I trekked for twelve hours on Day 2, with stops of course. But it was all worth it. It’s hard to describe but I am going to do my best.
The first two hours were in total darkness. I used my headlamp to guide me across the track. I wanted to get above the treeline to see the sunrise. And I had to book if it was going to happen. I got into a rhythm at one point. I would slug it up some distance and stop and take 10 long deep breaths and then start again.
There was a point in which I could see the light sneaking over the horizon. And that pushed me even harder. I didn’t think I would reach it in time but the trees broke quite unexpectedly and I made it with 5 minutes to spare. It was a good moment. I ate an apple and planned to take some rest before moving on.
But then I got an unexpected surprise. A kea is a bird, an alpine parrot to be exact. And it’s the only parrot of it’s kind. It probably twice or three times as large as most parrots we know. And it came flying in yelling its head off. I was startled because I was interrupted in the middle of such a quiet moment.
The birds were all over the hut when I reached it maybe 25 minutes later. There were some children out there and they were playing with them. They call them “The Clever Clowns of The Alps” and for good reason. One ranger described them as having the intelligence level of a 4-year-old child. They will try to trick walkers in an attempt to get their food and they are sometimes successful.
I continued on towards Mount Luxmore, the highest point on the track. It was uphill but less so than the morning. I can’t describe it in words so I will just show you pictures.
I befriended an American couple on my way up and we waited out the clouds at the summit together. So we got to chat quite a bit. After about thirty minutes the clouds cleared and we got some of the most dramatic views. We’re all clicking pictures and then they ask me to take a video of them.
All of a sudden the guy pulls out a ring and asks this girl to marry him. She’s going full cry and here I am filming their engagement on the top of a damn mountain. I was shocked once again. Here I am, having met these people within the last hour, filming one of the most important moments of their lives. Something I hope they enjoy for a very long time.
The rest of the walk was over the top of the mountains. Just along the ridge line. Again the views were amazing.
Eventually, I had to go down the other side and the drop was steep. I prefer going uphill because it’s purely about physical condition. Going downhill is hard on the body, especially with a pack on. And at this point, my body had been walking for 8 or 9 hours.
I made it to Iris Burn though and the hut was situated in such a nice place. Right in the valley of the mountains. I stretched, I ate, I played a few games of cards, and I went to bed. I was utterly exhausted.