Dec. 16. Duniden

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So where have I left off, Ay? So much has happened I don't know where to start! Just got back from doing a 4 day trek in the Milford Sounds and let me tell you.....IT WAS FREAKING "SWEET AS"! WE had incredible weather, clear days, expect for the last day, LOTS OF RAIN and let me tell you, my 110% NYLON RAIN JACKET, did nothing for me. Drenched, but nuff said....it was all well worth it. Even after having sore knees and swollen ankles and feet...ajaja, for the first time i have fat ankles!!!! Aw, man. Hmm, just can't describe what I went thru those four days. My group consisted of 1 Tawaineese, 1 Texan (ME) and the rest were KIWI"S. Yes, the all picked on me, being short, female and TEXAN! But man, it was like one huge FAMILY in the end....I didn't want to say goodbye to none of them especially my buds MIke (a 54 yr old) and Ryan (my age)....those two were just freaking hilarious...esp. Mike, with his hilarious one liners, he kept the whole group just laughing all the time! WhenI first met them, they had picked me up in a bus back in Te anua, I was the last person to be picked up...all the seats were taken, execpt for a sopt in the back where this white haired man and a young guy that was bald and looked like the older guy sitting next to him. As I struggeled to make my way to the back, they asked if I wanted to sit with them. So I did. We got to talking, and the more they talked, they looked like family, so I asked unknowingly, "are you father and son"...they stood quit and then belted this huge laugh....! Apparently they were just good friends...ryan had gone to school with mikes girls and they had also lived together for about 7 months or so, sharing a flat....hehehe, so the whole trip we joked about mike and ryan being father and son.....hey, they even adopted me into their family! man, that trip was just way too AWESOME! Can't wait to post the pictures. WE SAW SO MANY WATERFALLS, had never seen so many in my LIFE. WE even went behind the 6th worlds LARGEST waterfall!!! The water just rushing past us, so much wind, it lifeted anything loose you were wearing, with the water pressure you couldn't see where you were going, so Liz's husband, John (6'3, big man!) grabbed my hand and just guided me through the slippery rocks, to get behind this amazing massive waterfall! What was more incredible was that Liz's mother, LORETTE, this amazing 76 year old, was brave enough to be going behind it tOO. Lorrete, man, I leraned so much from that lil white haired lil lady, how she managed to get he pack down to 7 kg, how she was so FIT, and went hiking every Wed, with her tramping club....man, she put me to shame with physical ability. At one point, looking over a massive rock wall, she pointed and said, "I remember how in my 20's I used to rock climb, I can just picture where I would place my hands and feet on that wall"....stunned 'I looked back at her and said, "you used to rock climb?"...."yes dear, with ropes and all!!!!!"....but you didn't have harnesses and rock climbing shoes back then...."no, we didn't need that silly stuff, we wrapped the rope around us and wore our hiking shoes!!!!!!!"..........................................I was just stunned!!!!!!!!! This lady is so adventurous, even at here age, about 3 yrs ago, she went paragliding, can you believe it? I couldn't! Lorette, your my ROle MODEL!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, guys, I write back in a while. See you.
-CC

Anna----thanks for the message!!!

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