Diary
Monday, 15.03.04
I’m wasted. My knees feel like they won’t do another step within the next two weeks. Started at 8.00 a.m. from St Arnaud and arrived after 9 hours of tramping at Upper Travers hut doing the recommended 2 days in one. 27 km. The last hour I was just stumbling up the track totally low on energy and cursing myself for doing this.
Overtook Jo from yesterday and met him again in the John Tait hut where I was having a badly needed brake for half an hour. He stays there for tonight doing two days in one tomorrow. So we’ll probably meet again at West Sabine hut. The first couple of hours were nice walking though. Bit muddy from time to time but all right. Great thing to see the Travers Falls which is just a 3 min side trip after John Tait Hut. But also sitting at the porch of this hut now, watching the clouds descend into the valley and seeing high ridges all around me was truly awesome. Three ladies in the hut had mercy with me and made me a hot tea when I came in and a hot chocolate later on. Lovely! Just what I needed. Hope that my knees will be fine for tomorrow again. The sight from the saddle should be amazing in good weather. Depending on the weather I will have a rather late start tomorrow.
Tuesday, 16.03.04
No start at all today. Woke up this night at 11.00 p.m. with a funny feeling. 10 minutes later it started. From 11.00 p.m. to 3.30 a.m. I was massively vomiting and had severe diarrhoea. Lost an incredible amount of water. At one point I felt so bad that I couldn’t even speak anymore with the ladies who took lovingly care of me. Also my vision started to get blurry and I felt like fainting a couple of times. Every time I tried to drink some water (even just a small sip) ended up with vomiting shortly after. At 3.30 a.m. then the vomiting stopped and I gradually started to drink small sips of water.
In the morning after the others left I finally managed to find some sleep. I think between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. I spent as much time on the loo as I spent finally dressed lying on the bed. What a hell of a night. The ladies, who were nurses in fact, said that it is either a tummy bug or more likely a reaction of my body to the extreme exhaustion yesterday. Around mid-day Jo came up from John Tait hut and gave me some of his soup and salt, heading to West Sabine hut an hour later. Spent another four hours sleeping and will try to eat some pasta this evening, hoping to have enough strength again tomorrow for the way to St Arnaud although I will stop for the night in either John Tait hut or Lakehead Hut. I guess with all my bad luck so far, someone is trying to tell me that I should not overdo it.
Once I’m back by my car I will drive to the next larger city and spent a couple of days there relaxing. Just hope I will be strong enough again tomorrow to do the trip back.
Wednesday, 17.03.04
Feeling good. The night went over without problems. Only the mice (or rats?) in the hut were a bit annoying. But nothing Ohropax couldn’t deal with. Very misty and wet outside. Just started a fire and had some cereals. If everything stays fine with my tummy I will start around noon for John Tait Hut.
Sitting in John Tait hut right now. Although I felt fine this morning the 2 hour trip to here nearly brought me to my limits. Guess my body still hasn’t fully recovered. Found a book here which I greedily read.
Met an Englishman whom I met at the Tongarriro Northern Circuit as well.
What a coincidence.
By now I think that this illness was not all bad at all. Spending the day yesterday at Upper Travers Hut above the bush line and surrounded by mountains and spending the day here at Travers River made me appreciate the nature around me for the first time to its fullest extent it seems. I enjoyed these days of just being alone with nothing to care of but the little fire in the “Corker Cooker”. And I learned a lot for further tramps. Tramping means a lot more then just walking from A to B. Staying in huts can be a valuable time, as soul soothing as the walking itself is. Although I don’t want to go through such a night ever again I am kind of happy that this happened as only this seemed to have been able to open my eyes a bit further to what else there is to see.
Everything happens for a reason.
Thursday, 18.03.04
Hiking out went pretty well. Stopped at Lakehead Hut for lunch. The only thing that was not so nice is the fact that it started raining. By the time I reached the hut where I stopped for lunch I made funny noises with every step I took because the rainwater soaked through my trousers and was dripping in my shoes. The rest of me was not much drier. The nicer it was once I reached my car and hit the road towards Greymouth.
Enjoyed a beautiful sunset behind cloudy mountains, lying on my car, smoking a cigarette and listening to “Within Temptation”.
