Michael and I ventured out yesterday on a SIX hour hike up Karioi mountain which is ONLY a mere 756 Meters above Sea level. At about an hour into the hike we were getting "sneak peaks" of the view we would get if we reached the Summit and began making a list of people we thought could appreciate the hike..... by the time we made it back down the mountain the list had been edited and only had two names remaining.... because the only two people crazy enough to complete the treck is us. You know that feeling you get when you put the last piece of a 5,000 piece puzzle in place, or finish a final exam in a horrible subject like statistics, or even the feeling you get when you cross the finish line of a half marathon.... WELL finishing the hike felt better than all of those things. Michael said that we managed to break every rule our Mother's had for us as kids: Don't play in the mud, don't hang over that cliff, and don't climb boulders particularly if there is no way to get back down. The path weaved us through a jungle scene that could not have looked more "Lord of the Rings" if a hobbit actually managed to jump out and greet us (although that would have been pretty cool). At about two hours into the hike you come to a spot where the only way to progress is to hoist yourself up a metal chain straight up about 12 feet, only to be thrown into a pit of mud up to your knee caps. It is a good thing I have always been the kind of girl that doesn't particularly mind mud because on the way back, the only way down was to sled down the hillside on our backsides. Michael and I both took a couple of spills but his gracious tumble over backwards into the side of the mountain could have won him a gymnastics gold medal. In the beginning of the hike you could hear our yelps or comments when we fell... by the end, you would just hear branches breaking and bodies crashing into the ground. I guess we should have gotten a clue of how difficult the hike was when at the summit the sign reads, "The satellite tower has been placed here for search and rescue purposes." Then again, by this point we had all ready reached the top and had no choice but to turn around and do it ALL OVER AGAIN. The view from the summit made you feel like you were looking out into the abyss. I swear I saw the edge of the earth yesterday and have to admit it made the journey well worth it. We meant to take an after picture to give everyone an idea of just how muddy we were but by the end we were so tired that all we wanted to do is pass out.... But since the All Blacks are Playing in Hamilton we had no choice but to clean up and head out for some good old fashioned Rugby and the start of yet another adventure.
P.S. On the hike we heard a bird that sang (or chirped) the Rocky theme song. You know the one, "It's the eye of the tiger it's the cream of the fight." AND NO I was not just imagining this.