Around the Mountain in 4 Days

We set a goal to hike all the way around Mt. Taranaki during the Christmas holidays.

Looking down on clouds and the sea

At one particularly hard moment during the hike, Joyce asked WHY we would set such a goal.  This hike turned out to be harder than we were expecting, but still within reach, and it felt great.

What a hectic track on the back side of the mountain!

I'm sure we were partly inspired by Oak, who had gone around the mountain twice in the recent weeks and raved about it.  Also Mercy had been talking about going to the "backside" for several months.

Oak and Jason made it around the mountain (42k) in less than 7 hours when they attempted to beat the speed record.  (When I asked Oak about how he felt about missing the record by 20 minutes, all he said was, "Respect for the guy who did it.") 

More than 50 streams and rivers originate on Mt. Taranaki.  When ladders were available, they made the descents into and ascents out of the river gullies more manageable.  But more often than not, we just scrambled straight down one side of a gully, and then scrambled back up the other side.

Here we go down again...





And now, back up.



Sometimes we were above the treeline...

Snowy mountaintop in the background.  Noah and Mercy scrambling up an interesting stream.

We can look good for a photo even if we're tired.

 

catching giant water drops

Descending a ridgeline into the bush again...

The "pinata"  -
one of the landmarks Noah and Mercy found to help the girls through the last few k's of our first big day. 
10+ hours of hiking on Day 1.

A welcome sign

Noah reading in the hammock outside the cabin.

morning view on Day #2

Day 2 and 3 were easier because we didn't plan to hike as far.  We ended up as the only ones at the small Kahui Hut...

...where we enjoyed the sun, the views and some games in the meadow.








We packed fewer calories than our bodies craved, so every mealtime was much anticipated and much appreciated.  The bagels, cream cheese and salami lunches were especially delicious.

target practice

Day #4 was in familiar territory with a well-maintained trail, coming round by Holly Hut, but it was still plenty long.  Amazingly, we were recognized by one of the orienteering leaders that took Oak to Australia, a guy from Christchurch that we'd never met before.  ("I'm talking to Oak Jones' parents!")
 

Lunch at the Manganui ski field.  The ski field struck me as particularly hardcore because the only parking lot is a fairly steep 2-kilometer walk away from the ski area. 

A swim in Wilkies Pools was a good ending for our tramp.

We stopped for groceries on the way home and made salad and BBQ.  Rarely has a meal tasted so good.

I'm glad we did it!  The trail was rugged, but interesting.  Now that I'm home, when I look at Mt Taranaki, it seems I can see more than I did before.