Equipment for the Routeburn Track

 The equipment I will carry on the Routeburn Track...

The second part of my preparation for walking the Routeburn Track is gathering all the equipment I will need for the tramp. I have honed this gear list down over the last decade and have removed all extraneous equipment and excess weight. 

 

Packing up my kit in Howden Hut back in 2020

My over arching plan with this equipment is to carry as little weight as possible without compromising safety. I could certainly take less gear with me but I would not be self sufficient in an emergency. I have no wish to appear on your evening news as another of those "daft trampers" in trouble because I didn't take enough gear to support myself...

Gator don't play that way!!!

Overview of my gear:

I have a set of packing lists which I use when I am preparing my gear for a trip. I have one for day tramps right through to multi day expeditions and I tick items off the list as I gather the gear and pack it. I use the same basic set up for a Great Walk and a tramp of 1-3 days. There is just enough gear here to keep me safe, warm & reasonably comfortable.

My usual set of gear for a Great Walk

Here is a list of the gear I carry excluding specific sub groups I will discuss below...

Pack: Osprey Atmos 50 AG with raincover and packliner

Sleep system: see below

Cooking kit: see below

Clothing: see below

Emergency equipment: ACR ResQLink PLB, First Aid kit, SOL mylar bivy bag

Electronics: Samsung A12 phone, Canon SX410IS camera with 6 batteries, Kindle Paperwhite, 20 000 mAh power bank with cord, Black Diamond headtorch + spare batteries 

Navigation: Silva Ranger compass, topographic maps of the track

Toiletries: Sea to Summit Drylite towel, tooth brush, tooth paste, comb, insect repellant, sun screen, anti chaff, Luka tape

Accessories: jandal's for hut shoes, strapless digital watch, general repair kit, bandanna, wallet (drivers license/hut pass/cash/credit card), car keys, camera pouch fitted to my pack hip belt, 

All up my gear weighs 9.7 kg's without food or water which is not Ultra Lite but is manageable. The gear I would take on a Great Walk is basically the same as what I would haul for any tramp. This equipment (with regular food resupply) would allow me to stay on a long trail for several months at a time. 

Specific equipment sub groups:

Some of the equipment I carry warrants its own sub grouping.

Clothing: Worn

Worn clothing refers to the clothes you wear day to day and therefore does not take up space in your pack. I'm from the start cold-warm up school so I am usually attired in the bare minimum of clothing when I start out in the morning. My usual tramping attire will be some type of short sleeved shirt, shorts, underwear and my boots or shoes. 

My tramping uniform: shirt, shorts and boots...

I use generic clothing from the Warehouse (the local Walmart...) or Hunting and Fishing made from a moisture wicking technical material. I have recently taken to wearing collared shirts so I can flip the collar up for extra sun protection. I will wear a hat most of the time as the sun here in Kiwiland is savage...

Jon standing outside Saxon Hut in December 2021

Worn clothing consists of:

Short sleeve shirt, shorts, technical underwear, socks, foot wear, sun hat

I will use mountain trainers or boots depending on the trip and the socks I use are either Bridgedale or Icebreaker.

Footwear: worn

The Routeburn is a rough & rocky track in places through high Alpine terrain and good footwear is essential to a successful trip. I will be wearing my old faithful Lowa boots on this tramp as I have on so many others. 

Lowa Ranger III boots for the Routeburn

I use Lowa Ranger III boots in a size 14US or 13UK....my current pair have been in use since 2018 and still have many years of use in them. Lowa are a German bootmaker who have been in business since the 1920's and they make some of the best outdoor boot products on the market. As you would imagine with a German manufacturer they are well made and super comfortable to wear...I have never had blisters with these.

My Lowa boots on the Heaphy Track in Decmeber

Good boots need good socks to work at their peak so my go to sock brand is Bridgedale...I wear their merino blend Trekker socks and have been very happy with my choice. I have a brand new and freshly laundered pair for this trip and I carry a spare pair of the same for hut wear and in case something happens to one of my day to day socks. 

Bridgedale Trekker socks are my go to brand

I have gaiters but do not wear them on Great Walks as the tracks are usually wide enough and well formed enough to make them surplus to requirements. That said I could have used them on the Heaphy track last December...it was muddy!!!

Clothing: Warm/Spare

I have a set of warmer clothes that I take with me when I go out tramping..the weather here in New Zealand is very changeable so you have to be prepared for all weather from baking sun to blizzard. As I have already stated I am usually to be seen in a short sleeve shirt and shorts so this warm gear stays in a dry bag in my pack most of the time. 

Wearing one of my merino tops on a trip to the Hawdon Valley

I carry the following warm gear on every Great Walk tramp:

H & F fleece pullover, merino long sleeved top, merino leggings, nylon track pants for the hut,  merino Bennie (2 incase I lose one), gloves, spare socks

Great Walk specific clothing includes:

Spare short sleeve shirt, nylon track pants (both for use in the hut)

In actual fact I have only needed these warm clothes 6-7 times over the last decade but I would never leave them behind. I wear my warm fleece on every trip once it starts getting cold at sundown...

Clothing: wet weather gear:

You spend most of your time on the Routeburn up above the bush line so the chances of encountering some serious rain are quite high. Ideally I would have a heavy duty E-vent or Gortex parka but what I will be carrying is my usual wet weather gear.

My wet weather gear: jacket, pants and over-mitts

Both my jacket and over trousers are from Stoney Creek...the Stow It jacket and a pair of Dreambull wet weather pants. Both items have a 24 000 water head and are fully seam sealed with a generous adjustable hood on the jacket. I have recently renewed the water proofing on my jacket so it should be good to go for this trip. 

Stoney Creek Stowit jacket

I have worn these in heavy sustained rain and they have kept me warm and safe if not always comfortable or 100% dry. If it rains enough every jacket is going to soak through eventually. I wear these with a wicking undergarment and a baller cap to keep the hood off my eyes. 

In my wet weather gear on the Paparoa Track in 2021

My wet weather gear is:

Stoney Creek Stowit Jacket, Stoney Creek Dreambull trousers, Outdoor Research Mitts, Baller cap

I also have a pair of Outdoor Research Gortex over-mitts for my hands so I can basically be cocooned from my head to my feet in water proof gear. 

OR Gortex over mitts for use in the rain...

I really need a heavier duty jacket just for tramping in Fiordland but it is not something I am going to acquire before this tramp. 

Sleep system:

I am a hot sleeper so I will not need to take one of my heavy duty sleeping bags with me on this trip. All of the huts on the Routeburn are less than 40 years old so they will have good insulation and are likely to be full of hot heat pumping humans.

 What I will be using is my Macpac NZAT down quilt...

My Macpac NZAT quilt at Ces Clarke Hut in 2020

I have been using the quilt for nearly four years now and it is a really awesome bit of kit...it is lite yet warm and comfortable to sleep under. Quilts are the go...they are much less constricting around the body and lighter as there is no down under you. This one is good down to zero degrees and I usually find I am still too hot even when it is that cold...

My favored position in Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes NP

My sleeping system for this track will include:

 Macpac NZAT zero degree quilt, Sea to Summit Aeros pillow, silk sleeping bag liner

The other parts of my sleeping kit are a Sea to Summit inflatable pillow and a silk sleeping bag liner that I tend to use as a bottom sheet so I am not sleeping directly on the nasty DOC hut mats.

I carry a Sea to Summit Aeros pillow

I have be using this set up for the last four years and I think it works well. 

Cooking kit:

I will be taking a lighter version of my standard cooking kit with me on the tramp including my Toaks cooking pot and Firemaple stove. All the main huts on the Routeburn have gas cookers but I like to carry a cooking kit for emergencies and for on trail tea/soup breaks. 

My standard cook kit...Great Walk edition

Additionally I will have two 1 liter plastic bottles for water...I have been using recycled Just Juice bottles for the last decade and they work really well. 

Recycled juice bottles are great for water carry...

My cook kit will have the following items in it:

Toaks 1.3 liter titanium pot, Firemaple TI stove, plastic Sea to Summit Delta mug, TI fork and spoon, Victorinox folding knife, 110gm gas cannister, lighter, liquid camp soap, carry bags

If I have enough water I will brew up for lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter, Lake Howden Shelter and at the end of the track. I only need a small 110 gm gas cannister for these occasions. 

Ancillary gear:

Here is some ancillary gear I will carrying with me when I am on the Routeburn Track. This gear does not easily fit into the sub groups mentioned above and needs explanation.

Food...

As you will know I have made a separate post just about the food I will be using on this trip. I will be taking meals for four days with breakfast, lunch and dinner catered for. I am more than happy to just eat freeze dried meals the whole time...hey it is only four days and I can eat healthier options before and after the tramp.

My Routeburn Track menu...

My food is the heaviest and bulkiest item I am carrying in my pack. It weighs in at 2.4 kg's but I will eat almost 1 kg of that total before I start the real climbing up out of Routeburn Falls Hut. Food is energy to tramp so this is an area you cannot skimp on...

Trekking poles...

I have been using trekking poles for the last decade...they assist with stability, make crossing smaller streams easier and relieve pressure on your hips, knees and ankles. As I get older I find them more and more useful and would not think of going for any extended tramp without them. My go to brand is Leki and I am currently on my second pair. 

Ye gawds...lift those pole tips Jon!!!

The poles I am currently using are Leki Traillite poles...these are the traditional Leki poles with the screw action for changing the length of the poles. I have been using these since 2020 after my previous poles broke on the Travers -Sabine Circuit. 

My pack and poles at Gouland Downs Hut

Up until last year I was just carrying the one pole but have starting carrying two as using the one pole was giving me joint pain. Trekking poles are fantastic when you are climbing and descending slopes and are useful even on the flattest track. 

Using the Leki poles on the Heaphy Track

If you have never used trekking poles before you should think about it. There are a ton of suppliers and lots of information online about the techniques and pros/cons of using them.

So that is the gear i will be using on the Routeburn Track in two weeks..

Tramping food: Dutch style fruit bread

 Krentenbrood...great for breakfast and dessert!!!

I was looking for something different to take with me on my tramp of the Heaphy Track and after a bit of consideration I decided on some of this delicious fruit bread. Rosedale Fruit Loaf is a specialty dense fruit bread made by the Delamine Food Company here in New Zealand. 

Rosedale Dutch style Fruit loaf or Krentenbrood

The bread comes packed in a sturdy plastic bag and due to the ingredients and baking process it is shelf stable and totally usable for up to 10 days. You will find it at most supermarkets and it will either be in the baked goods section or specialty bread section. 

Krentenbrood is packed with dried fruit and peel

Rosedale Fruit loaf with other breakfast options...

The loaf comes unsliced and you can cut it to whatever thickness you desire...in my case that is bloody huge chunks about 2 cm's thick. It is good fresh or toasted and while it can be eaten without anything it is so much better with some kind of spread. I have had this bread with butter and margarine but it is also a great loaf for fruit jams, marmalade, conserved fruit, nut butters or honey

Slices of the Rosedale Fruit Loaf...looks good!!!

Rosedale Fruit Loaf  is a dense fruit bread...

With a slice or two of salami or cheese it is a complete breakfast meal option and I have had nothing but a chunk of the loaf and coffee for breakfast a number of times on a trail. It is also a lovely dessert for the end of the day as the sweetness of the fruit and peel is very appealing after the main meal. I was having it morning and evening for the first three days of the Heaphy Track. 

Ingredient list for Rosedale Fruit Loaf

Krentenbrood is great fresh....

There are a couple of negative points to the bread...it is on the heavy side with a loaf weighing 450 gm's. That is the same weight as 2/3 of a 24 hour ration for me on a typical day!!! This is not a problem if there are four of you to distribute the food weight but it is significant if you are humping everything on your own back. 

...or toasted with your favorite toppings

The other factor is it is a bit sticky so you have to wash your hands after handling it or they will get all your gear dirty. Apart from that it is all good as far as I am concerned. A loaf of this bread costs between $5-$6 NZ dollars at this time. It is definitely something you should consider the next time you are planning a menu for a tramp.

 

Nutritional Information for Rosedale Fruit Loaf

Here is a blurb about these fruit loafs from the Delmaine Food company website...

Keep an eye for the next appearance of this fruit loaf on a tramp...I am taking some on the Routeburn with me!

Lyrebird Walking Track, Blue Mountains NP: NSW, Australia: March 2004

 Bush walking to the Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell

One of the other walks I went on while in New South Wales was the Lyrebird Dell Walking Track in Blue Mountains NP. This was a longer walk down to one of the side valleys near Katoomba to a series of pools, water falls and cascades. 

A view of the Pool of Siloam, Blue Mountains NP

It is an actual Australian bush walk which takes approximately 1-2 hours depending on your fitness.

Hiking the Lyrebird Dell Round Walk:

The Lyrebird Dell Walk starts from either Gordon Falls Reserve or along the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue near Leura. It features a descent down to the valley floor and you will see bush, rain forest, waterfalls and some historic caves used by the local Aboriginals in times past. 

Gordon Falls Reserve is the start of the track

Gordon Falls and the Gordon Falls Reserve commemorate General Gordon of Khartoum who was killed during the siege of that city during the Anglo-Sudan War in the 1880's. Gordon served in the British Army in the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny and Opium Wars in China. He was the Egyptian Governor of Sudan at the time of his death and was a particular focus of anger as he represented the hated Egyptian Authorities to the Mahdists. 

General Charles Gordon of Khartoum

The Anglo-Sudan or Mahdist War (1881-1889) was the first overseas conflict Australia sent troops to fight in and it was also one of the first conflicts between Jihadists and the West. Australian soldiers served with troops from Britain, Italy, Canada, Egypt and India. Over 700 Australians (some of whom came from New Zealand) served in the war and there were 9 deaths all from disease.  

The war featured several British leaders who later became famous including a young Second Lieutenant Winston Churchill, Major's Haig, French and Hamilton, Colonel Kitchener and General Roberts all senior leaders in the Boer War and WWI. 

You could argue that it was the first war fought by the Commonwealth. 

We followed the Lyrebird Dell Round Walk

Follow the signs from Gordon Falls Reserve for Pool of Siloam Walking Track...it takes about 20-30 minutes to walk down to Gordons Creek and the Pool. The Pool of Siloam is a plunge pool at the base of a waterfall coming down off the Katoomba Escarpment near Leura. 

Map: Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell Walking Track

 From the Gordon Falls Reserve you drop down a step set of stairs into the bush and gradually make your way down to the Pool of Siloam your first stop of the track. Take care on the stairs as they are steep and sections can be overgrown, muddy and slippery.  At the start you are surrounded by thick bush but this gradually gives way to typical Australian rainforest vegetation as you get closer to the bottom. 

On the descent down to the Pool of Siloam

When you get down near the end of the steps you will find yourself in a shady area of rain forest with many small streams, water runs and seeps along and across the track. Eventually you can see the area around the Pool of Siloam below you. There are a set of stepping stones across the stream outlet and a small sandy beach along the edge of the pool. 

Looking down on the Pool of Siloam stepping stones

There is a sandy beach at the Pool of Siloam

The Pool of Siloam is set in a small rock amphitheater with tall trees all around and there is a ribbon waterfall cascading down from above. For the historians out there the original Pool of Siloam is where Jesus is supposed to have healed the sick by baptizing them in its restorative waters. Those Victorians had a good streak of the religious ferment coursing through them...

When I visited in the early 2000's the pool was quite deep...maybe waist deep or so. I have read online that it has silted up a lot due to drought, bush fires and construction around Katoomba/Leura. All the exposed sand and dirt runs down into these valleys every time there is a big storm...man made erosion!!!

Pool of Siloam, Blue Mountains NP

There are plenty of logs and rocks to sit on while you watch the waterfall and the beach is a good safe area for children to explore and play on. It is worth spending some time here and just enjoying the sights and sounds of the surrounding forest. 

Stepping stones at the Pool of Siloam

There were plenty of birds around the pool and we saw Cockatoos, Rosella's, Kookabura's, Silvereyes and other native birds on the forest floor and amongst the foliage of the trees. The forest is interesting with massive Gum/Eucalypt Trees, Bottle Brushes, Banksia, Waratah and other strange and unusual plants. The colorful red flower of the Waratah is the NSW state symbol...

The symbol of NSW...the Waratah flower

If you are lucky you might see an actual Lyrebird scratching around in the undergrowth along this track. We saw a couple but at a distance as they are shy and retiring birds. They are one of a variety of scrub dwelling birds endemic to this area and are noted for their long and colorful tail plumage and mimicry of other birds song. They look a bit like a cross between a Chicken, Quail, Weka and Roadrunner... 

Typical Australian Lyrebird in the bush

From the Pool of Siloam you continue along the Lyrebird Dell Walking Track for approximately a kilometer to the Lyrebird Dell. This part of the track was damp with a number of smaller cascades, streams and rivulets visible along both sides of the track. It was cool and shady with mosses, ferns and lichen on most surfaces. Half way to the Dell you pass Gordons Cascade which is a lovely terrace with Gordons Creek flowing over it. 

Gordon's Cascade on the way to Lyrebird Dell

There are quite a few seeps along the track from Siloam Pool to the Lyrebird Dell with water running down the rock faces and the thick mosses growing on them. The forest was cool and shady...a change from the blazing sun and heat. 

It was the end of summer when we visited so the rest of NSW was dry as tinder..in fact we passed through a bush fire on our way to and from Canberra.  It was nice to be in a cool almost naturally air conditioned place if only for a short time. 

Water seep along the Lyrebird Dell Track

There are a couple of caves about 800 meters from the Pool of Siloam. They are closer to rock outcrops than caves but are still interesting to explore. Excavations around these over hangs found 12 000 year old stone fragments from tool making by the indigenous Aboriginal people. They had lived in this area for millennia and only really moved further inland after European settlement. It is easy to see why with the presence of shelter, game, running water and other resources. 

One of the small caves on the Lyrebird Dell Track

Another rock overhang on the Lyrebird Dell Track

Lyrebird Falls are not far past the two small caves and while the falls are not massive it is set in a very idyllic grotto surrounded by bush and with a plunge pool at the base of the falls. It was cool and damp at Lyrebird Falls and we sat on a log here and contemplated the falls for some time. 

Lyrebird Falls, Blue Mountains NP

There is a historic picnic area near the Lyrebird Falls which has been in this location since the 1930's. Back then groups would come on organised outings to the area to enjoy the clean air and cool forest surrounds. It must have been a bit of a journey back then with the primitive vehicles they would have used along what I imagine were rough and punishing roads.

The big cave it sits in was once used by Aboriginals as a place to live and is still considered sacred to them. It is easily the largest of the caves and overhangs along this track and you can see why they would have used it for shelter. It does seem a bit inappropriate to have picnic tables here BUT you cannot judge 1930's Aussies with 21st Century mores...

The picnic area near Lyrebird Dell Falls

From the Lyrebird Dell you continue on the Lyrebird Track for about another 500 meters before finding yourself back up on Lone Pine Avenue. From here you just walk along the road all the way back to Gordon Falls Reserve about another 500 meters away. 

You are back at your start point...

In the bush on the way back to Lone Pine Avenue, Lyrebird Dell Walk

Lone Pine Avenue heading to Gordon Falls Reserve, Leura

There are an ornate set of memorial gates at the entrance to Gordon Falls Reserve with the names of locals killed during the Boer War and WWI. At the time this would have been a very small and sleepy rural town so the fact there are over thirty dead from World War I must have been devastating to the local community. 

You see similar memorials in most small rural New Zealand towns..Akaroa has over twenty names on its memorial arch...probably most of the young men who lived there prior to the Great War. A real waste of potential as all wars are....

Entrance gate at the Gordon Falls Reserve, Leura

From Gordon Falls Reserve you should head by foot or vehicle down to the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue to the Gordon Falls Lookout. This is the only spot in the immediate area with an unobstructed view out to the rest of Blue Mountains National Park. From here you have a good view of Mt Solitary off in the distance, Jamison Valley and the huge cliffs around Leura...

Gordon Falls Outlook, Blue Mountains NP

You can also see the Gordon Falls way down below you...the falls drop from the top of the escarpment down into an amphitheater below and then run into Gordons Creek. It really reminded me of the falls you pass near Coal Creek on the Paparoa Great Walk here in New Zealand. They are a similar height and the cliffs look much the same with that sandstone and limestone...

View down to the Gordon Falls, Blue Mountain NP

I think it would be worthwhile visiting Gordon Falls just after a big storm as I believe the falls would act like a giant storm drain for the surrounding area. I bet they are quite spectacular with a lot of water rushing over them...

Mt Solitary and Jamison Valley from Gordon Falls Lookout

It was interesting to take a walk in the Australian bush...it is very different to New Zealand with a completely different range of tree species and animals. If I manage to make it back over the ditch to NSW and Sydney in the future I will make sure to go up to Katoomba for a couple of days and do some more walking there. 

Access: From Sydney take the Great Western Highway to Katoomba and Leura. At Leura follow Luera Mall and turn left onto Gordon Road. Follow Gordon Road to Lone Pine Avenue. Park at Gordon Falls Reserve or along Lone Pine Avenue and look for the track start.
Track Times: The Lyrebird Round Trip is 1.8 km or around 1.5 hours. Pool of Siloam Walking Track (30 minutes), Lyrebird Dell Walking Track (30 minutes), Lyrebird Dell to Gordon Falls Reserve (20-30 minutes)
Miscellaneous: There is a picnic area, toilets and playground at Gordon Falls Reserve. The track down to the Pool of Siloam is steep and can be muddy and slippery at times. There is a historic picnic area near the Lyrebird Dell. Gordon Falls Lookout is at the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue.