The next day we started our three-day trek on the Routeburn Track.  The Routeburn Track is higher and more alpine than the Milford Track and is commonly seen in lists of the top ten hikes in the world. We started on a very clear day and our road shuttle trip was very beautiful along Lake Wakatipu.  Near the trailhead our driver pointed out where Isengard scenes in the Lord of the Rings were filmed. We began our hike through very nice, open Beech forests, and climbed to the Routeburn Flats hut where we had lunch.  The hut fronted on a large, open meadow in the valley bottom of the Route Burn River. Snow-capped peaks rose above the valley. From there, we climbed steeply, completing our five and one half mile hike at the Routeburn Falls Hut located at treeline, at the Routeburn Falls.  We left our packs at the hut and climbed up a primitive trail into the alpine terrain to a lake high above the hut where there were exquisite views of the surrounding mountains and the alpine basin we would cross the next day. Back in the dining room of the hut, we ate in front of the exquisite views provided by the large windows.