abel tasman.

here are some pictures from our tramp in abel tasman.

what a trip.

it was beautiful. 

we would be hiking and all of the sudden we would collectively stop 

because it was so so pretty.

tons of rainbows.

it was beautiful, but tough.

we ended up hiking the four day trail in two days.

day one we hiked about half a day ( maybe 9 miles)

and set up camp.

day two we set out bright and early to get across a tidal crossing at low tide.

we were actually a little early, so we all got a little water in our boots

but it was a lovely day, 

so no real worries. 

we got to where we were planning on camping around one in the afternoon. 

since we were all feeling pretty good and it was nice out

we decided to hike about two more hours to the next campsite...

maybe 20 minutes after we leave this deserted campsite,

with a hut

and beds...

it starts pouring.

so for the next few hours it poured.

and poured.

and did not let up.

so we get to our next campsite.

morale is not high.

some people had been hiking in chacos.

there was blood involved by this point. 

we are all wet and miserable 

(oh, point of information. right after we left that camp, about when it started pouring we had to hike up the steepest hill (mountain) of the whole trip)

but there are no huts at this campsite,

and everyone was in pretty total agreement that the $26 for a dry bed would be well worth it.

so we decide to hike on to the next camp 

two more hours away.

half the group decided to try to get across the tidal crossing, 

even though it was high tide 

to save about an hour.

morgan, mike and i decided to take the high tide track around it

mainly because morgan and i were by far the shortest in the group 

and the water (that was mid thigh on the others) would have been at least waist deep.

so we ended up having to walk an extra four kilometres

on top of our already long day.

so all in all day two consisted of 26k (30k for my group) or about 17 miles.

and when we get to the camp, 

we find out all the beds are taken.

there may have been tears from morgan and i.

as soon as we got into camp,

we saw everyone else had changed into dry clothes and had started eating.

i turned and saw morgan trying to unclasp her backpack,

but she was unable because her hands were so cold

and she had tears running down her face.

at which point i burst into tears

from the ridiculously long day we had just completed.

so we both had a good (hysterical) cry 

that alternated between sobbing and laughing.

we changed out of our wet clothes, hot chocolate was brewed 

and the night got much better.

our tent bottom got wet when ryan went through the water, 

so mike and i ended up sleeping in the covered kitchen of the campsite.

it had a roof...

but only two walls, so wind was just funneled in between the island and the counter we were sleeping in between.

freezing. 

freezing.

freezing.

the next morning we got up at 6.

unintentionally.

a school group was camping there as well,

and they wanted to leave by 7.

so mike and i got to wake up at 6 when they all flooded into the kitchen.

wonderful.

everyone woke up and leisurely packed up.

mike, morgan, and i headed out before the rest knowing we were slower hikers and they would catch up.

but something kicked in 

and we trucked it, 

stopping once to write the others a note and grab some water.

three and a half hours later we emerged.

exhausted, proud and ready for a long leisurely car ride home.

man oh man.

what a trip.

Comments

[Claire Rozeman]

I'm very impressed with your use of "point of information" and also that you were way more athletic in about 2 days than I have been in my whole life. I did the "fun/aka embarassing run" with my dad for parents weekend on saturday - it was a 5k - and I have shin splints. what is my life?