I was on a 7 day walk with Roger, and the highlight was our visit to the Labyrinth. We camped for three nights at Lake Elysia. It was nice to enjoy the beauty of this place in a range of weather conditions.
While there we didn’t do anything too strenuous in terms of side trips. We wanted to experience the maze of lakes, the surrounding peaks and the very special vegetation. And amongst that special vegetation was the fagus – the native deciduous Beech – Nothofagus gunnii. It was possibly a little past its best – but still very good.
We left Pine Valley Hut and set out on the climb up to the saddle between the Minotaur and the Parthenon. The saddle itself is a good place for a break, before continuing on, traversing the Parthenon and then descending a short distance to reach the start of the Labyrinth.
Here you can see great views of the of the best peaks in the range – the Geryon and the Acropolis.
One in the Labyrinth, we could again experience some fagus up close.
It did not take long to reach Lake Elysia. We wet up our tents and had lunch. Then we could use the afternoon to wander around.
Back at camp, for dusk, we met a photographer, who had a large format camera set up on a tripod. He as waiting for the right light, but that evening it didn’t really happen.
Next day’s sunrise was not very special – there was a large cloudbank in the east, and it took a while for the sun’s rays to hit.
Later in the morning, we visited the nearby Pool of Memories. We then wandered around the fagus covered tops nearby by.
Then we headed back to Lake Elysia.
Here we are looking down at Lake Persephone and the mixed forest – Pincil Pines and Fagus.
Then some more photography near our campsite.
In the late afternoon, we did have a very brief burst of sunlight.
That night was the clearest of the trip. The stars were very bright in the cool clear air.
The next was forecast to be wet. It was. It rained on and off for most of the day. But it was still a privilege being in such a breathtaking place. The Labyrinth should be experienced in a range of weather.
On our last morning in the Labyrinth, we awoke to find nice weather and ice on out tents. But it was not cold enough to freeze the ponds or lakes nearby.
After our breakfast, we packed up and left this stunning area. We were heading back to Narcissus.