Crossing story Cont’d…
I got myself settled in Taupo and the next day took the shuttle bus (5.30am) to the national park .
Look right.
As we drove into the park, we saw expansive land with more shrubbery than anything and only one road in and one road out. When we got closer to the entrance, we began to see more vehicles on the road.
As we pulled up to unload though, I couldn’t believe my eyes – bus loads and BUS loads of people!! It was out here lookin like a bus station with 10 – 15 buses of all sizes off loading their ‘morning haul’ with only more driving up. All this action and it was only about 7am.
I was mind blown. I heard the trek was popular, and they’d be people, but gee! Young and old, people were spotted in all types of clothing, different types of shoes, plenty gear or no gear.
This was all very intimidating as they all seemed to know what they were about. I felt over prepared but under prepared at the same time. However, I shook my self out of it and said “Alyssa, tap watch people*” (T: “Alyssa stop watching people”). You have your things and ya good to go.
After the pep talk to myself, I squeezed my way through the crowd, took a photo by one or two signs, then began my trek with my ‘georgie bungle*’ (T: “Bag of things”).
5 minutes in, and I stripped off my jacket.
10 minutes in, I had to stop to use the bathroom (there were porto potties along the trail – amen 🙏🏽).
15 minutes in, and I was huffin and puffin.
I thought to myself – “Alyssa, the trek now start and is so ya feelin? You eh reach no where yet!” And I’ll be honest, I was still on the ‘flat’ part of the trek – with 7 hrs and 45 minutes left to go 😳.
Come lemme break down dis ‘walk’ for yall.
There are 5 major parts (they officially say 3 but, I added in another two):
The Beginning
The warm up. A decent walk on relatively flat ground. There’s not much views as it gradually gets steeper but nothing drastic. You think to yourself “This thing is very doable. What are people worried about?” (HA!)
The middle:
Hell. Sorry, I meant the “Devil’s staircase” (That’s what it’s affectionately known as). It’s literally you walking up the side of a volcano, via stairs. Up and Up and Up and Up and Up and Up and Up. And when you thought you couldn’t go up no more, about 10 more up up up for you to go. NO exaggeration.
Each time I stopped to catch my breath (which was relatively frequently), I saw kids strutting past me. Sometimes even older people looking like they’re in their 60s-70s breezed by. I found it easy to compare myself to others and wonder what was wrong with me. But, it was important to keep ma pace and focus on me.
The devil’s staircase also outright confused my body. The place was cold, cause I was hiking up at such a high altitude. So, the temperatures dropped. The breeze was also blowing extra hard, so that added to the coldness. Yet, I walked up this staircase in thermal clothes, so my body was hot. “Wah chubble is dis?” (T: “What is this confusion?”)
My body was like “To sweat or not to sweat? Jacket on? Jacket off?”
In any event, back to the hike stages, next was….
The other middle:
Once I FINALLY reached the ‘top’ of the devil’s staircase, I thought “Okay, the worst is over”. There’s a bathroom nearby and everything I saw directly in front of me seemed to be flat terrain. Except in the distance. Where I saw small outlines of people going up ANOTHER mountain/hill thing. Waht????
Now. The realllyyyy super dangerous part:
I followed along on the flat path to realize the next step of the trek required me to walk on a rocky, unstable, thin path on the edge of a volcano cone thing, where if I slipped left, or right I would tumble to my death #fun. All I had to do was pick if I wanted a shorter or longer drop, essentially. With a steady strong breeze to add to it all.
It was at this point I wondered,
“What in heaven’s name are you and all these other hundreds of people really doing with your lives? WHY are you doing this? WHY are you risking this precious thing called life to go hike up a mountain to see ‘beautiful things?’ You na know wah good for you*?” (T:*Do you not know what’s good for you?). WHYYYY??
Each step I took forward, was a step knowing that it might be my last, so I better step right. I was close to half way through the hike now, almost fours hours in. I had to just concentrate. Take one step at a time, because I NEEDED to get out of this and get home. The only way to do that was to move forward. So I did.
And I survived.
I got to the ‘almost’ top of the mountain where I could safely stand because there was now at least 20 feet in either direction till I could potentially fall to my death. This was more stable than the 3 feet of path I was on before so, I was happy.
I stopped, sat, took a breath and contemplated how I made it this far. I smiled at a couple strangers while I simultaneously wondered if they had the same thoughts (We’re all crazy!). After I caught myself (about 15 minutes), I got someone to take a photo (cause the background is pretty cool and you made it this far so why not), then I looked towards where I still had to go.
UP. AGAIN.
This time I realized, this was it. I’d see what I came here to see after I hiked up this last set (so I thought) of loose terrain to the top of this stinkin mountain.
And boom.
I did.
I saw it and thought – wow. Look at nature.
Right in front of me were two emerald green sulfur ‘lakes’ looking like jewels in the desert, as they were surrounded by barren land – too high up for anything to grow. Any vegetation destroyed by probably what once was a volcanic eruption many moons ago.
I stood atop this peak and looked below thinking, “Dang, this was all worth it”.
Until the crowd started coming again.
And I realized I had to walk down. Down to the lakes. On a slippery slope of loose dirt on the the peak of a mountain where once again, slide left, slide right, I may or may not be coming back. I wish I had ski poles with how you had to slide down the side of this thing.
To be honest, this was one of the scariest parts, ’cause your footing was soooo not in control!
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