It may sound weird, but one of the best parts of our hike is at night. Like clockwork, we go outside around 2am to pee and star gaze. They are bright and cover the night sky. We force ourselves back in the tent for some much needed sleep.
Seems as though we are getting a little edgy with each other. At lunch I accused Shadow of shorting me a piece of salami for my sandwich. Never mind that he is a foot taller and has 45 pounds on me. When we are hiking, we eat equally. He accused me of having my sleeping pad too close to the middle of the tent and not enough on my side. He said the tent is small and every inch counts.
We possibly met our last SoBo hiker today. He is an ultralight (9lb bag) hiker that just finished the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) and made his way out here. With 2000 kilometers in he has only met two other thru-hikers and was happy to see us. A common exchange out here is the number of days you have been hiking. Especially if you are going the opposite way like us. On the AT (Appalachian Trail) it was your start date. I think I have also figured out why trail names have not caught on here. The Te Araroa Facebook page is how most communication takes place so people want your real name so they can find you off the trail.
Tonight we lay about 3 miles from Waiau Pass, the second highest part of the trail. We have walked to the end of the valley where it is narrow and the NZ Alps are close together. The Waiau River runs icy cold glacial water that is crystal clear and perfect to soothe tired feet.
Can you find Shadow?
Our camp spot tonight.
Country Mouse and Shadow
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