My reason for coming to Taupo was to complete the Tongariro Crossing; A 19km (11.8mile), 6-8 hour crossing up the side of an active volcano, Mount Tongariro. For anyone who is a Lord of the rings fan, this is the mountain "Mount Doom" filmed in the movies. This volcano is also the one that my lovely cousin April pointed out to me that erupted the begginning of August 2012, right before I departed ;) Anyways, This type of hike requires a certain level of fitness, something that I do not have....or at least I tought. I have never done something like this before and the day the days leading up to it had my stomach in knots. am I fit enough? will i cramp up half way? I met a german girl, Katia, at my hostel and she and I decided to do the track together. I knew if i had someone with me to talk to the hike wouldnt be so bad. The shuttle bus picked us up at 6am and we arrived at the Tongariro National park ay 7:30am. Dressed in 4 layers because of the high altitude level and the current snow conditions, we were off. the first hour was easy. it was a straight walk along a boardwalk leading up to the base of the mountain. once at the mountain, the second hour, lead us up "devils staircase". a full hour climbing up stairs and hiking up uneven dirt and gravel paths. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath but surprisingly it only took a minute for my breathing to return to normal. this is a huge accomplishment from when i first arrived. At the top of the staircase and the hill, we now were between the 2 mountains (volcanoes). up ahead it is a straight walk but the ground is snowy and icy. i have great boots so im thinking "piece of cake". wrong!! every step in the snow, my leg went deeper and deeper down. my boots were filled with ice and my legs were burning. the snowy trail seemed to never get any better and seemed to never end. and when we got to the end, we had to climb up the side of the mountain that was still covered with ice and snow. there was mud everywhere! The higher we got up the mountain, the colder the temperatures got. the wind whipped across the peaks bringing with is the cold temps from the newly fallen snow. The wind was so strong that it took all of my strength to not fall over. Not only did the wind pick up, the temps drop, but the oxygen levels decreased. With every breath, i could feel my lungs burning. not to mention my legs!! we continued in this way for another 90 mins. once we reached the top, it was like i was on top of the world! the most beautiful panorama i have ever seen. we sat and ate lunch for 15 mins and continued down to the other side. going down was just as difficult as going up. it was nothing but sand...we slid down the entire way, falling left and right. an absolute disaster! but the journey still doesnt end there. up ahead, there was another long open path covered in snow. once again, we fell through knee deep snow the entire way! boy, did that take alot of my energy. and to make it worse, we had to climb up the side of another icy snowy muddy mountain. BUT we did it! after we reasched the top of that, it was a steady downhill decent for 2 hours. that killed my legs more than going up hill. the pressure on my joints, knees and hips were excruciating. but we muttled through. when we finished, 6 hours later, i was filled with so much emotion! I DID IT! I am so proud of myself that I completed such a difficult track and felt great after! my legs stiffened up a bit but i think i am in better shape than i give myself credit for. When i saw the car park, i teared up a bit. I have accomplished so much on my trip here and I am experiencing so many things i never thought i would in life. I knw this trip is going to change me for the better...I can already feel it happening. My motto has been : Go Big or Go Home! iI am not going to shy away from something because i am scared..obviously i am in NZ travelling alone. I am a nomad..i have no place to call my home. AND right now, I am OK with that :)
