I Have Slept 2 of the Last 7 Nights in My Bed

Just wanted to send a little update before I left again to go to Queenstown for the weekend.

Tuesday I had a chance to get out backpacking on the Mt Somers track. I saw rain, hail, sleet, and even snow on my 25 kilometer trek. I did this one solo, which is something that I have never done before. Everything has a different feel when you are alone in the wilderness. Situations quickly become a bit more unnerving (like getting lost, which I only did once) when there is not another person along with you to help make decisions. But you do get a certain feeling of solitude unlike any other I have felt. I didn't see a single person for two days and this led me to pray, marvel at God's wilderness as I tramped though it, and think about all those that I love. It was really a great time, and I would recommend to anyone who wants to see what a bit of seclusion is like.



Last weekend a heap of us headed out to the West Coast for the Wild Foods Festival. It ended up being more of a midday getting sloshed festival, not exactly my style, so soon after arriving we decided to head north for Paparoa National park--a very good decision. Paparoa is a tropical rainforest with vibrant green vegetation, large meandering rivers and huge slabs of granite, sandstone, and rhyolite. Six of us took an overnighter through the main jog of the park. We wandered up streams beds, through prairies, and up mountain passes. We even got to sleep under a rock overhang, one of the coolest campsites I have ever had. I did the whole trip in my Chacos and my feet are still feeling the impact of that somewhat ill thought out decision. Despite a few blisters and some minor abrasions the trip was great.







Now, like I mentioned, we are off to Queenstown which is the southernmost large city in New Zealand and boasts the title of adventure capital of the world. I may wait to do the world's tallest bunjee jump until Keith and Ryan get here (gear up fellas!).