you've actually been there, but the climb over the saddle made the whole track worthwhile, and the short climb up to Conical Hill and back really gave me the feeling of being on top of the world.
Routeburn scenery
All this is a different type of walking to the Hollyford-Pyke; there it was river valleys, bush and bog, none of which tend to crop up on mountaintops. The Routeburn is an alpine track, and the two types became instantly apparent from Conical Hill, from where I could see right down the Hollyford Valley to Martins Bay, quite a sight when you've already spent a week or so hacking your way up the valley that's spread before you. Skirting back down the western side of the range, I could see Gunn's Camp, the Hollyford Road and all sorts of familiar sights, brought to life by my previous tramp. It felt like coming home...
The night at Mackenzie Camp was a delight, with the views towards Emily Peak especially beautiful as it reflected in Lake Mackenzie. The campsite was rather pitiful and, as with Routeburn Flats, incredibly cold and dewy, but at least it kept my milk mixture cold for my morning muesli, and meant that when I woke up, I had absolutely no desire to lie in and enjoy the perishing morning mist. Stalking down towards the Divide on day 3 I made good time to Lake Howden, from where a track led up to Key Summit, home to more great views, especially of Lake Marian, and a nature trail. And that was the Routeburn... now for the Greenstone.
