Date: 2003-02-19
To: We are 3 German Girls - Hiking the Heaphy Track
Miles today: 0.0

We are Three German GirlsI chose the Heaphy Track, which is one of the Great Walks, and the Queen Charlotte Track, an official Walkway, for my New Zealand shakedown hikes. I decided to push myself on these hikes to get an idea of how many hours I could hike each day and how many miles I could cover, so that I could plan out my Appalachian Trail schedule. I hiked the 51-mile Heaphy Track in 48 hours. The grades were gradual in comparison to the AT, but the rocky path and constant attention to footing was very similar to the AT, as was the constant zigzagging in an effort to avoid the deepest puddles. The Heaphy Track, located in the Kahurangi National Park, passes through four distinct types of terrain, most of it with a tropical feel: (1) red beech tree forest; (2) podocarp forest with a dense undergrowth of ferns and moss, a canopy of hardwood trees, and creepers covering the trunks; (3) wide expanses of rolling tussock downs broken by patches of small beech and pine trees; and (4) limestone caves, rocks and arches carpeted by thick moss and beech trees. Most of the rivers and streams were stained red with tannin, and many were crossed via high swing bridges that sway precariously as you make your way over the water. I arrived at the Heaphy Track trailhead on a Sunday via shuttle. Actually, I arrived via a 7-hour train, a 2-hour bus, then a 4-hour shuttle ride involving 3 vehicle changes. I began hiking at 11:00am, traveling through the Aoerere Valley (pronounced "Oh Really?" as by someone who can¢t say the letter "L") and was soon passed by the other 7 people who were on my shuttle. Throughout the afternoon, I slowly re-passed them as they stopped at huts for the night and I pressed on. My favorite hiking guy that day was Marcus, a German kid who hiked really fast, but stopped often to take his shirt off and smoke Marlboro Reds. That guy had his yin yang balanced. After 18.6 miles, I arrived at the Saxon Hut around 8:30pm, where I was greeted by an old German man, a young German man, and a German girl. They were a quiet group that seemed to be traveling together, but it was unclear. My eyes were glazed over with exhaustion, but I did notice that the young German guy was wearing a black suede suit, a white button-down shirt and tie, suspenders, and a large black cowboy-looking hat. (The next day I noticed that all he carried was a stick with a few plastic bags tied to the end of it.) I proffered what I thought was a friendly, information-encouraging comment that he was dressed a bit formally and they all giggled, but no explanation was forth coming. I ate a bagel and went to sleep. On Monday, Day 2, I woke up to the sound of rain. I hit the trail at 8:00am and traveled 22.1 miles in the pouring rain and driving wind. The trail was one big muddy river. After 20 minutes, I stopped trying to keep my feet dry and just tramped right through the water. I thought of many reasons not to hike the AT that day. The Saxon Hut Germans left after me but caught up with me at the next hut. Most people stayed in their huts that day, but the Germans and I soldiered on. I stopped in at 3 huts during the day, put food in my pocket to eat as I walked, wrung out my socks, and traded sets of Germans. Apparently, the whole lot of them are fast and hardy, but not big on mileage goals. My third set of Germans ended up at the Heaphy Hut with me that night. My favorite was the smoking girl who looked like Katarina Witt with blonde hair and announced that "We are three German girls" when I asked whom she was traveling with. She thought the guy in the suspenders was odd, too.   The Heaphy Hut was located right where the freshwater Heaphy River runs into the Tasman Sea, and I¢m sure it was beautiful in the sunshine. The Heaphy Hut Germans were all impressed that I had come such a long way in 2 days, since they had all passed me on the trail that day and knew how slow I am, and asked me how I did it. I think I muttered something about a tortoise and stared blankly into the fire. Which brings me to the other American at the Heaphy Hut: Yoga Man. Yoga Man was having by far the best time of anyone I met in 2 days because he had waited out the rainstorm all day in the Heaphy Hut, gathering firewood, reading his book, and doing yoga. Yoga Man quit his high paying job as a computer programmer in San Francisco a few years ago and went to work at a yoga retreat on the big island of Hawaii. I was not surprised to discover that Yoga Man was a friend of Marcus, the shirtless smoking German.On Day 3, I got up at some unreasonable hour and hiked 10.3 miles along the sea, running the last mile to make the end of the trail by 11:00am to meet the 48-hour deadline I arbitrarily imposed upon myself that morning. It was grand. The clouds were rolling by swiftly, and it rained lightly in between snatches of brilliant morning sunshine. The track ran through some stunning scenery: palm trees and huge ferns mixed with beech trees, every so often opening onto the rocky beach coves of the Tasman Sea. At a shelter near the end of the track, I was greeted by an abnormally large peacock that snuck up behind me and scared the bejesus out of me when I turned around. I screamed like a six-year-old girl child. The peacock was not at all phased and proceeded to aggressively petition me for a handout.   I¢ve been afraid of large birds since I was nipped on the behind by a goose at the age of six at my relatives¢ farm in Texas. I¢ve also held a certain disdain for Texas since that incident, but that¢s neither here nor there.I took a shuttle from the trail end to the one-horse town of Karamea, where I had a 6-hour wait for the evening bus to Westport. I found a hotel that would let me take a shower and do a load of laundry, but I had to wait for 5 hours until the electricity came on. During that time, I aired out my feet, chatted with a motorcycle gang and a blind man, read my book, and daydreamed of not being able to smell myself. I ran into the Heaphy Hut Germans again on the bus from Karamea to Westport and impressed them by calling our jerk of a driver a pighead in German. That evening, I treated myself to a night in a real motel with TV and a washer/dryer. Things I learned on the Heaphy TrackI need a waterproof pack cover.Don¢t bring cornflakes unless you enjoy cornflake powder.I don¢t like peanuts. I do like cookies. Handiwipes are great. My rainsuit does not keep me dry ¢ it just keeps me from being dripping wet. Walking in wet squishy boots for 2 days improved the smell and did not give me blisters. I have the following physical ailments: IT-band problems on both legs, stress fracture in top of right foot, perpetually pulled muscle in right knee.