The Rees-Dart Track

The day after Christmas we took off for our second 5-day, 4-night tramp. This time we ventured off on the Rees-Dart Track, a route where you basically follow two river valleys (Rees and Dart) while catching glimpses of glaciers and alpine scenery. We decided to do a day trip from the middle hut (Dart Hut) up to the Cascade Saddle; that day, we woke up at 5:15 and had amazing weather compared to the downpour of the day before. We took 8 hours up and back to the saddle and then still had to hike 6 hours down to the next hut, Daleys' Flat, since we had booked the backpacker shuttle out the next day. I don't think I have ever been so glad to see a hut or stop walking; but remembering the scenery from the Cascade Saddle made the 14 hour hinking day definitely worth it.

The crazy thing that happened, though, was on the way up on the second day, we passed a pair of nesting falcons and they actually dive-bombed a British girl (sans talons) and gave her a pretty good bruising on her head. Sheesh!! She was fine, but what crazy protective falcons, hey?