The Climb

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
….
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side
It’s the climb
…

But these are the moments

that I’m gonna remember most,

yeah Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong

I did the Tongariro crossing this weekend, well half of it – past the Emerald Lakes the path was blocked due to it being a high volcanic risk zone. All I have to say is that it was easily the hardest thing I’ve done in my life.

People often say that a tramp is was really worth it once you see the view and things like that. But, I am going to be honest about how I feel. When I was there at the top looking down at the beautiful emerald lakes and the ginormous red crater, I didn’t think it was worth it. Don’t get me wrong I was impressed by the views but the gruelling 4-5 hours it took to reach it, all the sunburn, the panting, the blisters just wasn’t worth it. I admired the view, took the necessary pictures and began the descend. (another 2-3 hours).

It was on the way down as I was tumbling down the scoria (literally!) and sliding and slipping that I started to appreciate the crossing. Once I was able to catch my breath and sort of forget about all the pain that was caused, I was able to appreciate the vastness of the mountains. It was enormous! We were tiny ants in this huge deserted mountain, it almost looked like a desert (minus all the volcanoes around us). It was such a great feat.

The hardest part of the tramp would definitely be the devil stairs – now I know why they are called that! There was sweat soaking from underneath my shirt onto the straps of my shoulder bag. I am not exaggerating.

In our group of eight I was the last person and beside me was the one person who stuck by my every stride. Always. I really didn’t care if I was last – there were times I was so frustrated at myself for being so unfit and letting them all down and there were times I said to myself  “Hey, this is your journey – enjoy it! Who cares of who is ahead of you and who is behind you just look at who is beside you. ” That’s what really matters in life.

A strange metaphor I agree but it made me appreciate the journey.  It’s not a competition. It’s not who is ahead of you or who is staring at your behind. It is about who takes every step of the journey with you.

There were bruises, scratches, a very very sore bum (Can anyone tell me why this hurts so damn much??), blisters and sun burn. But, besides all that I gained knowledge, experience and amazing views. I suppose my approach to this tramp isn’t the same as any other trampers. I didn’t talk about how it feels and how much I love nature etc (because I really don’t know if I do). I just shared my experience, my perspective.