Now I know how the IronMan finishers feel after competition.
Sam said the Tongariro Crossing was 10 miles long but that was before the last eruption that mandated the path to be re-routed. Now it's more like 12 miles long and the most spectacular scenery we've ever seen on a trail before. Even Sam said it was the most difficult hike he has ever done (I say that after most hikes). We also passed the hikers-hut that was devastated when a 'miner eruption' in 2012 sent flying boulders through the roof and landed through the bunk beds but fortunately it was empty that night. The hut is closed now and was never repaired so it stands as a testament to the danger in this ring of fire. I'll pause here for you to hum along with me.
As you can see from the photos, it was an awesome day. Jenny and Josh did this hike 3 weeks ago and poor Jenny had a difficult time. I would have smoked her and rolled by her on this crossing! (A little volcano humor). I did well from 7:30 am until 3:00pm after passing the 10 mile marker and my dogs were barking. I usually hit my biological wall at 10-11 miles on a medium-difficult trail. One guide said its your knees and ankles that take the beating climbing up and down these mountains...and he was so right. We finished at 4:30. At one part of the trail you are walking through pure volcanic ash and it's all downhill to the banks of those beautiful lakes. We were glad to have our hiking poles but most people didn't. 1000-2000 people hike this famous crossing every day and we noticed that most are under the age of 35. I'm glad we did it.
M & S
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