For our first day by the glaciers we hiked the trail to Robert’s Point. The trail was listed as taking 5 hours and 20 mins round trip which turned out to be almost exactly right. The trail took us down river a way past Peter’s Pool and then over the first of 3 or 4 swing bridges. Then the long climb along a mixture of made paths, rock scrambles and slippery, wet stream beds. At one point the trail had followed planks suspended from a vertical cliff face.
Our destination was Robert’s Point where we had an excellent view of the top of Franz Josef Glacier. We ate our lunch here and rested before the arduous descent. Going down the slippery rocks was hard work as it was too easy to lose grip and fall. Our knees took a bit of a beating on these sections and we ended up quite tired by the time we reached the car.
Despite the effort this was a great hike and one to remember. Hopefully the pictures will give some idea of the trail and the majestic scenery around us. The glacier, naturally, sits in a carved valley with hanging waterfalls aplenty.
Today the skies are again blue but we’re going to take it easy after the exertions of yesterday. We’ll take the easy hike to the base of the glacier. We’ll also visit the information center to find the best way to visit the ice tomorrow, either here or at nearby Fox Glacier.
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