The Mountains and More

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Hello all, this update comes after a couple of unforgettable days at the Mount Cook National Park. Despite the many photos and detailed accounts of friends who have traveled to New Zealand before, I am always amazed by how stunning the landscape continues to be. Words do little justice to this place, so be sure to be checking out Chad and Nick's blog for pictures (links on my page). Mount Cook is the largest mountain in a stretch of towering giants that weave into a deep valley; truly all roads stop there. This region has such beauty that I have difficulty imagining what can possibly top this place in the next months. We had a long, steep, uphill climb to reach the Mueller Hut through freezing rain and 90 km/h wind gusts; cold as hell. Once arriving at the hut however, the next hours were spent gawking at enormous glaciers surrounding everywhere we looked, and the occasional treat of witnessing an avalanche across the canyon. Even with the swirling winds outside, the hut provided plenty of protection to simply enjoy the sights and marvel at nature unrestrained. That night, the sky cleared and calmed allowing a peaceful view as the sunset cast red along all of the mountain peaks, highlighting the great Mount Cook; remarkable. The next morning, we were treated with excellent and clear weather to hike back down the track to our car. From there, we traveled south to the town of Wanaka, which sits beside a beautiful blue lake (apparently a theme here), and camped for the night. The days are already blurring together as now we just arrived in the small town of Te Anau (further south and another beautiful lake) where we will find a fairly hidden hut for the night. So far, the people and country itself has exceeded every expectation I had and further backs up the things I've heard. I hope all is well with everyone back home and can't wait to see you all soon. Later!

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Comments

[notgay]

Yeah, but where's the story about the "sleep hallucination involving yelling" mentioned on Chad's blog? These are the things we need to know haha. Glad you're having a good time.