Hiking Mt Doom - New Zealand
There were two activities on my list for the North Island of New Zealand, biking the Timber Trail and hiking Mt Doom. The real name is Mount Ruapehu, but it was dubbed Mt Doom because it was used as the setting for Lord of the Rings. The hike is a oneway excursion covering 13 miles. We arrived at the ending point to park the car and had a shuttle take us to the beginning. The day before this hike we biked the Timber Trail and the temperature was in the mid 80s. I dressed accordingly, and was wrong, the shorts and short sleeved shirt was a mistake.
A park ranger was posted at the beginning warning hikers that it was very windy at the top and visibility was low. We thought he was just saying it to scare off people that were inexperienced hikers. My brother, uncle, and I decided to continue on, because we only had this day to complete the hike. As we made our way back the trail there was a sign that showed two scenes, if the sky looked like the right picture - go, if the sky looked like the left picture - bad idea. We decided the current conditions were in the middle, if you think we were ignoring the signs, you’d be correct. Others must have decided the same, because we were not alone in trudging on.
Part way up the climb the saddle, my uncle decided he was turning around and heading back to the starting point. From there he would try to find a ride to the car, while my brother and I continued on to conquer “doom.” The train meandered up the mountain and as it did the winds got more fierce. Before we parted ways, I asked my uncle for his rain pants, and it was a good idea. The temps weren’t cold, but the wind was high and with the rain it was stinging my legs. For the entire way across the saddle the visibility was terrible. I think we could see 5 ft in front of us at points.
Once we crossed the flat saddle part, we began to descend the scree. One guy was wearing white sneakers and running and sliding down the hill, I hope he liked his new grey sneakers. I brought hiking poles, so we each took one to help stabilize our way down the loose gravel. After that section the trail wound around as we descended through some vegetation and along a stream for a section. There were also several stair sections. The rain began to subside and the winds died down, so I could peel off the baggy pants.
As we made our way down the trail flattened out. We passed the small parking area and walked the edge of the dirt road towards where our car was parked. Once we located the car in the parking lot across the main road, we saw my uncle sitting in the car reading. We snuck up and tried to scare him, didn’t really work but was fun to try.
As things would go, the afternoon cleared up and by the evening the skies were completely clear. From our lodge for the night we could see Mt Doom in all of its glory. We took a drive to get closer and see what views we missed earlier in the day. Its a great hike, but probably even better if the skies are clear. We walked right by emerald colored lakes and didn’t even know it.
