Day 37: Lake Ohau to Ahuriri River free camp

30.5km, 10.5 hours.

A 30km day when you're not in the mood for it is a long day. So much so it took me ten and a half hours. I just really wasn't feeling it. Even when i was packing my tent up in the morning I just wished I could have lied in it for so much longer but i know I'm waking up naturally between 530am and 6am that a sleep in just wouldn't happen.

I got up and out of my tent before 6am to go wander to the bathroom. For the first time the sunrise was just so lovely. It was so still, not a drop of wind, the sun was coming up over the mountains and there was pink appearing in the few clouds that were about. No one was awake it was all so peaceful. So peaceful in fact that even though I was busting to go to the toilet I decided I'd just wander back down to the lake and watch the sun come up before making my way back to the toilet.

It's become a joke in our group that I'll say 'i met....' or 'i had a chat to....' and then the guys will always go 'noooo, really?! You had a chat to someone?!'. But last night as i was cleaning my pot and spork and older man and what looked like his grandson were out for a ride. I stopped and chatted to them for such a long time. The man has been coming to Lake Ohau every year of his life and they caravan beside the lake. His grandson in year four was now continuing the tradition and had great delight at telling me all the cool places to ride and do jumps around here. There's something about Kiwis, they're just always so friendly, never in any rush and always willing to chat!

Today's hike involved another 900m accent and apart from that part i was glad to be getting back up in the mountains again. Of course the first 5 kilometers today were along side the lake by the road and when i looked at the map they were the most unnecessary 5kms when it just loops you back to the valley above where we camped. I got a glimpse of Aoraki/Mt Cook in the morning across the lake and then started the climb up. After an hour walking in the sun i was already done. I'd had a slight headache and stopped to add an electrolyte sachet which contains caffeine into my drink bottle. We discovered these in Twizel and I'm excited for them not really knowing if it does anything different. I was dosed up on coffee, Panadol, ibuprofen and caffeine electrolytes figuring surely that combination would give me the energy to climb the mountain. It didn't. It was an absolute struggle. I was so torn between getting so frustrated and wanting to just stop and rest all the time, and looking around at the jagged mountains, tussocks and spear grass with a stream through it just being amazed and wanting to keep going because the scenery was just so beautiful.

This is the first day where it's been a real mental challenge for me. I kept telling myself it's all in your head and to not let the negative thoughts or the why are you doing this thoughts creep in. I'd then remind myself that at that point I'd walked 850+km in 37 days with only 2 days off so of course I'm going to have an off day and feel tired at some point. I still found reason to smile.

I kept going, trying to just enjoy where i was, psyching myself up to reach the top of the saddle because there's always a guarantee of good views. This time there wasn't. It just plateaued out with mountains around. By then I just gave up, found a rock and pulled out my lunch. My shirt was soaked with sweat so off that came to dry in the sun. Now freezing i popped my down jacket on. It's really hard to have a bad day and wallow in self pity when you're in such a stunning location. I think that even annoyed me more.

Another thing that's not helping my situation - Thru-hike hunger has hit me so bad but nothing satisfies. I forced myself to eat my chicken, hummus, cheese and corn chip wrap but made myself a peanut butter, mixed roasted nuts and rum & raisin dark chocolate one too because that's what I was really after. Even took the time to make myself a hot chocolate in an attempt to give me some sugar.

After a long break, and by then Ivan and Sam had caught up (all 3 of us were struggling today) we continued on down the valley dropping steeply alongside a river but with towering mountains of scree alongside. There's never anywhere secretive to go toilet in these valleys and i couldn't hold on any more. I just waited until Sam had passed and told him not to look back. I wait for him to be some distance away and then go about my business. I can not even script this, as i was squatting down a small plane comes flying over the valley. I hadn't seen a plane for days!?!!! Why now of all times. It just added to today's woes.

It was Australia Day so i put on an Aussie mix playlist in the hope it would cheer me up and get me moving. By now I'd been walking for 7.5 hours and id managed so many creek crossings without getting wet feet. Some feat on the TA. I came across one side stream coming off fast down the side of the mountain. I put one foot on the one rock half out of the water and then you know when you put your foot down but almost immediately know it's a mistake, i put my foot on a rock that just looked slippery. Sure enough within an instant my legs were out from under me and i was now lying in a stream like an upside down stuck turtle. I was on my back but because of my bag i couldn't get up, the rocks were all so slippery I couldn't even get a grip to be able to get up. I ended up having to do a roll over in the stream to get out. I was not impressed. Luckily hurt nothing but my ego and was totally fine. I was absolutely soaked so off came the shirt again and I carrabina'd it to my pack to dry off. My other clothes were in a dry bag at the bottom of my pack and I couldn't be bothered getting it out so continued walking in wet pants and undies and just my bra. Cue chaffing.

I ended up catching up to Ivan and Sam again and we ended up sitting having another break for an hour all getting out our lollies to try get a sugar hit. That escalated quickly into throwing lollies at each other to see who can catch them in their mouths. These guys knew i was having a bad day and in a bid to cheer me up were being absolute jerks. Like the most annoying younger brothers. I'd get so frustrated and they knew there was nothing i could do to stop them.

We contemplated just setting up our tents in the valley then and there but we decided we better keep moving on as Laura, Conny and David were probably already at camp and had eaten dinner hours ago.

Apart from a few more uphills the track disappeared into a swamp land and all these overland flow paths. The greatest end. Cue more frustration!

Finally after 10 and a half hours we come to the steep bank of the Ahariri River and see David and Ivan on the other side waving us down because there was no way we could spot where theyd set up camp.

With a good decent river crossing we made it to where the others had chosen to camp. I was so relieved. I just wanted to go straight to bed but had to cook dinner, amongst being absolutely ritoculed for anything and everything by all the boys. Who seem to have decided to just pay me out until I'm at my wits end. David the only nice one of the three just looked at me and all he said was 'chocolate?' and that was the nicest word anyone had said all day and his gesture almost made me burst into tears. I was done.

As we were all sitting there cooking we hear what sounded like rocks falling and sure enough the cliffs where we are camping are just falling away with a little landslide. Am not camping close to the cliffs tonight just out in the open. Again it feels like I'm on Survivor with it only us around and the boys offering to go do the long walk to the river for water. And right now as I write this in my tent I'm hearing yet another landslide. Might be time to put my earplugs in and just hope for the best throughout the night.

Ren x