Friday Flashback – The Tongariro Crossing

by Dave on April 3, 2009 · 4 comments

A sign near Mt. Doom

A sign near Mt. Doom

The Tongariro Crossing is suppose to be New Zealand’s best one-day trek.  The hardest part is a steep climb up The Devil’s Staircase, which puts you in the alpine pass between two volcanoes, one of them being Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings.

At the time, I was anxious about climbing to an altitude of 1,900 meters, as I had never been so high on foot before.  One of the things I love about traveling is how fast you can gain experiences and confidence.  It can be as if you squeeze more of life into a shorter amount of time.  A few months later, I reached 4,330 meters on a trek in northern India!  And a few months beyond that, I was already thinking about trying a 6,000-meter peak in Bolivia (but that will have to wait for another year).

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Categories: Post-trip

4 Comments

Mark Soanes April 3, 2009 at 5:03 pm

Boy, those are neat pictures! Out of interest, how did the ostrich ride go? Did you manage to stay on it?

Good luck with your travels.

Mark

Reply

Mark Soanes April 3, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Boy, those are neat pictures! Out of interest, how did the ostrich ride go? Did you manage to stay on it?

Good luck with your travels.

Mark

Reply

Dave April 3, 2009 at 6:12 pm

I stayed on the ostrich for a good 7-10 seconds, which is harder than it sounds. The video is on YouTube if you want a laugh. I requested 2 jockeys run behind the bird to ensure I didn’t fall and break my neck. I saw a guy’s cut up leg after he passed on the extra support, so I think it was a wise decision!

Reply

Dave April 3, 2009 at 1:12 pm

I stayed on the ostrich for a good 7-10 seconds, which is harder than it sounds. The video is on YouTube if you want a laugh. I requested 2 jockeys run behind the bird to ensure I didn’t fall and break my neck. I saw a guy’s cut up leg after he passed on the extra support, so I think it was a wise decision!

Reply

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