-2 Days

If all goes well I should start walking sometime on the 10th (which is the 9th for those of you in the States). I go to Paihia tomorrow, spend the day and night there, get my food, enjoy one last hot shower, then head on a tour to Cape Reinga the next day. No other way to get there. 

Auckland doesn't feel like a city. The buildings aren't as tall as we expect in U.S. cities. The traffic isn't dense. Everyone waits for the signal to cross the street (must have some strict jay-walking laws or something). There is Asian influence everywhere, which I was surprised by. Where in the U.S. we have Spanish as the most common sub culture, here it is some Asian background.  I wish I knew more to know if it is Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc. 

It's been an interesting day so far. Just hanging out, walking around, ate some pho (there is SOOOO much food variety here, it's amazing!) I have to remind myself to not freak out when I see cars that look like they have no driver; they are on the other side. It's that, more than the opposite side of the road, that gets me. Movie tickets here are ridiculously expensive. Enjoy your cinemas stateside folks! As a westernized country speaking English, I was expecting much to be the same as home. But there is as much if a culture shock coming to New Zealand as there would be anywhere. 

Also met another dorm mate today. She is originally from the Czech Republic (my mom's side of the family comes from there) who lives in London now. She has been here for 6 months, working, backpacking, and now getting into acting. It is amazing to me how easily people talk to one another here, a freedom about it. I often keep to myself, but world travelers are so open its hard to resist. 

So far all has been well. I am enjoying the experience but it will be a different ball game when I start walking. It is coming soon enough!

On the Way...

Started this post off sitting in the Fiji airport with one leg of flying left to go. That place was beautiful! Arrived as the sun was coming up... Forested mountains, gorgeous green grass, palm trees, and humidity. I was sticky on the walk from the plane to the terminal. Who knows? Maybe on my way back after this trip I will make a stop in Fiji for longer than 3 hours. It would definitely be worth checking out. 

I have already been blessed again with trail magic and I have not even started walking yet. I met a lovely Samoan lady on my flight from LAX (an absolute nightmare there, by the way) to Fiji. She has 7 children and 16 grand kids, all over the place. She lives alone in Seattle now but is on her way to her son's graduation from seminary in Fiji. (Gee, that was an option for school? A paradise island?) When she found out I was hiking in New Zealand alone she gave me her phone number and she gave me her other son's number. He lives in Auckland, not far from the airport. She said to call him if anything happened while I was in New Zealand or if I just needed a ride or anything. He would understand if I told him his mother sent me (she must do it a lot). After we landed in Fiji we split up. But she said if I ever wanted to go to her homeland Samoa to give her a call and she would come too. She said we could stay with her family so I would have no need for a hotel or food, just the money for the flight. And I genuinely believe Iva meant it! What generosity from a stranger on a plane!

I made it to Auckland finally. My dad was right; they talk funny here. (Jokes!) So I am in a hostel, paying for wifi, chatting with a nice  gal from Dublin, wondering why there are 2 buttons to flush the toilet, and ready to get my bus pass and food tomorrow so I can be on my way shortly. 

I can already feel that this trip is going to change me. And with the kindness I have experienced from multiple people before I have even begun, I suspect that the changes will be for the better. 

Gear List

Below is a list of the items I have packed up for my trek across New Zealand. As I go, I may find that some things aren't needed and send them home, might swap out items... a person can never really tell until they get going. But this is what I'm starting off with. Seems like a lot, but I'm alone in a foreign country, and I hear that you can experience all 4 seasons in one day in New Zealand - so I definitely had to be prepared. My support system is in another part of the world, so there's me to depend on.

As I post this, I also want to shoot out a big thanks to those who have donated items to me for use on my trek:

Kevin at U.S. Tactical Supply in Albany, OR for the rugged and durable pack. Might be heavier than my other but there is no doubt in my mind that it won't fall apart on me. Eberlestock makes quality gear and I'm happy to be trying it out.

Thanks to Aqua Mira for donating water purification products for my use. A well known company willing to send their product to me for use to keep my drinking water safe.

Thanks to Clearly Filtered also, for providing water filtration products to my family and to me. I drank nasty barracks water and water out camping from streams and rivers without fear. I will continue using their products on my trek as well for water purification.

Thanks to Richard at Datrex up in the Seattle, WA area for providing an Ocean Signal PLB1 at a discounted price. I know it gives my family peace of mind to have a personal locator beacon on me in case of emergency. It is a great comfort to me as well.

Thanks to Paqlite, providing easily renewable light sources to my family. My mother passed some along to me for use in the dark.

Thanks to family for helping me get the last of the gear together to get ready for this trek. Couldn't appreciate it more!




Gear List

Basics:
=Eberlestock Terminator 67L pack (4100 ci)
=Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 tent
=REI Women’s Flash Sleeping bag (long)

=REI Flash Inflatable sleeping mat (long)

=Cocoon inflatable travel pillow
=2 8L sea to summit stuff sacks (for clothing and sleeping bag)
=Black Diamond Carbon fiber cork trekking poles

Cooking and Water:
=1 Power Pot with attachments
=1 180 stove
=Flint/steel
=Waterproof matches
=2 Platypus 2L bottles

=1 Camelbak bladder (100oz)
=Clearly Filtered purifying straws (back up water purification method)
=Aqua Mira drops (for main purification method)

=Aqua Mira filter
=1 aqua mira water bottle
=Ozarks brand silverware/kit

Clothing:
=2 pair Dr. Scholl’s diabetes/circulation socks
=2 pair Exofficio underwear
=2 Under Armour heat gear sonic reversible sports bras
=1 pair REI convertible Sahara khaki pants

=1 pair North Face Horizon Tempest convertible pants
=2 heat gear Under Armour fitted short sleeve tees

=1 cold gear Under Armour fitted long sleeve base layer
=1 military Gen III mid-weight top
=1 military Gen III mid-weight bottom
=1 REI Rainwall jacket
=1 Columbia Storm Surge rain pants
=1 Under Armour Ridgeline Trail Runner Offroad shoes
=Outdoor Research Women’s Rocky Mountain High Gaiters
=1 pair Cabela’s Wind Force Convertible Gloves (fleece mittens)
=1 knit beanie cap
=1 Spec-Ops baclava
=1 pair flip-flops (camp shoes)
=1 extra pair of shoe laces

Personal Care:

=Hair ties

=Folding brush with mirror in handle

=Camp soap
=Sunscreen
=Toilet paper

=Travel folding toothbrush and travel size toothpaste

=Personal medications
=1 P-style in case

Navigation and Safety:
=1 compass
=Trail guide book and maps
=1 Magellan GPS and user guide
=1 homemade first aid kit (gauze, medical tape, band-aids, ace wraps, anti-diarrheal, Pepto, hydrocortisone cream, triple antibiotic, snake bite kit, etc.)
=1 Heatsheets emergency blanket
=Military grade paracord
=2 paracord bracelets (1 from CRKT with saw inside)
=Ocean Signal PLB1

Other:

=1 notebook and pen
=1 plastic spade
=1 Gerber multi-tool
=1 headlamp
=2 Paqlite products
=4 bandanas (for cleaning, personal hygiene, sweat band, etc.)
=Iphone 4 with Lifeproof case

=Camera

App test

The day is drawing near. Less than 3 weeks from now I will be in New Zealand. I will be posting from my phone if my wi-fi plan goes without a hitch, just the way I am posting now. 

It's not real yet. I know I am out of the Army but I still kinda feel like I am just on leave. I thought the drive from Texas to Oregon would be the thing to make it hit me. That wasn't the case. Perhaps when I get to the airport with my pack in hand and I fly out it will hit me then. Maybe when I land in a foreign country. Or maybe on the bus to my start point. Hopefully by the time I get started on the trail I will know. 

So this is the test post. Just getting all the last minute plans put together to make the trip the most successful one it can be. Wish me luck as I finalize everything!

Counting Down...

So there it is... 2 months after ordering it, I have finally received my trail guide. This is the only one I could find in all my searching and I had to special order it from Mighty Ape in New Zealand and wait 2 months for the order to go through. Maybe I'll write the next guide book, publish it in the U.S. I've always wanted to write a book. Perhaps this will be the inspiration.

I've just about gotten all my equipment. Just down to a few clothing items left to buy. 15 working days left until I'm done with the military, a trip home for 3 weeks, and then on to what could be the biggest adventure of my life! Today, when I started to look through the guidebook that I had finally gotten in the post, it really began to hit me. I could show people what it was I wanted to do and it became even more tangible to me. In less than 2 months I will be in a foreign country walking all day every day, camping out, weathering the elements, seeing the wild outdoors... I won't have to put my hair in a bun, or wear a uniform. I won't have to answer my phone or report anywhere by a certain time. I will be about as free as a person can be!

I will likely lose touch with many of you while I'm gone and my phone will be disconnected. I will do everything I can to keep up with this blog whenever I can get Wi-Fi, and post pictures of my journey along the way. As I post, feel free to check out the Te Araroa website or Google photos to see where I am in my trek... I'd love to know that my friends and family are following my journey from a distance!

Keep calm and happy trails!

The Seed

An idea begins the journey that could be the adventure of a lifetime... The idea? To hike the entirety of New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail, 3000 km through volcanic country, the Southern Alps, coastlines, forest/jungle area, etc. I have made the decision to do it when I get out of the military. But how did I reach this crazy decision?

After deployment, I set out to find out who I really was. What kind of music did I like? What were my interests? My hobbies? What kind of person did I want to be? So with that, I began testing things out, to finally find the real me.

I found, in my experimentation of self, that I love hiking. If I didn't have to drive an hour to get to a state park with trails to keep me occupied all day, I'd go all the time. I love the feeling of the wilderness, the birds chirping and water flowing, instead of the sound of tires on the road and people in and out of their rooms. I like the stillness, the way you can breathe hard after a tough climb and have that be the only sound in your ears. I enjoy the time to think. That's the crazy one, because I know I'm with myself all day and thinking all day, but the moment I try to recall what I was thinking... nothing. There's something beautiful about that too. Taking pleasure in God's creation and getting away from the cell phone, the work calls, the Internet. All that in a hike is enough to make me happy - in a way I've never been happy before.

So I began to learn more about hiking. Luckily, I was moved in my job in the Army and found some like-minded people who loved the outdoors. They were a sounding board for me to ask my questions. They were the experienced ones who provided me with information about what to buy, where to shop, the culture that goes with hiking and camping. God truly blessed me with the resources to go with the new-found passion.

My former NCO, is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail on her own. She got out of the Army and about a month later, she was on her way. She inspired me. I have done the research, looked at blogs, books, websites, etc. to find out more about it. I wanted to take a hike like that myself when I got out. But my dates were all wrong... I would be getting out in October. That's the wrong season for thru-hiking in the U.S. So as much as I wanted to, I was going to have to stick with my original plan of moving overseas. That's all the adventure I would get. Or maybe live in the U.S. in an outdoorsy kind of state, like Colorado. I was waiting for God to lead me one way or the other.

Nothing was happening. I didn't feel particularly pulled in either direction. Colorado or Australia - both perfectly viable options. I'd had this problem once before, my senior year of college. I was waiting on some sign from God and it never seemed to arrive. Back then, someone helped me realize I had to move for the Lord to guide me. I'd get a feeling, things would work out or they wouldn't. That would be his guiding hand pushing. I'd forgotten that lesson until this past week.

So I finally decided to MOVE. I chose to do something. I began to look at getting a work visa, for Australia or New Zealand. I was going to get the ball rolling. I realized it was going to be harder than I thought. And it might not happen. God was putting up a wall. I could feel that despite my desire for adventure and change, this route I'd talked about wasn't what he had in mind. Then somehow, I came across the website for the Te Araroa Trail. It happened just a few hours ago, and I have already forgotten how I got to the initial site. And instantly my passion was ignited... It's Spring in New Zealand right now! I could get out in October, do my thru-hike and not worry about the season! I could do that for 4-6 months, then come back to the States with my wanderlust satiated for a time. Then I could find another job. And maybe with a thru-hike under my belt, I could find a job related to this new-found love for hiking and camping.

It feels right. The moment I saw the Te Araroa Trail, I was motivated and driven again. That's how the Army was for me, 4 years ago. I was suddenly struck with the idea, I researched it, and it felt right. I later justified it by telling people about the money and education benefits. But I really joined because my gut said that was right. And I know to recognize that feeling now as God pulling me to stop and saying, "Look at that option again. That's what I want for you."

The gut feeling has come again. I WANT it. I've begun researching, reading blogs, ordering trail guides, thinking about equipment, etc. So the seed has been planted by God. Just as seemingly random as the Army was, so comes this trek. I remember, when I was younger, I told people that when I grew up I wanted to walk across the United States. I told people I wanted to be a doctor. So God got me into the Army, where I became a medic. And now he's pulling me to a long trek across the gorgeous country of New Zealand. Some dreams we have as children re-invent themselves later in adulthood, nurtured by the Lord for the right time to grow.

The seed...