Sunday, April 17, 2016

Queenstune

By Tyler Socash
IG: @tylerhikes

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike."  We sing a lot of Queen on trail.  We shout it at the top of our lungs, actually.  On top of Pirongia.  At the Waihaha Hut serenading Couples Retreat.  Along mindless road walks.  Bohemian Rhapsody is our absolute favorite, but from Lake Tekapo to Lake Ohau I hummed a different tune...

Alps 2 Ocean is a massive 301km national cycle trail linking the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean.  It happens to overlap with 100km of Te Araroa road walking.  Instead of pounding the pavement, Otis, Reyne, Bekah, and I opted for a new challenge: cycling 100km in one day, because darn it I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like!

The day started innocently enough with a casual late start as we soaked up free WiFi in Tekapo.  Fresh off-trail from a snowy climb near Mt. Cook, we were eager to update our families with our progress before moving on.  WiFi is a dangerous reclusive gateway.  It's the rabbit hole that's too seductive to neglect, especially when you're without a cellular data plan.  Once Instagam and Facebook updates reached their saturation points, we donned our helmets.  Finally feeling Under Pressure to get to Lake Ohau, the Bicycle Race was underway.

With mechanized assistance the kilometers melted away.  Goodbye Telegraph Hut!  Goodbye road-walking friends!  The enchanting waters of Lake Pukaki urged us down a long gravel road to a wonderful resting point.  We found a picturesque spot to belly flop into the glacially-created lake.  Otis belly flopped first with an epic two thumbs up landing.  His smile as he soared through the air gave us a good laugh.  Reyne and I followed suit.  The vibrant water color, caused by the high concentration of glacial flour, captivates every onlooker but fails to soften our landing.

Belly flops behind us, we detoured into Twizel's town center to see our friend Sebastien.  It was great to see him in such high spirits after suffering a broken cuboid bone in his foot the week prior.  We got a bit of a chuckle upon manipulating the medical terminology into "cuteboy bone."  Thru-hiking isn't accident proof.  Somewhere a sinister Geoff Chapple is thinking Another One Bites The Dust.  Resilience is the key, and Seb is resilient.  Sebastien will return to complete Te Araroa next year!

After signing his cast, we collectively realized The Show Must Go On.  Our bike seats felt much less comfortable this time, but we hopped on them to smash out the final 40km of biking.  Departing for this stretch was not without reticence.  If you are mining for ideas to improve your future Te Araroa experience, then please pay attention...

Wishing that we were all Fat Bottomed Girls to cushion ourselves, we followed Te Araroa dutifully down the Ohau River flood track.  Instead of a pathway we were greeted with character-building boulders, stones, and speed-impeding pebbles.  The gravel road shook us to the core and rawed our sore rumps.  We could hear the flood track mocking us, "We Will Rock You."  [Tyler, consider editing this weaker song title reference out before publishing.]  Making terribly slow progress towards Lake Ohau, we barely passed two brave SOBOs who were diligently walking this 100km section.  Our coccyx-crunching crew must have appeared quite pathetic as we had to walk our bikes uphill next to the walkers. 

When all hope had faded, we made it to Lake Ohau at sunset.  Bekah erupted with a series of celebratory dog barks upon spotting smooth pavement.  We laughed initially, but joined her in a glorious chorus of hoots and woofs.  We Are The Champions!  100 kilometers in one day!  Te Araroa has enough road walk sections, and we were thrilled to see that horrendous Twizel to Ohau flood track come to a merciful end.  Avoid riding there, and instead stay on the north side of the Ohau River or ride the length of Lake Ohau Road.

The largest South Island river without a bridge awaited us in the next section.  Reyne must have been thinking Don't Stop Me Now as he forded the Ahuriri above a series of dangerous rapids.  He made the crossing, but just barely through hip-deep water.  Otis went for an unannounced swim when the Ahuriri current proved to be too swift.  Bekah and I decided to walk 200 meters downstream where the river braided to make a safer crossing.

A TA highlight awaited us after the Ahuriri.  The summit of Breast Hill provided immaculate views in every direction, including a stunning 1,200-meter drop to Lake Hawea below.  "One should not neglect the Breast... Hill," someone quipped.  While hiking through the Timaru River on our approach, I fashioned a makeshift award for Reyne.  Today happened to be Reyne's graduation day, and he was to receive the "Top Student" award for his program in Quantity Surveying.  Breast Hill provided a worthy backdrop for his impromptu trail graduation.  Speeches were made, and instead of a paper certificate, I presented Reyne with a non-thruhike friendly etched rock.  He was pleasantly surprised, but perhaps a bit disgruntled when he had to hike out with his heavy and awkward award.

Reyne and I sat up there for over two hours.  When you get closer to the end of a journey you tend to give certain moments special significance.  Your last campsite, your last beach walk, your last impromptu trail graduation...  Reyne has been a constant source of fun and intellectual conversation for our trail family since Cape Reinga.  I'll miss this guy a lot.  He made singing Queen songs on trail a tradition.  He sparked my passion to have a continuous path from the Tararuas to Bluff.  He challenged me to be a better version of myself.  As we sat on Breast Hill, Mt. Cook appeared as a snow-capped giant far to the north, while Queenstown's Double Cone in the Remarkables was visible far to the south.  What a spot!  This was one of my favorite moments on the trail.  I'm glad I got to linger here awhile longer with a great friend.

Graduation celebrations continued the next day when Bekah, Reyne, and I hitched over 400km to get to Christchurch.  Bekah and Kate's commencement ceremony was filled with more obnoxious cheering than our 100km bike ride.  Our trail family reunited for an evening in Christchurch, which was absolutely awesome.  The good times were well-earned for the accomplished females in our group.  Congrats again to Bekah and Kate on earning your degrees! It was wonderful to see Kate, Dan, and Seb again before heading back to the trail.  A great surprise awaited Reyne after the graduation as his girlfriend Brooke plotted and planned in collusion with Bekah to return to the trail with us.  It's great to have Brooke as a new member of the trail family.  Her family helped us out tremendously in the North Island, and now we get to walk with her to Bluff!

Lake Hawea led to Wanaka.  Wanaka led to the Motatapu Track.  The Motatapu Track has huts that were funded by the revolutionary American singing sensation Shania Twain.  Bekah got sick in Shania Twain's huts.  The Motatapu Track led to an ambulance evacuation of Bekah.  We waited in Wanaka for three days for Bekah to return to good health.  Wanaka led to the Motatapu Track.  The Motatapu Track led to Bekah's second round of illness.  Tyler ventures out into Shania Twain Country (music) alone.  Tyler meets a man named Dene from Riverton who thru-hiked Te Araroa before it's official inception.  (Dene, as well as those walkers we passed on the flood track, will come into play later.)  Tyler hikes 55km to meet up with Bekah in the biggest New Zealand tourist trap of all... Queenstown.

When you can't find cheap accommodation because Queenstown has been booked solid for months and is absolutely overrun with gawking visitors, Queen's tunes are there for you as a welcomed distraction.  Hum any of them when you encounter life's rocky roads and you'll find yourself blissfully whisked away to a fantastical rock anthem instead.

I recently spent my last night in a hut along Te Araroa.  Martin's Hut has aged gracefully, and provides a rustic staging area for thru-hikers eyeing up their Bluff finish.  Most of the hut book entries are sentimental.  Nearly everyone loved their time in New Zealand, and they made lifelong friends and memories along the way.

My last hut entry reads: Is this the real life?  Is this just fantasy?  Caught in a thru-hike, our escape from "reality."

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Pack Weight

By Tyler Socash
IG: @tylerhikes

Bill Bryson never liked talking about hiking gear.  If you read A Walk in the Woods, you know how uncomfortable a conversation about hiking equipment can be.  I don't understand the intrigue when it's happening on-trail, but alas, it happens.  We are all outside, nature surrounds us, and no I don't know how much my tarp set-up weighs.  Gahhh!

That said, I'm going to to provide an unsolicited list of the things that I currently have on my person for the TA.  Most of these things survived the PCT thru-hike as well:

● Granite Gear pack - Crown 60 (60 liter capacity)
● Rain cover for pack
● Light-weight umbrella found along the PCT
● 3-liter water badder
● Gatorade bottle
● Fuel cannister
● Mountain Lorel Design Large Quilt, Bivy Sack, and Cubanfiber tarp (8 stakes and guylines).  I also have a thermarest sleeping pad.  Thanks Harpo and Groucho for the advice!
● Down Jacket, 2 merino wool long-sleeves (one is falling apart), acrylic hat, fleece gloves, 2 pairs of running shorts, 1 pair of windpants, 1 polyester hiking shirt, 1 town cotton shirt, flip flops, 1 bandana, 2 headbands, 1 light rain jacket, dorky sun hat, sunglasses w/ band.  That's all within a water-resistant bag.
● My 2 pairs of Darn Tough socks will last from Cape Reinga to Bluff and beyond
● Breeze 2.0 Vasque boots.  Possibly the only person hiking 3,000km in the same pair of boots from Cape Reinga to Bluff
● Food bag with various amounts of sustenance
● A durable garbage bag used to hold sleeping system + clothes
● Cooking pot + lid with the following inside, bowl, spoon, knife, lighter, pocket rocket
● Trekking poles

The rest of this list is everything in my Sea to Summit dry bag...
● Small medical kit with standard items inside. (Running low on band-aids, discarded most medications and just brought some ibuprofen, triple antibiotic, and Excedrin)
● Aquatabs and Aquamira found along PCT hikerboxes
● Bug head net and sunscreen
● Passport, small wallet, cell phone
● Small journal and pencil
● Toilet paper
● TOO MANY ELECTRONIC CHARGERS (adapters for NZ outlets)
● External batteries for devices
● GPS
● Headlamp
● Deck of cards (with the jokers for some reason)
● Toiletries... Standard stuff but I'll list it all.  (No deodorant)  Mini-toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, small toenail clippers, small scissors for my mustache, tweezers, q-tips.

And finally, Leuko Tape from Bipolar.  This is the best blister tape.

The overall weight does not matter as long as you finish your hike without leaving a trace of litter in your wake.  Picking up trail trash, thereby increasing your packweight, is actually much cooler.

The river crossings were innumerable.  Te Araroa from Harper's Pass to the Rangitata River poses some daunting challenges.  If the rain falls in torrents, you will likely have to spend an extra night (or more) in huts while you patiently wait for water levels to decrease.

Entering Arthur's Pass National Park, we had heard about the notorious Deception River.  Earlier this season a woman drowned in one of the many crossings en route to Goat Pass Hut.  I hiked this stretch alone.

At one moment I had the genius idea of taking a picture of my legs mid-way across the Deception.  Tossing my trekking poles to the opposing shore, I now had the necessary dexterity to snap a photograph.  Suddenly I stood helpless without support.  My next step would be critical.  The thigh-deep current was relentless, and the algae-covered rock bed unforgiving.  I escaped with just a subtle pack dip.  Close call.

The backcountry of Arthur's Pass was beautiful, and dangerous.  Our hiking companion Sebastien actually broke his foot while concurrently snapping a photo of its splendor.  It was a sobering moment for the fractured Cute Boys Club.

Bekah's mum Adrienne lifted our spirits by surprising us with a smorgasbord of sweet and savory treats at the Bealey Hut.  Her parents also gave us a ride around the Rakaia River, officially labeled a Te Araroa "Hazard Zone."  The Rakaia is one of New Zealand's largest braided rivers, and fortunately thru-hikers are exempt from crossing it.  (Although, some brave purists will make a daring swim!)

The section of Te Araroa between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers is absolutely stunning.  Do not miss out!  Endless tussock fields merge with spanning scree fields and stream walks.  The highlight for me was spotting Mount Sunday, filming location for Edoras in The Two Towers.  I couldn't stop smiling as I thought fondly of the riders of Rohan while crossing the Rangitata with Bekah.

Fortuitously, heavy rain started to fall after climbing out of the Rangitata's final braided bed.  Dangerous crossings behind us, we staggered through Bush Stream towards the Crooked Spur Hut.  Up and up and up we climbed through the rain, desperate for dry quarters.  The rain fell hard, and we arrived at the tired hut near sunset.  There was no room at the inn!  At least the hut was filled with our friends Reyne, Alex, Renate, DJ, and Otis.

Pounding rain fell until approximately 4am.  Suddenly it stopped.  The cold hut walls radiated no heat, and I lied awake shivering until dawn.  Renate made a quip about New Zealand's four seasons and revealed that the precipitation never stopped.  It was snowing!

Reyne rushed outside to touch snow for the first time.  It was thrilling to see the mountains coated in a couple of inches of powder!  The snowfields helped Alex spot a herd of introduced Himalayan Tahr on the mountainside.  This was my first time thru-hiking in a snow squall.  It was a bit unnerving.   Our footing on the steep tracks was compromised, and I typically carry better gear in these conditions.  By the mid-afternoon though, the snow had melted below 1,500 meters.  We stopped early that day at Royal Hut where prince Charles once stayed to soak up the rays.

We awoke to a bluebird day.  Snow still covered the mountain tops, but the tussocks gleamed with morning dew.  I decided that going off-trail for a ridge hike would be optimal on this day.  Bekah, Alex, Renate, and Reyne agreed.  The five of us made up our own trail to find staggering views high above Royal Hut.  We followed a knife's edge rocky ridge towards a tarn-filled basin.  I knew that Sebastien would be loving this place, and I hope he enjoys this same detour next year when he returns healthy.  The scrambling stopped well above Stag Saddle, highest point of Te Araroa, at the 2070-meter Beuzenberg Peak.  Glory! 

Mt. Cook and the surrounding Southern Alps spanned the horizon.  New Zealand really was "the land of the long white cloud."  Yesterday's snowfall gave the peaks around us glistening crowns.  The 360 degree view was breathtaking.  I really felt like the journey from Cape Reinga to here was well worth it for the feeling I had perched on that summit ridge.  The glacial till-waters of Lake Tekapo glimmered blue far below, and a sea of tussocks stretched out in every direction.  New Zealand, damn it you're incredible.

I'm just so very grateful that in that moment, Bekah didn't turn me and ask, "So Ty-Lah, what's your pack base weight?"