Alex Knob

We found a great 2 day hike that we wanted to do but with the recent rain storms the trek was closed until tomorrow. After booking our hut for the following day, we opted to do the 18km Alex Knob Tramp. It was a great hike. The trail basically zig zagged up towards the summit of a mountain. Personally, I really enjoy the inclines, not a big fan of downhills. We climbed 1,200 meters to the summit. The vast majority of the hike was through thick rain forests. It was really cool. It reminded me of the opening scene of the Indiana Jones movie Raider of the Lost Arc as we ducked under vines and stepping over fallen logs. We didn’t reach the tree line till close to the top but the views were worth the wait. We walked along the spine of the mountain for a short section and the views opened to Franz Joseph Glacier below. You could see helicopters zooming in and out to take tourist in for a visit. We enjoyed a well-earned lunch at the top. On the way day we were passed by a group of French trail runners that ran the whole hike!

We freedom camped that night in small gravel space on the side of the road situated in a valley between two mountains. If it wasn’t a full moon, the star sightings would have been spectacular. But the bright full moon felt more like a spot light shining down on us.Read more