Day 108 - Lake Wilson

Today I’m doing a slight detour off the TA, the Routeburn Track. The Routeburn can be linked back to the TA track. This is a great walk, so it’s going to be very beautiful. It also means that it’s going to be very popular. This additional track should add about a day and a half to my journey. 

It was an easy hitch out of Queenstown. Only two rides needed for the hour and half journey. The second hitch was from a local who owns a company called Kea Outdoors. A business for storage bags and such. He gave me one of his products he had in his truck for free, the Kea Stash. A type of compactable garbage bag. Nice. 

11am up on the Routeburn. The great walks are extremely well maintained. Easy cruisey walking here. 

The huts on this track don’t look like huts at all, more like apartment buildings on the mountain. It has a whopping 48 bunks, and it’s completely booked up the whole season. It also costs 50$ for a bunk which is ridiculous. 

Good walk. Lakes and all. 

I decided to make today a half day and camp off track. You’re allowed to camp in great walks as long as you’re 500m away from trail. I got a tip to go to Wilson Lake, an unofficial trail that leads to a nearby alpine lake. 

I passed a couple mad lads who pitched on a nice looking island. 

Valley of the trolls this area is called. 

I reached Lake Wilson around 4pm and scrambled around to find a decent place to pitch my tent. Not many options and I finally forced my tent down on a sim flat area as it started to rain. 

It rained till dark and I didn’t leave my tent. I can see headlights at the other end of the lake so  not the only one up here. An early bed tonight.