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Published: August 6th 2007
Tongariro Sign
I'm ready for anything...right?No...the Cubs have not won the World Series...nor are they on pace to any time soon (despite one of the fattest pay rolls in MLB). Oh well...some things aren't meant to be. (But before leaving the MLB topic...in case anyone forgot...the White Sox have recently won the WS...ahh...2005).
So...I can be a stubborn person. On the rare occasion that I actually know what I want, I don't want to give up on it. In this case...the Tongariro Crossing. It's considered to be the best one day hike in New Zealand and was the filming location for Mordor and Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings movies. It was one of the few things I knew in advance that I wanted to do in New Zealand. Visions of Frodo & Sam hiding from Orcs behind boulders and making their way up the rocky Mt. Doom had me too interested to pass this one up. I had to do it.
That being said...it's basically winter here now and the Tongariro Crossing is a mountain hike. Though the NZ winter is a joke compared to Chicago...winter and mountains combine for sketchy weather at best. In my research I had seen that
Tongariro Trail Head
Started out nice enough. June might not be
a great time for it...they suggest Dec-Mar. In my arrogance I figured that...
In winter, snow and ice make this a full alpine trip requiring ice axes and crampons. During and after heavy snow falls, avalanches are possible.
...didn't apply to me. Those types of warnings are usually very conservative and meant to keep away the silly wimps who can't handle a tough hike, right? Thankfully I'm really hard-core (despite not really having hiked before my NZ travels) and knew that I could just will it to happen. All my weather has basically been perfect so far...why would I expect my luck to change? Let the Man Vs. Nature games begin.
We left the steaming/bubbling ground/pools of Rotorua and headed south to Tongariro National Park. The nice folks at the information center informed us that the transport companies to the Crossing had all cancelled their trips for the next day. Anna and I decided to head to another area and come back in a few days hoping for better weather. (Man 0 - Nature 1). No stories of those times listed here...but there are some photos toward the end of the photo section. In short...another mountain (Taranaki) hid from us and we drove a
bunch looking for nice weather.
Back to Mordor...The forecast called for the weather to
become "fine" on Saturday morning with chances of showers in the afternoon. First of all...here in NZ they use "fine" as the general weather term if it's not raining. I guess it works, but in my mind that's a rather casual way to scientifically describe the weather. Anyway...we made our way back to the area on Friday night and parked at the trail head.
Parking at the trail head was convenient the next day...but really really cold during the night. (Man 0 - Nature 2). I don't think the Mazda was rated for sleeping in freezing conditions...but we managed to wake up and get on with the prep for the hike. (We're not the dumbest ones though...a guy from Boston was parked next to us and told us in the morning that he didn't have a sleeping bag...just slept in all his clothes. Yikes.) As can be the case with mountain weather, the mountains apparently didn't get the memo about the "fine" weather and it was cold, overcast, and a bit drizzly as we were getting ready and headed off (sans crampons and ice axes) to see what it's like in Mordor.
The first hour or so took
Ice Covered Rocks
The beginning of the ice/snow on the way up. us through a mostly flat section with the terrain slowly changing from light bush to more and more black volcanic rock wasteland. I was trying to imagine the surrounding volcanoes (there are several in the park) doing their thing and effortlessly hurling these massive rocks & boulders up into the sky to come violently raining down on the ground around us. I'm impressed. (Man 0 - Nature 3)
As we approached the ascent, we could see that we'd be walking/climbing on snow within the first 100-200m of climbing. Anna wasn't thrilled about the snow/climbing combo, but pressed on. The wind started blowing more and more as we climbed and headed into the clouds. It was at this point that I realized that not only was "fine" weather late to the party, but it was likely going to stand us up altogether. The rational part of my brain started to file a request to consider turning back, but it was way too early in the game to throw in the towel. That rational part did succeed in the sense that I tried to stress to Anna that if she didn't feel comfortable we should turn back b/c it was only
1st Ridge
There's a sign pointing to the side track up Mt. Doom. Not happening this time... going to get worse...but was really hoping she didn't want to quit yet. We continued. (Man 1 - Nature 3)
Reaching the end of this first climb made it a bit more apparent what kind of situation we were heading into. All the snow/ice was on the side of everything - meaning that it certainly didn't fall down, it had blown (and was still blowing) completely horizontally due to the now brutally strong winds. Also as a result we could no longer read any trail signs we came across. (Man 1 - Nature 4). We have to pass the side track to climb the invisible Mt. Doom. I concede that particular goal. (Man 1 - Nature 5).
Thankfully the wind is now at our back and we hardly have to walk to make forward progress across what's basically a sheet of ice heading into our gray/cloudy/sleety future. As we do our best to follow the posts marking the trail we see a figure emerge and walk toward us bent into the wind. As the person gets closer we see that it's a dude walking along carrying a plastic shopping bag. He explains that the going gets worse up
Plateau
Not completely sure where we're going...but the trail posts urge us on. Wish I had some skates for this part. ahead and he had to turn back b/c he wasn't prepared enough. Now...I may not always be the most prepared person in the world, but I certainly wouldn't think it's a good idea to head out on a hike like this carrying my things in a crummy plastic grocery bag. Again...we feel better about not being the least prepared people out here.
A few hundred meters later we see another figure appear...the guy from Boston. He's also turned back due to the conditions ahead, but claims that he made it to the Red Crater and actually saw the sun a couple of times. I'm dismayed and hopeful at the same time. Another had to turn back...but I'm tougher than him and can get further, right? (No points awarded due to dellusional stupidity...score remains 1-5...though I'm now expecting a triumphant comeback with visions of the sun breaking throuh the clouds as I defiantly reach the summit).
Finally we reach the end of the windy skating rink and see another ascent ahead of us. For some reason I'm surprised...it's becoming apparent that I actually do need crampons and an ice axe. This one is seriously coated in ice and I
stomp my feet with each step to break through for better traction. (Man 2 - Nature 5). Amazingly, the wind is building to even greater speeds and the traction worsens. Anna finally states that she's reached her limit and isn't continuing on. (The score gets complex here as Anna is now included and awarded points for her intelligence...though nature also gets some points for stopping her. Man 2 - Nature 6 - Anna 1). I say that I'm going to press on a bit more to reach the next summit and to see the Red Crater. (I'm penalized one point for stupidity. Man 1 - Nature 6 - Anna 1).
The foot stomping no longer works, but I'm bounding along as the excitement of my impending achievement propels me toward the summit and my semi-victory over this beast of a mountain.
Slip. Boom. I'm on my bum. (The point tally gets too fast and furious here...so I'll just give a final score afterward). I'm back up and am more cautiously advancing. The top is in sight. I reach the ridge and the wind responds by increasing its fury in attempt to turn me back. I look over the
other side of the ridge expecting something cool. Instead I see more gray cloudyness. I decide that I must have to go a bit higher along the ridge to see my prize. The rational part of my brain is gaining some support from other parts of my brain and I'm sorta walking on all fours at points now. The next climb reveals no great Red Crater and the clouds are not breaking. The petition from the rational brain has reached the part of my brain in charge of self-preservation now takes the controls...informs my ego that it's over and we're turning around. I don't have much capacity to feel too disappointed at this time b/c I'm mostly concerned with making it back down & actually feel some sort of relief that the pressure is off and I'm smart enough to give up.
I'm on all 4s again as I work my way back down off the ridge. Once clear from the main blast of wind, I stand up again and start the foot stomping. It's working well and I'm feeling confident again. Slip. Boom. I'm on my bum.
I eventually make my way back down to Anna and
relay to her that she certainly wouldn't have been happy up there. We begin the journey back into the wind towards the safety of lower altitude and the warmth of the Mazda.
As we descend we run into another guy (yet another German...they're truly everywhere in this country) and he asks what it's like ahead. We tell him but I suggest that he should go and have a look for himself. He decides to turn back. I respect his decision making (it saved him time, effort, and warmth), but it would be hard for me to have turned back without having given it my best shot. Granted...my effort didn't yield a victory over the mountain and weather...but I don't have to wonder if I could have made it or not either. To each his own I suppose.
Once we reach the bottom of the 1st climb I finally start to think about how disappointed I am. It was one of the things I was looking forward to the most in New Zealand and now will have to travel on having not done it. I'm angry. Angry that the mountain is bigger than me...angry at the weather for not
Horizontal Ice
This is basically as far as I made it. Along this ridge I was on all 4s due to the near 100kph winds and ice. As you can see from this ice...everything was blowing just a tad. complying with the forecast and my schedule...angry that I can't have what I want despite my best efforts. There's a point in the movie "Fight Club" where Ed Norton's character is describing his anger. He says a variety of things including "I want to breathe smoke." Well...like the volcano behind me, I want to breathe smoke.
The car brings food, warmth, a descent out of the crummy weather, and an opportunity to cheer up a bit. The whiny child inside is giving way to the understanding that in the last 7 weeks I've had nearly flawless weather and have had more adventures than I would have imagined.
All in all, I didn't complete this trek as hoped, but the day still yielded another great adventure and I'm completely intact and ready for the next. Furthermore, we later heard that 4 people had to be pulled off the mountain over the weekend (hmm...we were there on the weekend) after they got in over their heads. I'm satisfied with the decision to turn back when we did and am glad to not be a statistic.
Oh...and the final score.
Man - 4 (my deduction for failure to reach the
View of Ridge
A rare break in the clouds. The rectangular rock in the middle is about as far as I made it. Red Crater cancelled out the point I was awarded for turning back while still alive...but was awarded 3 bonus points for not being the 5th person needing rescuing)
Nature - 10 (is bigger and badder than us both...several points awarded along the way)
Anna - 4 (despite not making it as far, she was awarded extra points in retrospect for being smarter than me and not trying to make it as far)
Frodo & Sam - 5 (they succeeded in climbing this sucker...but not in winter...and had to be rescued by a giant eagle)
Though it may be considered stealing from a national park, I took a small piece of volcanic rock as a reminder to come back and conquer this track sometime in the future...during the summer, of course.
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If at any point your reading of the above (ie - my angry response to the mountain) has caused you to question the stability of my state of mind (at least moreso than before)...don't worry, I exaggerate a bit for effect. Really...I'm ok. My life wasn't truly in danger...right?...and my anger wasn't quite to the point of wanting to breathe smoke...I hate losing...but not that badly.
It's nothing that a change of weather and a day sitting in a natural hot tub on the beach in New Zealand can't easily cure. Stay tuned for that one in the next blog...
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For those who don't like the use of the elipsis "..." - um...sorry. I got carried away in this entry.
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Cameron
non-member comment
Hell has melted here
Amazing to think you're freezing and we're melting... where are you again? As I sit in my (fortunately) air conditioned office looking out my window at a 90+ degree day with very high humidity, it's hard to imagine needing crampons and an axe. Great story, Marc... thanks for cooling me off! (I like 'em too "...")