Boiling Lake

12/3/2016

I was invited on this hike by a few local friends who hired a guide, which is normally not my thing but I thought why not this time!

The trek to boiling lake takes just over 6 hours starting and ending with the beautiful Titou Gorge! Which I swam in on the way back. It was amazing! The trek to boiling lake was a straight slog up the hill and just as we got to the top the rain started and there was no where to hide so we all got very wet. But on we pressed and the rain gave way for a time until we reached the top of the Valley of Desolation, where the wind and the rain came back with vengeance! I have never seen rain go upwards before but on that day I saw it! But down we went, down into the valley. Which was actually very beautiful when the rain let up, pretty bleak (in a good way) otherwise. After a short Geology lesson and a walk where we had to avoid numerous pitfalls filled with boiling water we continued down the valley. An hour on from the Valley of Desolation we started passing numerous iron rich rivers which are a light turquoise colour. They looked like something out of a fantasy film. A short trip from these rivers brought us finally to the Boiling Lake, which is a lot bigger than it looks from the photographs. Too big for my camera to capture it all. With a sheer drop all the way round the lake we sat down for lunch right on the side where you can feel the hot steam coming off the lake. But just as we sat down, the rain gods awoke and BOOM! Torrential rain in 3 seconds! Fortunately I had a large water proof tarp with me, so I made a shelter and sat down to lunch. The shear cliff back up the Valley of Desolation was brutal but we made it back safe and sound! And I finished as I said with a dip in Titou Gorge! Great trip! Guide was a bit of a Photo Nazi and pretty sure some of this facts were a little off but very enjoyable trip!