The post-college TransAm ride was fantastic. I can probably squeeze a few months of fun in between grad school and the start of my career.
I've always rather hoped that the timing of my thesis defense would align with the start times for one of the major US trails (AT/PCT/CDT), but go figure, I'm finishing up in the middle of winter. Fortunately, I've also spent enough time day dreaming on backpacking forums and flipping through National Geographic albums that I've heard about the Te Araroa - perhaps one of the most awesome sounding, up-and-coming long trails in the world. Though the 3000km New Zealand trail only officially opened in 2011, it's been getting a ton of publicity and has seen exponential growth in the number of folks attempting it every year. Lucky for me, November-March are the prime months for hiking the TA.
For a number of reasons, I've decided to stick to the South Island portion of the TA (1. I would like some time to visit my family, 2. I do need to get a real job someday, 3. 1300km seems sufficiently difficult, 4. A ton of road walking on the North Island doesn't appeal to me, 5. Cost, 6. Visas are less of a hassle for trips under three months). The southern half is supposed to have a much better alpine/wilderness feel, slightly better trail marking, higher visitation, a larger proportion of protected lands, and some phenomenal scenery. It's also likely to kick my butt 100 different ways.
So, why would I want to spend 60-70 days going over terrain that can be more grueling than the CDT, walking in and out of rivers multiple times a day, destroying my feet, being eaten alive by sandflies, and dealing with the emotional/psychological terrors that are always a factor in a long hike? Well, I do like a good challenge, but there's more to my decision than that. I've always wanted to attempt a long trail. I probably don't need to explain to you just how much I enjoy being outside, and I don't think I'm capable of describing how amazing it is to fall into a rhythm where all you have to do is wake up, trek through an incredible place, eat a ton, collapse, and repeat. Yeah, there's a pretty decent chance that I won't be able to complete the entire thing. That's ok, and that's something that I'll deal with if/when I must.
So, here's the current plan: I'll head to NZ sometime in Mid-December; I'll spend a couple of days arranging food drops, sending bounce boxes, buying a DOC Hut Pass, swapping my phone to a local carrier's (Spark maybe) SIM, recovering from jet lag, and a gazillion other important little bits and pieces; and then, I'll head out on the 800 mile SI portion of the TA. I expect it will take me 60-70 days to hike, and I'll likely want at least a couple of zero days, too. My (in progress) Gear List is located here. It's currently running right around 15lb without food and water, which is almost exactly where I want it to be. I'm furiously trying to make sure that I won't have to carry more than 30lb or so along the TA.
There are two big things that I'll need to figure out before arranging flights: (1) When can I head out of Wisconsin? and (2) In which direction should I hike? I was originally planning on hiking NOBO from Bluff so that I could break in my trail legs more gradually, but the trail notes will be easier to follow SOBO, and I can't get great predictions on the weather with El Nino mucking about. The next true phase of planning will require me to sit down with the DOC/TA Trust Track Notes and plan a rough day-to-day itinerary and all of my resupplies. There are around 4-5 places on the South Island that require a bit of logistical legwork to get a good batch of trail food to a convenient place. The TA Trust is updating the last of this year's route changes right now, and they expect to post the full notes early next week.
Once the route planning is taken care of, there won't be much more that I absolutely have to do before setting off. Almost all of my gear is purchased, though I'm still debating what kind of rain gear my lower half will need. I'll also have to pony up some funds for a Personal Locator Beacon in the hopes that my dear mother and lovely fiancee will be able to get some sleep while I'm off tramping (kiwispeak for rugged hiking, which is performed on "tracks" rather than "trails").
All in all, I'm incredibly excited. I'll probably post a few more times during the planning phase, as my gear list gets adjusted and as I plot out each camp and resupply. Please let me know if you have any questions or tips regarding the hike; I'd be happy to chat about my plan!!
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