Mountains, Rain, and Rugby
Today is a rainy one here in New Zealand. That makes two in the three weeks I have been in Queenstown. When it rains here it is similar to the US's East Coast; or the South at least. Big rain drops and all day. But thanks to the weatherman I knew it would be rainy so yesterday I went and hiked a mountain to get some activity in. There is a gondola lift going up one of the mountainsides on the outskirts of town. At the top there is a parasailing launch point and a swanky restaurant. There is also a starting point for several hiking trails beginning under the gondola that runs up into the hills.
I started the day with no plan other than just taking a long hike and so I only brought a bottle of water and an apple. The first leg of the hike I had done a couple times before but there comes a point where you have to pick which trail you want to stay on. I choose a new one that I knew would be tough but figured I could always just turn around when I was ready to (the trail eventually dead ends and I would have to come back the way I came anyways.) It wasn't long before the trail took on a serious incline but I kept going. Eventually I came out from under the tree canopy and could look down onto the town. The parasailers' launch was a few hundred meters off to my left and I could see a large hill I had hiked a few days ago across the valley about eye level to me. But the trail kept going up the mountain ahead of me. So I kept going.
In the hours it took me to reach this point the cloudy sky had given way to a big hot sun and there were no trees from this point to the top. Just a lot of dry grass and a few boulder clumps. The trail stretching ahead of me weaved around each bend and teased me on a little further every time I got tired and thought about going back. Eventually I found myself looking down onto the parasailers and getting low on water. But I could see just a little farther up the mountain a ridge. Beyond that I could see into the neighboring valley so I kept going. Reaching the ridge I took a break where I killed the rest of my water and ate an apple then continued on to the highest point of Mount Ben Lemond (1,748 meter.) I could see down into three valleys and was at the highest visible point except for snow capped mountains off in the distance. It turns out while I knew the trail had a dead end I did not realize that it was at the highest point on the mountain!
Getting back into town I noted the time and realized I had been hiking for six straight hours. I know that is not a record or anything but when you where just planning on walking around for a while it is surprising. While in town I took a break in a park with a river running through it. With my feet in the cold mountain water I gratefully ate a Subway sandwich. I had planned to tire myself out so I would not be too restless on this rainy day. I was successful.
Today, the rain is coming down hard and heavy while I sit inside watching a Clint Eastwood western and rugby world championship. The rugby matches are really fun to watch. It is a long series of thirty minute matches between different countries. At the end of the thirty minute set the two teams are designated scores based on whether they won or not and how many more points they scored. The team’s score determines who they play the next day up to the final two. But watching the crowds is half the fun. Nearly everyone is in crazy outfits that do not have too much to do with the game. One big group has all the guys dressed like prisoners and the girls are dressed like cops. Others are Spartans, ninja turtles, French mimes, transformers, and lots of national flags being waved. They are all dancing and singing together like one big party. Pretty sweet. USA is coming up to play against France. I wonder if a bar is playing this…
[Edit: During the breaks in between games a guy comes on standing in the crowd and gives you the official odds on the teams so you can make "proper bets" on the matches! And USA beat France and Canada today.]
I started the day with no plan other than just taking a long hike and so I only brought a bottle of water and an apple. The first leg of the hike I had done a couple times before but there comes a point where you have to pick which trail you want to stay on. I choose a new one that I knew would be tough but figured I could always just turn around when I was ready to (the trail eventually dead ends and I would have to come back the way I came anyways.) It wasn't long before the trail took on a serious incline but I kept going. Eventually I came out from under the tree canopy and could look down onto the town. The parasailers' launch was a few hundred meters off to my left and I could see a large hill I had hiked a few days ago across the valley about eye level to me. But the trail kept going up the mountain ahead of me. So I kept going.
In the hours it took me to reach this point the cloudy sky had given way to a big hot sun and there were no trees from this point to the top. Just a lot of dry grass and a few boulder clumps. The trail stretching ahead of me weaved around each bend and teased me on a little further every time I got tired and thought about going back. Eventually I found myself looking down onto the parasailers and getting low on water. But I could see just a little farther up the mountain a ridge. Beyond that I could see into the neighboring valley so I kept going. Reaching the ridge I took a break where I killed the rest of my water and ate an apple then continued on to the highest point of Mount Ben Lemond (1,748 meter.) I could see down into three valleys and was at the highest visible point except for snow capped mountains off in the distance. It turns out while I knew the trail had a dead end I did not realize that it was at the highest point on the mountain!
Getting back into town I noted the time and realized I had been hiking for six straight hours. I know that is not a record or anything but when you where just planning on walking around for a while it is surprising. While in town I took a break in a park with a river running through it. With my feet in the cold mountain water I gratefully ate a Subway sandwich. I had planned to tire myself out so I would not be too restless on this rainy day. I was successful.
Today, the rain is coming down hard and heavy while I sit inside watching a Clint Eastwood western and rugby world championship. The rugby matches are really fun to watch. It is a long series of thirty minute matches between different countries. At the end of the thirty minute set the two teams are designated scores based on whether they won or not and how many more points they scored. The team’s score determines who they play the next day up to the final two. But watching the crowds is half the fun. Nearly everyone is in crazy outfits that do not have too much to do with the game. One big group has all the guys dressed like prisoners and the girls are dressed like cops. Others are Spartans, ninja turtles, French mimes, transformers, and lots of national flags being waved. They are all dancing and singing together like one big party. Pretty sweet. USA is coming up to play against France. I wonder if a bar is playing this…
[Edit: During the breaks in between games a guy comes on standing in the crowd and gives you the official odds on the teams so you can make "proper bets" on the matches! And USA beat France and Canada today.]