Wild Camp 1 to Wild Camp 2 Also known as Te Araroa LASH Day 18

Even better to sleep. Removing all other humans from the equation resulted in an incredibly quiet night. I celebrated by having breakfast in bed. After completing the face filler, it was easy to pack up and I was on the road around 8am.

The first hour of walking was a reflection of the previous day. Easy and flat walk, a true rarity in the section that I have enjoyed. It looks like the gale force winds have really let up and although it was still cloudy I had high hopes of catching some views today as I started to climb some very large bumps in the landscape.

Spotted Kiwis

I arrived at the next cabin shortly after nine in the morning. It was perched in a stunning location. A few minutes past the cabin I came across a very rare sighting. Multi-day kiwi wanderers. I’d say as a rough approximation, what I had experienced on the trail was about 85% European hikers, 10% US, and 5% Oceania. So it was nice to chat briefly with people who could understand every word I was saying and who weren’t fazed by my strong inclination toward the world of sarcasm and cynicism as a vehicle of communication.

What confused this group of Kiwis was where I had appeared from. There was a significant level of shock when they understood that I had voluntarily chosen to camp in the middle of nowhere rather than inside the warm and cozy cabin.

After the cabin, the nature of the trail changed significantly. Now out of day hiker territory, the roots, rocks, and narrow passage made a welcome return. For some reason, it felt much more real, like I was taking on the conditions and the challenge had returned.

Progress was slowed even more significantly due to some downed trees, a couple of «where did the trail go» moments, and a steady elevation gain. He was now deep in the forest, and occasional glimpses of the sky revealed one or two blue spots that boded well for seeing some mountains.

A couple of hours passed like this. I stubbornly refused to look at any electronic devices this morning. I had decided that I was getting tired of knowing exactly where I was on the path at any given moment. As I continued to see some yellow triangles attached to the occasional tree, I knew I was going in the right direction. Plus, my electronic devices would beep at me if I managed to head in the wrong direction.

Suddenly the forest gave way to a huge meadow. In the distance I saw the second cabin of the morning. As the day approached when it was no longer morning, I decided this would be a great place to eat.

I arrived at the empty cabin, plopped down on the outside bench and relaxed. I hung my tent to dry and ate the PB and tortillas I needed. Some NOBO hikers arrived to enjoy their own lunch and I chatted with them for a while.

Seriously climbing

After a decent rest and enough time for my tent to return to its minimum weight, I packed up and got back on the road. A short climb from the cabin and I entered a natural amphitheater. Steep rocky mountains surrounded me and it was clear that there was only one way out and that was up. Nelson Lakes is well known for having magnificent steep climbs to its tops. It also contains the highest point that Te Araroa reaches along the trail.

The climb was as steep as it had seemed to my eyes. Luckily my Tararuas and Richmonds conditioning was a big help at this point in my walk. I climbed like a bear sniffing berries and it took me a long time to reach the top.

While it wasn’t as clear as I had hoped, the majesty of the mountains still had the desired effect of making me feel small and gigantic at the same time.

Newton is not one of my favorite scientists. I mean, if I’m very honest, I don’t really have any favorite scientists. Newton particularly bothers me with his principle that what goes up must come down. As soon as I reached the top of the pass it was time to descend.

And what a drop it was. 1100 m closer to the ocean in just a few kilometers. I would say it was ten times easier to climb this mountain than it was to descend it. When I got to the end of the crushed knee, I collided with a couple more NOBOs. They had had a difficult last few days because the winds had hit them and deprived them of all the views. I wished them luck in Richmond, hoping they could enjoy the fantastic sights I had seen.

A few hundred meters before what would have been my third hut of the day, the trail leveled out next to a river. Having enjoyed such a spectacular dream in nature last night, I was delighted to find a clearing near the river.

I did my camp chores, stretched my sore muscles (damn Newton), and then raised my legs up a tree for about twenty minutes. I can’t recommend this maneuver enough. Especially after a hard day.

I fell into my tent. I was chased by the local sandfly mafia who had taken a heavy toll while I was enjoying my leg lift. I enjoyed my dinner safely behind the mesh and after listening to some music for a while I quickly passed out.

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