Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Force Awakens

By Tyler Socash
IG: @tylerhikes

I felt The Force.  It happened as I straddled a live wire meant to keep one-ton livestock at bay.  Te Araroa takes you across beautiful beaches, through babbling streams, and into rolling farmlands.  I was at a property line in Kerikeri when The Force of voltage pulsed through me so shockingly that I almost released my dark side.  Yup, I tripped an electric fence right between my thighs.  Welcome to New Zealand!

I landed in Auckland on Wednesday, December 15th.  Immediately upon reaching the terminal I had to make my way though customs.  "Is this really you?" the agent wavered, unsure whether he should let a bearded Tyler Socash enter his country, or not.  "Yeah that's totally me," I responded nonchalantly.  "...These are not the droids you're looking for," I thought. "...OK! Kia Ora, enjoy New Zealand!"  

Working my way towards baggage claim, I spotted the two things that I needed: an outlet adapter (the plug-ins are different in NZ), and a sleeve of Tim Tams.  These chocolate delicacies tasted so good!  I had officially arrived. 

The next bit happened in a blur.  Get downtown via public transit.  Find an i-Site.  Book a bus ticket to Kaitaia.  Purchase a Department of Conservation Hut Pass.  Buy fuel.  Buy groceries. 

In need of some downtime, I entered a cafĂ© and struck up a conversation with a really nice Colombian girl. I get on a bus. I met a nice Kiwi girl named Lisa.  I learned some NZ slang including my need to achieve, "squad goals."  Met 3 guys from Europe.  They have full-sized guitars and pillows affixed to their packs. Took 4 hitches to get to Cape Reinga.  Suddenly I'm walking down the 90 Mile Beach.  I'm swimming in the Tasman Sea.  ...I felt something, a presence I hadn't felt since... The PCT!  I'm back in the zone!  

But something happened in the outside world.  A particular movie was released.  When I discovered that the quaint historical town of Kerikeri had a cinema, I was convinced that I had to go.  I had to watch a movie that would transcend expectations and take me into the cosmos.  Welcome to my unabashed juxtaposition of Star Wars Episode VII and Te Araroa. 

***SPOILER WARNING***

If you have not walked Te Araroa yet, these thru-hike reveals will absolutely upset you.  

A short time ago on an island far, far away...

Luke Skywalker has vanished.  The opening credits inform us that everyone is looking for him, including the new baddies, THE FIRST ORDER

I am missing.  2015 marks the first year that I have not been home for Christmas.  

In one of the opening scenes, Poe Dameron, ace X-Wing fighter pilot for the Resistance, is given a highly coveted map divulging Luke's whereabouts. 

I use maps all the time on Te Araroa. 

During the first battle, one of the Stormtroopers becomes self-aware.  This Stormtrooper, named Finn, assists Poe Dameron's escape from the clutches of the First Order.  Unfortunately, their spacecraft crashes.  Poe is feared dead. 

I saw someone crash on 90 Mile Beach... 

 High Tide is coming...

Rey, the new protagonist, is introduced.  She's awesome, and much like a young whipper snapper from Tatoine, she had a humble upbringing as an orphan.  The Force is strong in her.  

All protagonists need sage advice from a mentor.  Surprise surprise!  Han Solo happens to return and seems to embrace Rey as an understudy.  While evading the First Order in the Millennium Falcon, Rey, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn develop solid chemistry.  It's a fun ride, and as the viewer you feel a sense of kinship with this space family. 

After hiking through the Northland's Forest Tracks, I met my new trail family.   

The Force Awakens as the squad assembles. 

Our night in the Millennium Falcon, aka The Love Shak.

Kate and I pose with Stormtroopers.

Introducing my Te Araroa Trail Family...

Kate from New Zealand. Kate is our fearless leader.  She's our Rey.  Whether it's on the trail galvanizing the troops or in towns organizing our needs and fending off creepy old dudes at hostels, we count on Kate to keep us on track. 

Tobi from Germany.  Tobi Wan Kenobi.  Tobi has an affinity for the ocean and encourages us to swim as much as possible.  He's very friendly, and an excellent body surfer. 

Reyne from New Zealand.  Reyne is our smooth-talking, handsome, and cavalier member.  Everybody loves Reyne.  He's our Han Solo. 

Sebastian from France.  Seb is our romantic Frenhman with a wonderful accent.  His strength to push through a serious IT-band injury is admirable.  Due to his height, we've got our Chewbacca. 

Otis from the USA.  With an Appalachian Trail thru-hike under his belt, we've got a venerable veteran in the group.  Otis is our Jedi Master planner.  Therefore, he's our Luke Skywalker. 

Rebekah from New Zealand.  When I told Rebekah that she reminded me of BB-8, the lovable, animated droid who steals the show, she exalted, "Yes!  I want to be him!!!"

Manuela from Switzerland.  Without Manuela, we wouldn't have celebrated Christmas.  She pulled the group together to play games on Christmas Eve, and kicked the party off with style.  Manuela didn't enjoy the mud in the Herekino Forest, much like a Princess, so I deem her to be our wonderful Princess Leia. 

Tim from New Zealand.  Tim is funny.  Tim is our favorite.  Tim is a five-time New Zealand Rollerblading Champion.  One night Tim hobbled into our beach camp at 10pm after catching a lucky hitch from "the coolest 11-year old in the world."  Tim has a commanding presence, and embraces the Dark Side. He's Kylo Ren.  

When the gang is together, we do amazing things. We sea kayak, we have drinking game parties, we eat at McDoanld's together, we laugh our way down road walks, we stumble across dotterel eggs on the beach, we body surf together, we get lucky hitches. 

By myself, I went fast.  I nearly hiked 40km per day!  Like Finn, I was on the run.  I was chasing my dreams down the trail as fast as possible.  But, like Finn, I changed my plans to be with the group.  I'm going slower, and having fun.  I'm making best friends.  I love these guys!!

This looks like the last scene in the movie, the First Jedi Temple. 

The movie ends with another Death Star, an obligatory trench run, and a lightsaber battle.  The last seconds are very powerful.  It's very emotional.  The elusive Luke Skywalker takes off his hood, staring intently at our new hero, Rey.  It's such a cool scene.  No words are exchanged, but you feel Luke's pain.  You should go see this movie!  

I rank this movie as a 10/10.  It's one of the greatest movies I've ever watched.  

I hope there's a hooded character waiting for me at Bluff, the bottom of the South Island.  I hope to be called to another great adventure.  So far, this one has been incredible, with the people enhancing the walk.  Deciding to make sacrifices to go on a long walk has been my awakening.  The Force that literally pulsed through me in Kerikeri aligns with the metaphorical Force I feel while thru-hiking.  

...May The Force be with you! (But far, far away from your private parts.)

The Greatest Adenture is what lies ahead. 
 

Sunday, December 13, 2015

On Leaving, Again

By Tyler Socash
IG: @tylerhikes

"Should I have been packing?  Should I have been planning?" I wondered.  This homecoming tour has been jam packed with events: hikes in the Adirondacks, an ad hoc 10-year high school reunion, holiday parties with former colleagues and neighbors, my first time visiting a cougar bar (Taylor's in Pittsford, NY – it's awesome), a garbage plate a Mark's Texas Hots in Rochester, and even meeting with the press a couple of times.  It was a whirlwind.  I never seemed to have time to plan for Te Araroa, New Zealand's 1,800-mile thru hike. Whoops!

Suddenly, I'm sitting at an international gate in LAX.  I've got a new backpack, no tent, no sleeping bag, and only a faint idea of how to arrive at Cape Reinga, Te Araroa's starting point on the northern tip of the North Island.  At least I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies on my flight from JFK!  It's important to research a country's rich history before tramping across it. 

Te Araroa - Maori for "The Long Pathway"

I know what you're thinking... "Tyler, why did it take you so long to finally go to Taylor's?!?"  Well that's what this post is all about!...

The PCT lasted 4 months.  While on the trail, I began to realize what mattered and what didn't matter.  A tent in such an arid environment wasn't necessary.  Then it rained on me the first night that I shipped my tent ahead.  You sacrifice everything to leave your family and friends behind, and as you walk across the country you miss your family.  You miss your friends.  You miss home.  

As the old adage warns, "You never miss something until it's gone."

Then I returned!  I promised myself that I would take advantage of the time I had back home to do a healthy mixture of old and new things...

• I revisited my haunts of old.  "The Big Rock" and "The Frog Pond" outside of my childhood home deserved a visit.  This is where I played with my siblings and the neighbors all summer long when we were kids.  It was crazy to see how small "The Big Rock" looks now.  My neighbor Katie was right, my whole thru-hike journey may have started at these powerful, tiny places. 

• I bushwhacked to a place in the Adirondacks that I have never seen before.  What made this particularly special was that my Adirondack Mountain Club / Cranberry-50 thru-hike family was with me.  It was great to hike again with the people who went on my PCT preparation hike! 

• I reconnected with high school classmates, some of whom I had not seen in over 5 years.  Shout out to the Class of 2005 and to everyone else I saw at The Back Door in Old Forge!

• I cried so much at the Revelry in Rochester that I'm not sure if I'll be welcomed back!  My friends Chris, Patrick, Sarah, and Zack were kind enough to listen.  I opened up about what the trail meant to me, and I wept.  It was either really beautiful, or deeply disturbing for the other patrons to witness at this classy bar. 

• My friend Jesse went with me to see Turning Point Park and Mendon Ponds Park.  These were new trails around Rochester that we had not been to before.  It's wonderful that you can live somewhere for 10 years and still find new things to do.  We also hiked Pinnacle Hill, highest elevation in Rochester.

• I actually talked with my siblings.  Not just shooting the breeze.  We were really opening up with one another!  Whether it was in the kitchen begging my brother Eric to paddle the Northern Forest Canoe Trail with me, talking with my sister Nikki about relationships (we both read Don Miller's book Scary Close, which encourages people to be vulnerable and authentic with their spouse/children), or sharing my hopes and dreams with my brother Trey on the way to a Buffalo Bills game. 

• I went to Taylor's and I brought my friends.  While I didn't dance with any cougars, I danced fully cognizant of the fact that everyone was watching.  Damn, my Yelp review would be so positive about that place. 

• I consumed Rochester's cuisine, a garbage plate, at a new restaurant.  This was my last meal in town.  Such a phenomenal choice (qualifier: if you like greasy food and are about to go on a long walk)!

• I hiked a mountain that has eluded me since I stated hiking in the High Peaks region.  My friend Joe and I finally went up Noonmark together.  It was so awesome to connect with Joe and his wife Linda again.  They've supported my hiking quests since the beginning. 

• I tried sushi (admittedly, for the first time) at a work holiday party.  I know, crazy right?!?  I don't have a job, how did I wiggle my way into such a party?!  I'm thankful for that invite!

You might not be able to upend your life and travel tomorrow, but you can certainly do something different tonight!  Go to Taylor's Night Club (open Fridays and Saturdays only – I made multiple attempts), climb Pinnacle Hill, go to that new restaurant and order something that you've never had!  Kiss your partner with passion (come on, use some tongue), invite old friends and new people to a social gathering, check out a new local venue, compliment somebody.

Doing something silly might just make your day more fun.  Don't get sucked into a mundane routine.  Mix it up.  Have a cookie decorating party, build a few gingerbread houses, find new places for me to talk about in my next blog!

I was glad to be home for a few weeks, but now I'm off to Middle Earth.  I'll miss home, surely, but I'll be back soon.  Thanks for your support everyone!  We are about to take off, so I'm not sure if I tied this post together well.  The stewardess is telling me for the third time to turn off my device.