DUSKY TRACK, NZ

[medwyn]

Hi ALL,

Im hoping some people on this forum have some experience on the Dusky Track.

I have read information on the DOC website which is fairly general, and have also browsed some independent trip reports which vary in their track descriptions from a moderate to hard walk to the hardest walk on the planet!

I am wanting to walk the track beginning November 28, 2012 with my partner. Now here is my question, my partner has completed walks like the Overland and South Coast track in Tas and numerous walks through the Victorian Alpine region etc. Is the Dusky track too much of a jump for her??

Please give me your thoughts, and any additional info on the track i.e., reports, transport etc.. would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[wayno]

theres a few steep passes in it, almost guaranteed rain of the monsoon variety, lots of mud and tree roots, varying amounts of snow in autumn winter and spring, sometimes even summer

[JamesMc]

Not having done it myself, I understand the Dusky tk to be an order of magnitude more difficult than the OT or SCT. There is any number of other routes you could walk in NZ which would be more suitable. Don`t be limited by the Great Walks. The DOC web site has a lot of good ideas.

A few years ago, I walked Nelson Lakes NP at the end of November / start of December. It was just fantastic with a bit of snow still around, huts nearly empty, and the grassy flats nice and green. There was a huge amount of water in the rivers due to snow melt but they all had bridges so it was no problem.

JamesMc

[wayno]

in heavy rain, rivers make the track impassable. ,a couple of trampers had to climb trees when they were caught out by the river flooding the track .

[DaveNoble]

I have walked most of the track twice - as an access route for some longer (off track) walks - and found it quite easy. However - remember that it is Fiordland - and it does rain a lot. On the first trip - when we lost the track - which happened a bit in the rainforest, we simply looked for "a creek" - and sure enough when we found one - it was probably the track! Also - some of the walk wires (3 cable bridges) were quite challenging.

I would not regard the track as much harder than others in NZ such as Travers/Sabine at Nelson Lakes - but note that the level of difficulty is very rather dependent. Any track in NZ can be quite hard in bad weather.

Dave