Reflections 3

How time flies. I've been home for almost 4 days now, relaxing and doing very little. I've only just managed to catch up on my blog today, and my pack is still strewn over the lounge floor.

Everything is still where I left it on Monday night...

My now ass-less rain pants, torn at the top of Tongariro. Off to the bin.

Lazy? Very probably. Though I wonder if I am dragging my heels a bit for a reason. When the blog is finished and the pack is out of sight, my mind will move on to other things and my adventure will truly be over. But this way, at least the thought of the last few weeks is lingering with me for a few extra days.

Thinking back about this last trip, it seemed long at the time, but in hindsight it's gone so quickly. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was waving goodbye to Paul in Te Kuiti and setting off into the unknown. But this trip has certainly been different in a number of ways from my previous TA hikes. Here are a few of the differences that come to mind:

The elements:

So. Much. Rain! Weather hasn't been a factor prior to this trip - it has always been reasonable, after all how bad can the weather be mid-summer? Pretty bad, it would seem, with the potential to stop me in my tracks (the slip, the crossing, various rivers to ford, and the canoe trip).

The logistics:

For the first time, I had deadlines on this trip - to make it to Tongariro for the crossing, and to make it to the river for the canoe. It wasn't just a matter of going at my own leisurely pace, there was pressure to be at certain places by certain times.

The distances:

Right from the beginning, I found myself covering much larger distances that I have before. In a couple of cases there was no option; in others, I needed to push further to try to stay ahead of the weather. It's not ideal at all - very long days on legs that aren't trail-hardened quickly led to very sore feet, and an emergence of some of the achilles tendonitis that I had on my very first TA trip. Plus, long days on hard roads are not enjoyable. I need to remind myself - shorter is better, at least for the first few weeks.

The safety:

OK, unlike other trips where the biggest risk was getting lost for a few moments, there were certainly times where I felt unsafe on this trip. 

1. Passing the 42 Traverse slip - I was nervous at the time, and it went well, but it was a rather unsafe decision to attempt it (I've heard that since the rain, DOC have now posted wardens on either side of the slip to turn hikers back). 
2. The Tongariro Crossing. It was a dodgy decison to attempt the crossing in that weather, and for a few minutes on the ridge I was genuinely deeply scared. I would love to see an aerial shot of the ridge, to work out in the light of day where I was and how safe or unsafe it really was.
3. Our great canoe accident on day 1 of the Whanganui River. It ended well, but it could have been disastrous.
4. Piling onto Muz's quad bike. OK, maybe not in the same league as the others, but under the circumstances, this wasn't sensible decision-making!

The people:

This was perhaps the biggest difference of all. My previous TA adventures have been intensely solo. But looking back through my blog, so many of my photos are in the company of others. Even though I have been hiking by myself, with so many other TA hikers around it hasn't felt lonely. It has been a great experience sharing my adventures, and I've made some good friends along the way. It's bittersweet saying goodbye to so many as they head on down the trail - but maybe I'll even bump into a few of them somewhere down the line.

Looking at the numbers - this trip was 21 days and 491km long. I've effectively been hiking the TA now for 66 days in total, and I am now at the 1374km mark. The bottom of the North Island is now only about 340km away!

Thinking back, there were times on this trip when I did say to myself: enough of this madness, this will be my last TA adventure. After multiple long days, sometimes it is easy to feel weary and jaded, and to lose some of the sense of enjoyment and accomplishment. But then other days, it comes back. The moments that will most stay in my memory from this trip are definitely the challenging ones - most notably the Tongariro Crossing, and the river capsize. But also the social ones - Chris, Lynne, Jonnie, Muz, and others. And the sense of accomplishment. I've come so far! I think maybe I can go a bit further.

And my song of this trip? Definitely White Wine in the Sun. I think I'm going to play it now (for real, not in my head), as I finish off this last blog entry, and sign off. Until next year!