how do these things happen??
friday... said goodbye to cameron, the first of this hut warden crew to retire... i hate how many goodbyes you have to say when you're travelling, but cam's from BC so i feel like it wouldn't be outrageous to expect that we might run into each other again... got back into the mountains early afternoon after a hectic couple of days off and just chilled with the hutties that rolled in.
saturday... skies looked pretty promising when i woke up, so i decided it would be a good day to head for the tops... set about getting ready as quickly as possible and it started snowing about 10 min later. yes, snowing. but fresh snow on the craters, etc looked really cool so i grabbed my camera and set out. wasn't sure how far i'd make it because it was still snowing and blowing pretty hard but there were also gaps between the clouds racing by with these great views... so i climbed up to south crater, and then up to the tongariro junction, and then up to the top of red crater... the wind was really picking up, so i decided to turn back from there, after i got just a few more photos... and then bam! the clouds closed in and i was hunkering down next to the ground and a million tiny chunks of ice were stinging my face... there was no way i could walk back along the ridge so i tried a bear crawl on hands and feet... then i was on hands and knees... and for a bit i was army-crawling on my elbows... the wind was so strong! so i headed down and it didn't take 10 minutes until i started running into daywalkers heading up, some well-equipped and some in jeans and runners... crazy fools. so i was heading back to the hut... talking to people about the conditions... about halfway back to the hut i suddenly stop in my tracks. maybe 20 feet in front of me, just down the track... i know those faces... "declan hanley! and donal! what the hell are you doing here?"
it took a minute to compute, but it was two lads that i worked with in dublin. but i left there over a year and a half ago, and i haven't kept in touch with any workmates... unbelievable. and not just two guys from the office... i probably worked with declan more than anyone else that year, and donal sat right behind me... but there they were. in new zealand. on the tongariro crossing. in shorts and runners... we had a quick chat... mostly comprised of alternating "i can't believe this" and speechless head shaking... but we were all freezing so we agreed to meet up later. their shuttle had been cancelled because of the weather, but they had seen the carpark sign driving up the road and decided to check it out... and then just kept walking... so had no transport at the other end... so i took their keys and one of their mobiles and walked back. they rang when they got near the other end, i walked out to the carpark and drove around and picked them up from the other end, and we headed into the village to catch up over a beer and a burger.
they both quit mercer as well, to go travelling... but then got an email while in vietnam about some contract work for mercer in auckland... so have been living the life for the past couple months... a sweet corporate apartment, working for hourly contractors wages, converting schemes to mercer's valuation software... anyway...
so we have a burger, and a couple of beers... i take evening radio call from the parking lot so i have the weather report, etc when i get back to the hut... but then they're meeting up with the other 8 who also drove down and had their shuttle cancelled, but actually took the advice and didn't do it... so they go gloat to the rest of the crew and we have a few more beers... anyway, long story short they finally kick us out about 1a so they can close... and no one is going to drive me back at this point, so i can stumble back to the hut in the middle of the night... so i crash with the lads and set my alarm to get up early and greet my hutties first thing in the morning. in the morning, all is going well, i'm out the door in plenty of time, driving myself to the park. will sort out the hut then come back for the lads at a more reasonable hour... i get around the parking lot, up a little rise... and the car sputters and then dies. and won't start again. donal gives it a shot... we try push-starting it. dead. so i end up just going back to bed and donal gets the car started a couple hours later (diagnosis: flooded) and i finally make it back to the hut about 11a on sunday.
seriously, though, how many dimensions of fate have to align for that to happen??
not surprisingly, the rest of my week in the park was pretty uneventful. the rain stopped for a few hours on monday afternoon but otherwise it was about 3 days spent holed up in the wardens quarters, reading, napping, etc...
saturday... skies looked pretty promising when i woke up, so i decided it would be a good day to head for the tops... set about getting ready as quickly as possible and it started snowing about 10 min later. yes, snowing. but fresh snow on the craters, etc looked really cool so i grabbed my camera and set out. wasn't sure how far i'd make it because it was still snowing and blowing pretty hard but there were also gaps between the clouds racing by with these great views... so i climbed up to south crater, and then up to the tongariro junction, and then up to the top of red crater... the wind was really picking up, so i decided to turn back from there, after i got just a few more photos... and then bam! the clouds closed in and i was hunkering down next to the ground and a million tiny chunks of ice were stinging my face... there was no way i could walk back along the ridge so i tried a bear crawl on hands and feet... then i was on hands and knees... and for a bit i was army-crawling on my elbows... the wind was so strong! so i headed down and it didn't take 10 minutes until i started running into daywalkers heading up, some well-equipped and some in jeans and runners... crazy fools. so i was heading back to the hut... talking to people about the conditions... about halfway back to the hut i suddenly stop in my tracks. maybe 20 feet in front of me, just down the track... i know those faces... "declan hanley! and donal! what the hell are you doing here?"
it took a minute to compute, but it was two lads that i worked with in dublin. but i left there over a year and a half ago, and i haven't kept in touch with any workmates... unbelievable. and not just two guys from the office... i probably worked with declan more than anyone else that year, and donal sat right behind me... but there they were. in new zealand. on the tongariro crossing. in shorts and runners... we had a quick chat... mostly comprised of alternating "i can't believe this" and speechless head shaking... but we were all freezing so we agreed to meet up later. their shuttle had been cancelled because of the weather, but they had seen the carpark sign driving up the road and decided to check it out... and then just kept walking... so had no transport at the other end... so i took their keys and one of their mobiles and walked back. they rang when they got near the other end, i walked out to the carpark and drove around and picked them up from the other end, and we headed into the village to catch up over a beer and a burger.
they both quit mercer as well, to go travelling... but then got an email while in vietnam about some contract work for mercer in auckland... so have been living the life for the past couple months... a sweet corporate apartment, working for hourly contractors wages, converting schemes to mercer's valuation software... anyway...
so we have a burger, and a couple of beers... i take evening radio call from the parking lot so i have the weather report, etc when i get back to the hut... but then they're meeting up with the other 8 who also drove down and had their shuttle cancelled, but actually took the advice and didn't do it... so they go gloat to the rest of the crew and we have a few more beers... anyway, long story short they finally kick us out about 1a so they can close... and no one is going to drive me back at this point, so i can stumble back to the hut in the middle of the night... so i crash with the lads and set my alarm to get up early and greet my hutties first thing in the morning. in the morning, all is going well, i'm out the door in plenty of time, driving myself to the park. will sort out the hut then come back for the lads at a more reasonable hour... i get around the parking lot, up a little rise... and the car sputters and then dies. and won't start again. donal gives it a shot... we try push-starting it. dead. so i end up just going back to bed and donal gets the car started a couple hours later (diagnosis: flooded) and i finally make it back to the hut about 11a on sunday.
seriously, though, how many dimensions of fate have to align for that to happen??
not surprisingly, the rest of my week in the park was pretty uneventful. the rain stopped for a few hours on monday afternoon but otherwise it was about 3 days spent holed up in the wardens quarters, reading, napping, etc...
posted by bethany @ 3:17 PM
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