OKAHUNE, NEW ZEALAND
Well, we made it.
By "it," I mean the Tongariro Crossing, that 17 kilometer, all-day hike that climbs Mt. Tongariro and past Mt. Ngauruhoe ("Mount Doom"), across dry lake beds, red volcanic vents, steaming sulphur hot springs, emerald green lakes, alpine vegetation, and native forest. It's a stunningly beautiful hike, but it involves some incredibly grueling climbs up steep volcanic slopes and down mountains of scree and loose rocks. There were several points when I wasn't sure I would make it--the only thing that made me feel better was passing people on the trail who were faring far worse than me. A number of hikers had to turn back before reaching Red Crater (the highest point of the trek, at 1886 meters), and I saw one guy slice up his hand real bad on some sharp rocks. By the end, Chris' knee swelled up to the size of a grapefruit, while I made it through with just some sore muscles and joints. That last four hours downhill was almost as bad as the uphill part!
As painful as it was at times, though, it was worth it for the sights. At pretty much every moment of the trek, I could look around and see scenery that could rightfully be described as "spectacular." I'm not sure photos will do it justice, but I took a bunch of 'em, anyway.
NP: Genesis, "Riding the Scree"
Well, we made it.
By "it," I mean the Tongariro Crossing, that 17 kilometer, all-day hike that climbs Mt. Tongariro and past Mt. Ngauruhoe ("Mount Doom"), across dry lake beds, red volcanic vents, steaming sulphur hot springs, emerald green lakes, alpine vegetation, and native forest. It's a stunningly beautiful hike, but it involves some incredibly grueling climbs up steep volcanic slopes and down mountains of scree and loose rocks. There were several points when I wasn't sure I would make it--the only thing that made me feel better was passing people on the trail who were faring far worse than me. A number of hikers had to turn back before reaching Red Crater (the highest point of the trek, at 1886 meters), and I saw one guy slice up his hand real bad on some sharp rocks. By the end, Chris' knee swelled up to the size of a grapefruit, while I made it through with just some sore muscles and joints. That last four hours downhill was almost as bad as the uphill part!
As painful as it was at times, though, it was worth it for the sights. At pretty much every moment of the trek, I could look around and see scenery that could rightfully be described as "spectacular." I'm not sure photos will do it justice, but I took a bunch of 'em, anyway.
NP: Genesis, "Riding the Scree"
posted by John Kuge at 10:33 PM
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