days 7 and 8

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day 7: hellfire pass to mason bay 15km
today was perhaps the best day on the track and the most demanding thusfar as well. i rose as the sun was rising over ruggedy flats, a huge valley in the middle of the island. an orange sky gave way to bright white light in minutes. as the sun climbed in the sky i made ready for a long day. i climbed a mountain and followed its ridge. there are no switchbacks on this trail....so straight up and steep it was. i walked along the sub alpine track surrounded by short trees with thick tough leaves and lots of moss. in most places i could look out onto the island's sharp ridges and soft saddles drenched in green. then onto the ever expanding waters to rocky and sand covered coast. i stood still and quiet letting the breeze and hot sun hit my face....i closed my eyes and absorbed the pictures, breathing them into my memories of this place. i descended the ridge slipping and sliding through mud all the way. then along a saddle and finally down to sprawling mason bay beach. mason bay: a long crescent beach facing west. its sand are white and grey marked in places by small stones and shells....places where the ocean has more work to do. dunes rise behind it like sheer cliffs carved by wind and rain and tides. the bay is so wide that the hills bathed in green are hazy blue in the afternoon light. the ocean that meets the sand is riddled with waves, turquoise glass breaking in the sunlight. they crash at their will without rhythm or direction, folding onto each other continuously creating a rising tide. a thick white haze reaches off the water to te sands. shags and gulls cut through it in low flight. in the distance color fades to deep green, almost black, and a sharp horizon buts up against a blue canvas painted with mountainous white clouds.

day 8: mason bay to freshwater landing 15km
today i rose to heavy heavy rain. i was 'soaked to the bone' (as mom would say) by the time i set both feet on the trail. i walked briskly wanting to get to the hut as soon as possible. the rain fell steadily harder as i made my way through low windblown tussock. for 15 km i strode on a narrow track flat the entire way. the scenery around me changed little and i was bored. the track flooded a little bit and i stomped my way through puddles with slick mud beneath them. a thick fog rolled in to accompany the rain by the time i'd reached the hut. i gathered firewood and started a fire to warm and dry my clothes. freshwater landing is close to the end of the track and is easily accessed by boat....making it more popular. bleck. a shock to the system: i shared the hut with 6 people that night....and am finding myself progressively less inspired as i get closer to 'civilization.' ah well.

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