Mueller Hut - there and back again

Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes and in this time of isolation from the pandemic outbreak, I've been taking a trip down memory lane and found some of my favorites. New Zealand has come up a lot, as has Argentinian Patagonia. I have written extensive posts of our trips to both countries but thought someone out there might like some more information, the nitty gritty, on how, how much, when and all that. So here we go.

Mueller Hut lies at 1800 meters above sea level in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park on the South Island of New Zealand.  It is an out and back via the same route but that's really not a deterrent as the view are so spectacular you will probably not mind seeing them twice. 

Reservations for staying over - a lot of people just do it as a day trip - are made through the Department of Conservation's website (https://www.doc.govt.nz). Once you get to the Mount Cook Visitors Centre in Hooker Valley you simply show them the printout and you get the ticket which you present to the hut ranger. Easy. It's about $45 NZ for a bunk bed and use of the kitchen, which has gas but no cooking gear or lighters. We opted for the bunks but there is enough flat ground and fairly sheltered areas to put up a tent. If you dare. There are LOTS of keas.

The seams lasted a couple of hours...

The trail starts at Kea Point Track outside the visitors' center but can also be reached from the White Horse Hill car park. We stayed overnight at the Mount Cook Backpacker Lodge so we could get started early and were fortunate to have absolutely gorgeous weather. They only had dorms but there was a large kitchen with lots of cookware and a big dining hall overlooking the valley.

Trail conditions going towards Sealy Tarns

We were off at the crack of dawn, meeting several small groups of hikers along the way. This trail is pretty much up hill, all the way from the valley floor, sometimes along gravel trail, sometimes on wooden stairs. Being NZ, it's extremely well maintained. After many zigzags (I never count) and a couple of hours, the first "stop" is Sealy Tarns. From here there are spectacular views of Mount Aoraki/Cook and the Hooker Valley and it's a good place to have a snack and take lots of photos, even if the clouds are low hanging.

Sealy Tarns

From the tarns, the trail gets a bit more rugged and becomes more of an alpine route than a trail. We followed the orange markers through the tussocks which eventually turned into a rock scramble. It's fairly easy to figure out which way to go - up - but the boulders are large and probably not well suited for someone with weak ankles. Some people used hiking poles to provide some extra support. I went with the "hands and knees" option as I rarely use poles - for me, they get in the way of photographing - but everyone differs on this. Use whatever makes you feel safer and, if you're new to scrambling and walking on scree, remember you have a heavy backpack on that impairs your balance.

The trail gradually becomes not so much a trail

Follow the orange markers!

After about 50 meters of this, we came to the skyline ridge and amazing views of the
Mueller Glacier that swept down the valley, passing several smaller hanging glaciers along the way. You also have views of the very cool ice shelf on Mount Sefton. We were lucky with the weather and there were very few clouds.

As you round the corner, you get the first sighting of Mueller Hut and it's a stunner. And that's when it hits you - this is where we spend the night and it's going to be SO cool. I could almost feel my camera jumping for joy. The hut has a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and there is literally nothing preventing you from getting gorgeous pictures. As long as the weather held and it did.

A long awaited sight

Following the rocky trail those last few meters were a breeze but then odd sounds started to come into ear shot. It sounded almost like crying babies, and yet... The cry of the kea is very distinct and hard to describe.It almost makes you think of video game sound, so otherworldly and unlike anything else. And they were having fun, which explained why everything on the hut was bolted down like they expected a raid by marauding Vikings. Everything was being picked at, nibbled on, tried on for size.

Keas trying to find purchase on the metal roof

 

Attitude...

The setup was the same as with many of New Zealand's huts - a thick mattress in a couple of big mixed dorms, BYO pillow, sleeping back and ear plugs - though this one had a particularly cool long-drop...

The Mueller long drop - not a bad view

The dorm - aiming for comfort, not privacy

This particular hut sleeps only 28 so it's one of the smaller ones but there was a nice, big common room and kitchen.  None of the bunks are assigned numbers so we grabbed a couple that faced windows after checking in on the roster. There were closets opposite to store our stuff. Since I do get up to photograph sunrise, we took bottom bunks. Then it was off to eat lunch outside in the sunshine and watch the keas frolic on the roof. The area around the hut is filled with cool alpine plants and it was fun to wander around and take pictures.

The wind picked up at bit...

After a hearty re-hydrated noodle dinner, the stable of backpackers the world over, the sun started to set and people went outside to watch the light disappear. The wind had picked up and it was pretty cold as there was absolutely nothing to hold onto the warmth from the day - a windbreaker came in very handy. It was gorgeous and I stayed out until I could no longer feels my hands or hit the shutter button, then fled inside to warm up on tea and whiskey. As with the other huts we stayed in, there was a nice atmosphere. Everyone had endured the same rigors coming to the top and the sense of exhausted accomplishment was as undeniable as it was satisfying. It was a good, fun group of people, including a bunch of Aussies who had actually dragged several bottles of wine to the top. Admittedly, I felt a little envious.

Hooray moment

Sunset over Mt. Aoraki/Cook

A word of advice about dorms - there was a large group who got up at 4 a.m. to hike back and who were shining their very bright headlights on all us sleepers as they fumbled around in the dark to get their gear together. Don't be that person. Get your stuff ready before you go to bed so you can just grab everything when you get up and gear up outside the dorm away from the sleepers. It seems self-explanatory but a surprising number of people don't. Common courtesy is priceless when you sleep with a bunch of strangers. Personally, I sleep with my camera bag just above my head and a stuff sack with my clothes so it's easy to slip out of bed using the weak light from my phone to navigate in the dark and keeping the headlight where it belongs - in a pocket :). That being said, it was totally worth getting up early for the sunrise!

Sunrise from the hut

Quite a few people were up early to watch the sunrise. Once it was done and the sun was up, we headed inside to make big bowls of hot oatmeal and instant coffee. We chatted with the Aussies who were surprisingly frisky despite having downed several bottles of wine the previous night, then cleaned up, got our gear together and headed out since we had not packed a lunch. We took our time getting back down - it's always easier on the knees going up than down - and we were back at the hostel in the early afternoon where a good lunch, and a hot shower, awaited.

Post-hike lamb pie, entirely guilt-free

As always, feel free to email me at anneharaiphotography@gmail.com with questions if you plan to go the same route!