Copland Track

Hello,

after 8 weeks in Fox, with many experiences and a super great host family, we decided to continue moving south. However, before that, we wanted to hike a 2-day track called 'Copland Track'.

The description of the track said that it is suitable for beginners and leads to a hut that offers a beautiful view of the nearby mountains and natural hot springs just 5 minutes away, where you can bathe, but it takes 7 hours. It sounded good, it's not far from Fox, and we were allowed to leave our valuables with Abyee and Paul, so we could hike the track without worries.

And so we did.!

First, we had to cross a large stream. That was tricky because the water was very high and the current was very strong. After 30 minutes upstream and downstream, we found some stones that fit together in a way that allowed us to cross to the other side without getting wet feet.

In the beginning, the path was still easy. After 1.5 hours, we took a 15-minute break and then continued. It got increasingly harder and longer... from initially normal gravel and muddy forest paths, the trail became steeper and steeper. At some points, we even had to climb along cliffs. After 4 hours, I (Christina) was already completely exhausted... and I'm not sure if the track is really suitable for beginners... the cliff passages were slippery and therefore difficult. There were many bridges that could only be crossed one at a time and were supported by only 2 wires... I'm not a fan of that kind of thing, but I managed to overcome my fear and go across. After 5.5 hours, there was a sign indicating 3km to the hut... I struggled all the way to the hut, gathering strength and mentally thinking 'the pool is coming soon' ... I never thought that I could regenerate during the hike and that most of it is about mental strength.. impressive. Towards the end, it was also very tiring for Daniel. He tried to hurry up with the explanation 'Come on, I want to arrive before it gets dark.' or 'I don't know how much further it is, we have to get there today...'. Well, I didn't care, I was glad to have found my pace and in the end, we arrived at the hut exactly at the 7-hour mark, as stated in the description.

We changed our clothes and immediately checked out the hot springs. omg... they were sooooo awesome.. one had about 25 degrees and the other 40... that was the best thing because my feet were incredibly sore and this saved me from even more pain for the return journey the next day. The hut has a kitchen with seating area, an outdoor toilet, and 4 rooms upstairs with 8 beds each for overnight stays. After the 'Hot Pools', we had something to eat and went straight to bed. I was so ridiculously tired and fell asleep right away. Unfortunately, it is never really quiet in a shared room. The last people arrived in our room at midnight and the ones in the next room made a lot of noise... In the morning, they got up at 6 am and slammed the doors... well, I couldn't sleep so well anymore and at 4 am it started raining ... that was the worst... the roof was rattling...

Well, then we got up at 7 and started walking around 8 or 8:30.. I had such sore muscles... I could hardly move... plus it was raining.... we got off to a good start and on the way we also met some people from the hut at the one-man bridge, which gave me energy to keep going. It wasn't easy and we only took a break at another hut on the way down.. we made it down well, but now a new problem arose, due to the rain, the water in the river had risen and we couldn't find a passage where we could cross it easily and dryly... well, then we just went through the middle... and I have to say, it was freezing cold and very wet....

When we arrived at the car, we turned on the heating, took off our wet clothes, and drove back to Fox to have a cup of tea and get our things so we could finally continue. Upon arriving in Fox, Paul welcomed us, looked at us and said: 'Your things are in Peter's room, go take a shower and dry your clothes. Tonight, we're having chilli beef nachos. You can stay another night and leave tomorrow :)

We were very happy and immediately went for a hot...(really hot) shower. After that, we sat by the fire and slept in a warm and, above all, quiet bed!! It was fantastic!!! Abyee and Paul are simply the best...

:)

PS: Because it was very exhausting and wet, there are not many pictures... we also have to take pictures of the hot springs from the internet.. sorry...