Tongariro Crossing! (MT DOOM)

     Sorry everyone for the delay on the blog, i've been busy and honestly a bit lazy with writing. Anyway we went on the Tongariro Crossing about a week and a half ago(2.5 now, i meant to post this before my river trip, but forgot to click "publish post"). The crossing is widely considered to be the best single day hike in all of New Zealand, if not the world. Anyway in order to give our group more experience with backpacking we turned it into an overnight. For those of you looking this up on a map, we started at the mangatepopo car park and ended at the Ketatahi car park. This whole trip covered only about 17Km(10.5 miles), but it does traverse some relatively rough and steep terrain(Our 90 liter packs carrying all of our sleeping gear, cold weather clothes, food and first aid supplies made it seem even steeper). Its was also one of the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, specifically Mt Ngaurohoe which is the real life version of Mt Doom in the films as well as other parts of Sam and Frodo's journey into and through Mordor.
     the trek started out pretty flat before gradually getting steeper and steeper. walking across this land was an experience. the ground was mostly barren due to the volcanic rock that dominated the landscape. We really did feel like Frodo and Sam making there journey across middle earth. With rockscape surrounding us, and the mountains looming above, it was easy to feel small, lost and a bit powerless in front of the approaching mountains. they were dominating the skyline in front of us, looming over us like a giant impenetrable fortress and they presented a challenge to us. It was as if mother earth was telling us "come climb me my child, and I will reveal to you the secrets and the magnificence about my makeup that only the sky father knows". And as we climbed higher and higher, these secrets and treasures really were revealed. the views were completely incredible. We were fortunate enough that it wasn't too cloudy, and the rest of NZ spread out before us, an extensive landscape, sparsely dotted with towns that stretched for miles.
     As we climbed and it got steeper, became extremely impressed with the upkeep of the trail. It is easy to tell why this country is world renown for the parks, and it is not all about the natural elements involved. It is a country that is truly invested in the up keep and preservation of their natural surroundings. The trails are well kept and lightly graveled which is very nice. in some parts they even have an extensive stair system which was NOT appreciated by everyeone("NO MORE STAIRS!!"). We walked through two craters which were amazing due to the mountains towering above us on either side. At one point a cloud slowly crept towards us across the crater, engulfing the rugged landscape it crossed before finally consuming us. It was a very eerie experience.
     As a whole the trip was amazing, and it was a great way to continue bonding with many of my trip-mates.


Sorry for the delay, this was meant to be posted a week ago but I guess I didnt manage to. And then ive since been a week long river trip that kept me away from technology. But that story is for another time.