Trip Story Routeburn,Caples,Greenstone 2009

Hi Guys I have decided to post a short story of my trip.I started with the Routeburn i had perfect weather but it was cold and not a cloud in the sky for three days. I did the whole trip in one go about 95km,i started the Caples from the Howden Hut and the ranger was realy good with all the info about the tracks and she put me in her diary that i was on my own and would be back in 5 days so off i went I got to the turn off to the Caples track the sun was out so i went up the hard section first if it is raining go the other way IE:greenstone then caples.Crossing the caples river was an effort as there is a bridge and i could not find it as it is not all that easy to find the correct path but i got accross. You start out walking through bush and trees and over moss coverd boulders,then it goes straight up i mean straight up and i have never seen such big tree roots,after a while i had to put the walking poles away as i needed both hands to hang on to the tree roots and in some places it was hands and knees as well. It took about 2.5 hours to get to the top,i had lunch on Mckellar saddle.The walk down was not much better very steep and the same moss coverd tree roots,but once i got down to the old Caples river bed things changed and you got a sense that the a T Rex would chase you down the track,it was spooky,getting close to the Upper caples Hut i came accross a few deer hunters walking round with guns as i have never come accross this it was strange I got to the hut and it had taken about 7 hours as i dont walk fast nice hut 12 bunks and we had a full house,the deer hunters had good info and stories to tell. Day 2 Upper caples Hut to Mid Caples.I left the hut about lunch time as it was a short walk 2.5 hours the weather was going down hill the track consisted of lots of farm land and cows not the most interesting section of the walk,i got to the hut and the only person there was the ranger that was ok so i had the whole place to myself. Day three Mid Caples hut to Greenstone Hut and a long walk.The weather was no better and more farm land and cows i got to the swing bridge that crosses the caples river and joins the greenstone track about lunch time and the weather came good lots of sun.the Grennstone track in the direction i went is all up hill and there are some very long drops to the river below so be careful. the greenstone hut is a new hut and is about a 15min walk off the track and over the Greenstone river and up the other side.they have placed the hut in a large open area with good views. the hut itself is huge it reminds me of huts on the Milford and routeburn tracks and they are thinking of putting gas in for cooking,not sure if that is good idea. Day 4 greenstone to McKellar Hut.The weather turned NASTY,this walk should have taken about 6 hours it took me 9 hours i have never come across weather like it. The ranger said take care with the river crossings and she ment it.The rain was heavy and it hurt and there was a strong head wind just to make things more interesting, there were more cows,and tons of stinky black thick mud,some places it was knee deep. The river crossings were another issue i have not realy had to deal with,they were small to start with,not to much trouble i remember the ranger saying if you were rain pants take them off and it makes sense now.then i came to the scarey crossing near the McKellar Hut normally it is knee deep this time it was a foot deeper and fast,it is about 4 meters wide and smooth on the bottom so in we go walking poles no use as water to strong im doing well till the last meter and in we go,the flow of water was going to the exit point so i was lucky this time. I can now see how you can drown very easly in rivers.i got to the hut 15 min later wet,cold and tired and had the whole place to myself again. Day5 Home the weather had cleard up alot but the ground was like a bog surface water and mud again,i was on my way home so it was ok.i got to the Howden Hut and guess who greated me the ranger and it was lunch time,she made me a coffee and asked me about the trip and what the weather was like and the river crossings. At the time it was hard work but when i look back on it,it was worth all the hard work, pain and suffering i went through and i would do it again.My next Trip is the Hollyford in Feb 2010 so if people have info for me i would like to here it Lindsay Ps i had 250mm rain in four hours on day 4 and i had a locator beacon