TONGARIRO NORTHERN CIRCUIT
So that four day trek turned out to be a bit more adventure than I anticipated... Basically over the four days you walk a wide circle around mount Doom, saddling it's shoulder on day two. Pictures and audio at the bottom of this page!
The first day started out a bit rainy, but then just stayed cloudy for the rest of the day. This was good as the track was so eroded in places that you were really just climbing up a wall of mud as it was. Not really much of a view and deadly quiet. I didn't even brake my camera out. The first campsite was next to a hut at the mouth of the valley that leads to the alpine crossing. The clouds were giving me no clues as to what lay ahead. That night I realized just how cold it gets up there. Even in my 10 degree F bag, and wearing several layers, it took me some time to get warm.
The second day I got up at the crack of dawn and checked the weather forecast in the hut. It looked like there might be a break in the weather by mid morning, but wind gusts at the saddle were anticipated to be upwards of 80km/hr. I saw a few patches of blue sky here and there so decided to pack up and give it a try. It was by far the windiest, coldest, and most awe-inspiring hike i've ever done. I guess that's what you get when you hike through an active volcanic hazard zone during a snow storm though. At least the steam and smoke in the crater warms things up a bit! My campsite that night was gorgeous! I was on the edge of a steep valley overlooking a waterfall with gorgeous views of both volcanic cones. The wind that night was so great I feared being blown into the valley though. I actually tied my backpack to the roof of my tent to help weigh it down. I awoke early that morning to intensely clear calm skies. Tried my hand at a bit of stellar photography and saw the largest shooting star I've ever seen.
The third day was the shortest and easiest hike, and therefore was also the only day with nothing but sunshine and good weather. Great views hiking over lava flow after lava flow, until descending down into a beech forest to a beautiful hut and some great campsites next to a river. The ranger at the hut called everyone in the campsite crazy because there was a rough storm coming through that night. Out of the ten or so tents, by morning, only mine and one other weren't flooded from the rain.
The weather wasn't looking any better for the rest of the day, specifically it said "gale force winds and rain". I had 16km to walk uphill with gale force winds and rain in my face, so I decided to at least get an early start. Packed up my tent in the rain and started on, comforted at least by the fact that i knew there were other hikers ahead and behind me. It was a bit rough, but I had saved half my phone battery and my headphones make great earmuffs. So at least I had no shortage of motivational music. The rain let up for most of the hike, and so I mostly just had to deal with the wind. Made it back to the car in five hours and paid thirty dollars for a hot meal and a beer, Worth it.
Stayed the night at a hostel in a little ski town about an hour away from the trail head and nearly had the whole place to myself. Off to wellington now and the ferry to the south Island tomorrow. Already looking forward to my next great walk in the southern alps. Routeburn here I come!
