Tongario Crossing and Mt. Doom

Doing the crossing was great in general and a really special experience for me, because i never before, was no near to a volcano, or in a so different nature from the European, also i can’t remember when i pushed myself to my so far to my physical limit. The day begun very early, as i was getting up at 4:45 to get the bus at 5:30 that would drive to the beginning of the walk, i arrived there around seven. Sadly i had to hurry on the end of the way because the last bus goes at 16:30 and if you do Mt. Doom (it’s name is Mt. Ngauruhoe originally)Β , that time frame is not that big. (All on Wednesday)

This Picture is made out of the Bus, but the Mountains on the other side just looked beautiful, i think it was the firstΒ time i saw them this clear :).
So i finally arrived there, it was still very cold and it was very busy at the bus stop.As i took my first steps on the track i got this awesome view of the area surrounding me :), the Sun was just over Mt. Doom
Don’t know what Mountain that is, but it looked awesome :D.The first glimpse of the now closer Mt. Doom, still with the sun next to it.
Here you see the way you have to take and the mountains that are in front of you.
A look back on the way i took (i think, i’m not sure)Me looking awkward in front of the Soda Springs
A look aside to the mountains you’re passing πŸ™‚After you’ve gone up a little bit and you’re in front of the Devils Staircase, you get this awesome view back at the land πŸ˜€
After you passed the Devils Staircase, sadly don’t find the picture i took of that :(, you have Mt. Doom right in front of you, its almost 2300 Meters high and you still have to go up 600 of them if you want to get to the top.As Mt. Doom really isn’t that easy to climb and i was already a little tiered of walking after the devils staircase, partly because I’m not in form and partly because i took to much stuff (food) with me and because my big travel backpack is also heavy, i really wasn’t sure if i should to this.
I decided to do it after all, don’t knowing if i ever get another chance, and because i simply could turn around if it would become to much. I put the Lord of the Rings soundtrack on and mixed it with “Gonna Fly Now” (The Rocky Music(Creed i blame you for that(still want to write something about that movie))) now and than πŸ˜€On my way up i got this cool view of the surrounding Mountains.
Finally arriving at the top, while “Gonna fly know was perfectly kicking in :D, i got this awesome view πŸ™‚Standing on the edge of the crater (lyrics from the song i had to think of when i looked down (it’s Mike Oldfield – Nuclear)
Shirley in front of the crater, tired as ever, but she looked how my legs where feeling after this πŸ˜€A look to th other side of the mountain.
A look down this surreal landscape.πŸ˜€
As clouds passed through I now and then got i glimpse of the nature surrounding me.A look down the way i would be going, the fact that you couldn’t see the ground, because it was cloudy made it especially scary.
At Mt. Doom there is, logically because it’s a volcano, volcano ashes and lots of little stones, walking up wasn’t easy because of that, but walking down was even worse, because you constantly slided down the mountain, never knowing when the ground would change, so that you could fall.Β Finally at the Ground again, now 600 meters lower than shortly before.
The way looked cool with all the Steam going up from the heated ground.A look back at Mt. Doom from the next point a little bit higher, i couldn’t believe i just was up there, the mountain looked so impressive and it felt crazy that i was there and gone again so fast.
It really felt crazy.These Mountains just looked cool πŸ™‚
Panorama of the way ahead, you also see the crystal lakes.The lakes look fantastic, but smell like rotten eggs, because of the sulfur of the volcano.
Now you see the Blue Lake, which looks cool and doesn’t smell πŸ˜€
Again a look back and again that crazy feeling.
looking in all ways and having Shirley with me πŸ™‚
A look at the way down, the lake you in front is not lake Taupo, but you can see a small blue area in the upper right, thats lake Taupo.These Mountains just looked sooo different from all I knew from Europe.

Some more cool views down the way.This picture is just randomly taken out of the bus, because i needed a good and. It was a really beautiful, challenging trip, but the nature i could see was so rewarding, i would do it again anytime.

 

PS: Yes i know i used “a look” far to often…

2 thoughts on “Tongario Crossing and Mt. Doom

  1. absolutely breathtaking! great pics, great view Paul! That’s really something we unfortunately missed in NZ! Have to do it next time.

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