New Zealand Adventures: Over the Top

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Mt. Doom

There are lots of tourist attractions vying for your attention (and US dollars) over here in NZ where tourism is the #1 industry. We attended an orientation session at our lodge last Saturday morning and several groups came and told us about themselves. One of them was Terry Blumhardt, the owner and chief guide for Walking Places. We were impressed with him and his service, even though the prospect of an all day hike up over a mountain was a bit daunting. And just what would Terry add to the hike that we couldn't learn ahead of time by a little reading and research?

We committed and the hike was set for yesterday, the 1st of February. I'm happy to say today that we are alive and well and in recovery.

The hike was described in Terry's brochure as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The length was a full day, the difficulty, "challenging" and the distance, 20 km. (That translates to 12.5 miles.) The brochure goes on to describe the walk: "Find out why this walk is often described as the best one day walk in the world, with a guide who really knows the secrets of this stunning area. Enjoy an unhurried experience over Tongariro that avoids the crowds."

It turned out to be all of that and more. The Crossing is a popular hike. Sometimes 500 people are on the trail at one time. They are bussed in at 6:00 am, hit the trail and are told they need to be at the end of the trail at 3:00 pm to meet the bus. Basically, it's a one-way track with all of the traffic moving in the same direction. The hikers include school groups, foreign tourists and local kiwis out to "make the crossing."

Terry's idea is to start later and avoid the crowds. We began the walk at around 9:30 am and Roger, Terry's associate, agreed to meet us in the parking lot when Terry summoned him back by cell phone. Our group included Kim, a local Turangi lady who had never made the trip, Bill & Christine from San Francisco, and Sandra and me. Bill is an attorney and Christine is a physician so we had all the bases covered.

There were others on the trail. A group of high school students passed us. School has just begun after the summer break and this was their introduction to the geography class. We didn't seem them after about the halfway point of the hike. There were other individuals passing us from time to time, but the big rush of people must have been on their way well before we were.

The trail was every bit of challenge the brochure promised, especially to two over-60 grandparents, whose preparation had been a stroll up and down the nearby river. We ascended about 3500 feet and then had to descend the same. There were steps to climb - I wish I knew how many, but they were usually flights of no more than 13 steps at a time and they went on and on. That was no doubt an improvement over the rocky trail of the past. There were also rocky places where you had to pick your way over fairly large volcanic rocks. Much had been done to improve the trail with boardwalks, non-skid netting, and the endless steps.

By about Noon, we were high enough to look back on the parking lot (carpark the call it here) which was not but a speck in the distance. The trek took us up to the area where the big 3 volcanoes exist: Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings) and Mt. Ruapehu. We crossed over between the first two and saw the third off in the distance. Actually, we crossed down through the crater of Mt. Tongariro. (also the place where we ate the lunch Terry had prepared for us)

We dressed with layers. I wore shorts and in a couple of places regretted that decision. As we reached the higher saddles, the cold wind became stronger, sometimes hitting over 50 mph. Terry had equipped us with warm hats, gloves, raincoat and rain pants. Fortunately, we felt rain only once and it was coming at us horizontally. Once over the top and down in the crater, things settled down and we could focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

The Department of Conservation maintains the trail and Terry told us they've spent millions to make improvements over the years. They also fly helicopters up there to pump out the toilets. There are four of them along the route, counting the beginning and the end of the trail. They need it. You supply your own paper, thanks again to Terry.

Sandra wore hiking boots which Terry supplied. He had no size 13's for me, so I wore my Dr. Scholl's $30 walking shoes. By about the 6th mile, Sandra's boots were pretty heavy. Terry also provided walking sticks which took off some of the strain, especially on the downward part of the trail.

The halfway point came at around 1:00 pm and shortly thereafter, we also began the long descent. It took us on a winding switchback of trail with some improved track and the beginning of countless steps. The steps take you down in a hurry, but they are also hard on ankles, knees and hips. Especially those over 60 years in age. Toward the end, Sandra was doing one step at a time with support from her walking sticks. I was close behind to protect her from marauding mountain lions and bears. (just kidding - only wildlife we experienced were singing birds)

Finally, around 4:30 pm we were down at the last toilet stop. It's also a hut for overnighters who go on extended hikes lasting days. According to the sign we were an hour and a half from the carpark. We got there at around 7:30 pm which is an indication of our condition near the end of the hike. Terry was there with us to the end, patiently assisting as needed, encouraging with this words and optimistic that we would make it to the end, which was always just ahead.

We made it. In the process, we learned much about volcanoes, but we also learned much about ourselves. The biggest challenge we faced was the mental one which at times was telling the physical part of us that we wouldn't be able to do it. "Bring in the helicopter," I thought about saying more than once, after Terry related several incidents of people needing to be rescued for various reasons. He said there was no cost for these emergencies to the victim but the citizens of NZ paid the bill. But hearing him reassure us that we could do was enough to keep going and prove that it was possible for two over-60's to make it. Our training and preparation were minimal. We got ready by going up and down a nearby river. If we can do it, others can follow.

It feels good to sit down today, but it sure is hard to get up and walk around.