just wait and see

There was one pretty exciting incident that happened when we were roadtripping around New Zealand. I had decided right from word go that I was going to climb Mt Doom ( Mt Ngauruhoe IRL) and throw a ring into the crater, but the day turned pretty messy.

The track to Mt Doom (Tongariro) actually isn’t a very hard walk, it is pretty short and the slope isn’t very steep. Plus we had done a few Hikes beforehand so I was feeling pretty confident.

The weather was overcast and chilly but I had many layers on to keep warm, on top of that just to be safe I was persuaded to bring an extra jumper by a concerned girlfriend. Then she drops me off and I tell her that I’ll see her at the finish.

I was making awesome pace because of the light pack so I overtook many groups. But a little way in I encounter a sign warning that if ill equiped or adverse conditions exist to turn back (You can’t just walk into mordor!) I laugh and continue on.

By the time  I get to the sign pointing to Ngauruhoe’s peak the weather had turned bad. Unfortunately a cloud was hanging around so viability was awful, and the path to the peak is unmarked. I Thought about going anyway (solo) but a comment along the lines of “That is so dangerous” from another hiker made me think otherwise.

Upset that I didn’t get to destroy the one ring I push on even harder. Then we reach the saddle between the two mountains (The ridge in between). And I see a group of people huddled against a rock to protect from the wind.

At this stage the rain is going horizontal from the gale winds and a the occasional strong bursts would knock everyone walking in the group to their knees. So I stop and chill with the group and wait for it to quieten down. A few more people catch up before we get convinced to turn around, being alone I don’t get much choice.

Head slumped I head back to the start carpark, there I find out we don’t get reception so I can’t call for a lift back. I hitch a ride to the nearest gas station/cafe.

After enjoying a hot chocolate I learn the phone doesn’t want to work at all (Later I found out 1 textmessage went through). I can’t remember the GFs number and she doesn’t know I’ve turned back. I go outside to the payphone to call home and get the number off them but the payphone is broken aswell. The attendant in the petrol station informs me that there is another payphone a couple of Kms away. So I set out (In the rain) to find this phone (Its interesting that the attendant was willing to direct a person in need of help to a payphone but wasn’t kind enough to let me use his).

Then I was able to call home to tell them to leave my Gf a message to come get me (Her phone was flat aparantly). Next I was an hour in the wind with wet clothes talking to a random outside the bus station.

Pretty boring story, but it was uncomfortable at the time. In hindsight I think it was the most memorable thing that happened while in NZ.