Look and listen
Enjoy
So much to take in
Soak up
Marvel in wonder
And awe

Infinite variety and beauty
In this
Our world

Of mountains near and far
The sky
A river winding its way
Like a ribbon
Through the landscape
Under our feet
Or in the distance below

Of trees
Flowers
Birds
River stones
Colours
Patterns
So much to see

Temptation to look ahead
Is strong

No need to know
Whether we go up
Or round
This hill
Or that mountain
Our feet and the next
Marker
Will take us
There

Peaceful
Just sitting on the rocks
Watching the wide shallow
Swiftly flowing
Murmuring
Water of river Hope

Watching    disruptive thoughts
And feelings
Come    take up room
For a while    and go

I decide not to give them
a voice
Or time and space

Just sitting
Water rippling
Wind breezing
Sun shining

Soon any disturbance
Ebbs away
Quiet
Contentment
Reigns again

Sarah now a seasoned hitch-hiker
Shares her strategies
For best results

A German traveller
In a campervan
Takes us the first part
Towards our destination

Next lift takes a while
Then Claude,
French Swiss
Very precise,
And his kiwi wife
Stop, but wouldn’t have
If he’d seen
There were two of us
He tells me.

Rearranges their belongings
In the boot and
On the back seat
Then pulls out
A towel,
At least
Only for under our packs,
On the back seat

We’re on our way
To Windy Point
Claude pulls out his
IPad and GPS to learn
Exactly how far it is
To the start of Lake Sumner Track

When arrived
Claude takes out
The packs
In case we damage
The car

With profuse thanks
For their generosity
Our planned
Three day loop
Is under way

Long distance walking
Demands more than
An occasional rest day

For catching up
With myself
With my experiences
With family and friends

For planning
The next section
For thinking about
and preparing for
What comes after that
Transport
Accommodation
Food resupply
Contactability
Coordinating
Meeting times
And places
When our friend’s knees
Don’t allow her
To join us
On the trail

Today’s impromptu, quick
And smooth
Change in configuration
And plans
So each of us are
Not alone
Falls into perfect
Place and time
For all

Quiet relief about
The sudden change of pace
Announces my
Unacknowledged need
For an opportunity
To pause

At dusk the day before
Five Canadian geese
Announce their presence
On the river below

Running down
To get a glimpse
I see
It’s too far
Too dark
And they’re walking away
To their own nightly abode

Walking early in the morning
We hear them
Honking from a field nearby
We walk on
Hoping to see
More of them

All at once a whole flock
Disturbed by our presence
Takes to the sky
Flying around the valley
Over the hut
Away and back again

Beautiful silhouette
Of flight in unison
In the early morning
Sunbacked light

Briefly coming back
They take off again
Human beings
No invitation
To settle in their own
Peaceful place

Finally
Our presence
No longer a threat
One
Then the others
Return

The valley back
To its own quiet
Apart from he occasional
Honk
Of some geese
In a field
At the start
Of another
Cloudless
Sunny
And hot
Day

From Anne Hut we walk
Together again
Sarah and I

Today we are
Just walking
A delight once again
After the last two sections
Of hard work
And intensity

The cool river calls
On this hot and sunny day
Taking a dip
Refreshed, cold and tingling
Bodies emerge from the ripples

Energized by the water
The tall grasses
The mountains,
Sun, cloud formations,
Ancient trees
The company of my friend
And my trusty body
That keeps on keeping on
Just walking

Once more I sit by the river
Legs dangling
Held
Swept by the cold water
As if the stream
Flows right through me
One with the river

Sitting on a moutainside
For a brief rest
We hear the delicate
Tinkling
And gurgling
Of a little stream
From different
Directions at once

Accentuated by an
Occasional bird
Flying by
Letting its presence be known
With its own delightful tune

Back to the music
Of the stream

Still
Peaceful

Briefly interrupted
By an insect’s
Buzz
Near my ear

A breeze adding
Its soft swishing
To the sweet
Stillness
Of the stream’s
Quiet symphony

You’ll have wet boots, for days
While tramping TA
They say
Can’t be avoided
You may as well get used to it
They say
It’s unsafe to rock hop
More risk of falling
And injuring or getting swept away
They say

Doing the river safety course
Before setting out
I get it.

BUT
Getting a sore toe
After trudging through
Swampy pools
Changes
My perspective

I do try to keep boots
And feet dry from here on
Carefully dry out and wash
Boots, inner soles, socks
Overnight
Only to find
An unavoidable
Wet feet river crossing
Within five minutes
Of setting out
The next morning

Clear cold water
Welcome on a hot day
A delight for overheated feet
Muddy water
Rouses concern for
Returning infection

Emptying boots of excess water
Thankful for years of yoga
Making it easy to
Raise boots high enough
To drain
Walking on
Squelch
Slurp
Slosh
Splurge
Finally the squelching
Slows
Diminishes and eventually
Stops

After successfully avoiding
Wading for a while
Shoes are taken off
Inner soles squeezed
Socks wrung out
As dry as possible
Feet air dried in the sun
Ongoing conversation
With myself and friends
On the unavoidable of
Getting wet feet
And how nice it is
When they’re dry

Guaranteed
Within the next
Five minutes
We are confronted
With unavoidable
Wading
Again

How stealth and deception won the night this time

Stopping to set up camp
Alongside Waiau River
A mixed blessing
Happy to rest
And
Ready to attempt
To win the battle
With the sandflies
This time

First cover as much
Skin as possible
While still allowing function

Set up the tent,
That had been stowed
At the top of the pack this time,
As quickly as possible
Keeping fly screen
Shut as much as possible

Leave out of the pack only
What is needed
Before going to bed:
Cooking and eating gear
Food bag
Water
Toiletries

Walk around
To lose and deceive
Sandflies
Hovering around
Face, feet (ever hopeful) and fingers

Back at the tent
In the swiftest
Possible way
Opening the mesh
As little as possible
And necessary
Throw in the pack
And front pack pockets
This time

Cook the meal
With frequent
Waving of hands
And moving around
Eat dinner
While walking
So the clouds of SFs
Remain relatively limited
Clean dishes and teeth
Using similar strategies

In the swiftest
Possible way
Opening the mesh
As little as possible
And necessary
Throw remaining gear
Into the tent
This time

Walk around again
Deceiving the little b@#$*&%s
Into thinking you’re moving on

Come back to the tent and
In the swiftest
Possible way
Opening the mesh
As little as possible
And necessary
Throw yourself
Into the tent
And ZIP up

Toilet stop
Will do
After dark
When they have
Gone to bed
This time

VICTORY!
Only one in the tent
Dozens hovering
Outside the screen
This time

(Day 34)

Five set off for the next challenge
Lake Constance and
Crossing Waiau Pass

Views of Blue Lake and
Lake Constance
from so many angles
More beautiful
As we go

Descent after Constance
A taste of what’s to come
Sets some nerves
On edge

Staying with
Drinking in
Marvelling at the
Breathtaking beauty
And scale of the landscape
Around us
Has to be
The order of the day.

Near the top
Mossy growth
With minute
Starlike flowers
In striking contrast
To size and majesty
Of mountains all around

The steep and loose
Scree slope to the pass
Managed,
The wind
Catches our breath
At the top

Well deserved
Photos taken
The descent is commenced
Down the other side

In hindsight
All experiences so far
considered,
The Waiau Pass
Overall
Was not too bad.
And….
The way down
Was steep,
Rocky
Very scary at times,
When swinging around
A rock
With my backpack on,
And five hours long
Before hitting
Upon the camping spot
Amongst the trees
At Waiau Forks
JUST before dark

An 11 hour journey
Through
Some of the most
Spectacular landscape
I have ever seen.