Overland Track - Day 5: Kia Ora to Bert Nichols/Windy Ridge

We are up and ready for a new day. Bodies are feeling good, motivation is good. We smash down our breakfast and get back into our wet clothes... Yaaaay

Time to take down the tent. Usually a nice, easy task considering there isn't much too it. Throw in some sideways sleet, however, and it becomes trickier. Jeff manages to stuff it the bag and we get going.

The amount of rain we've had is really starting to take it's toll on the track. Lots of deep puddles. Lots of mud. A tricky patch of forest to negotiate to start us off today.

Courts cops a tree branch to the eye which flicked back off Jeff's backpack. Luckily it hit just below the eye. Lots of blood and a descent whack, but no major damage done. It starts hailing and we are starting to think this is going to be a long, tough day.

Just as soon as the hail starts the sun comes out though as we step out of the forest and spot Du Cane Hut in a beautiful clearing. This is the oldest hut on the track.

We come to the first side-trip which is a steep descent down to 2 waterfalls. We see that its very steep and the book says the next waterfall further down the hike is the better one. We decide to pick our battles and only do the next one.

We make it to the next falls and drop our packs and head on down. We make it down easily enough and spot the waterfall. Lots of warning posts saying not to go too close to the edge and it has been known to collapse and its a big fall down. We follow the path down, but decide not to cross the fast moving river at the bottom. It would have soaked us to the knee and we didn't think it was worth it. Not the most impressive waterfall we've seen... Just saying..

Time for the climb of the day, over the Du Cane Gap. It better terrain than in the forest, but its still a bit of a slog. The energy and motivations levels are flagging, and then all of a sudden.. SNOW! Always a novelty for us Aussies. And just the boost we needed. It felt like we were in a wonderland for about 15 minutes. Amazing, Australian scenery (even a few gum trees around now) and the finest snow coming down. Which admittedly does turn to sleet soon enough, but we'll take it. One of the highlights of the trek so far.

We start our decent over the other end of the Gap and the Overland throws us a new type of forest again. Beautiful, moss-covered scenes with running water everywhere.

We stumble into camp and put our tent up straight away because the rain is light. We get the energy levels up by eating cheese and cured meats until dinner time.

This hut is one of the oldest we've seen on the trip. No lights in the big, open communal space. Its not as stuffy as the other huts, thankfully.

With full bellies we call it a night and head for the tent.