Waiting - part one

 Friday March 25

 In five weeks from tomorrow, April 30, we fly from New Zealand to Canada via San Francisco, leaving Nelson during the afternoon and leaving Auckland early in the evening. When we arrive in Toronto it will still be April 30.

On May 16 we fly to London, then Paris, arriving on May 17. Then we take a train to Bayonne.

On May 20 we take another (short) train ride to St Jean Pied de Port.

On May 21 we start walking.

Will the weather be kind so we can walk the Napolean route over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles, or will we need to take the route through Valcarlos?

That's all in the future, but for now we're caught in that in-between world where you just want time to pass so the adventure can begin. I know that's a bad attitude. We're going to live through all those future days anyway, so I should be enjoying the anticipation. I'm like a child waiting for Christmas.

In the meantime we have a small adventure planned.

Nearly a year ago we agreed with a group of Auckland swimmers that we would walk the Milford Track in Fiordland. We're not taking the rich old-people option of catered accommodation with bags carried. We'll have to hoist our own packs and food and we start walking on Saturday April 2.

We'll take a couple of days to drive down there and we decided to take the opportunity to have another walking experience on the way down the South Island's West Coast.

On Tuesday we'll leave home early and drive four hours or so to Blackball, on the inland side of the coastal Paparoa Range. A new Great Walk has been set up between Blackball and Punakaiki, on the coast. It's unusual, in that it's been set up as a combined walk and mountainbike trail. We plan to walk from the carpark to the Ces Clark Hut during Tuesday afternoon.

It's only 10.3km, yet it's estimated to take between four and five hours. Here's a quote from the Department of Conservation website:

"The first section of the Paparoa Track is the historic Croesus Track. This track still retains some of its original stonework and is steep and rough in places. ...

"The track then climbs more steeply into subalpine forest. On a fine day you will be rewarded with views of Lake Brunner and the Main Divide down to Aoraki/Mt Cook. Ces Clark Hut is on the edge of the bushline, set among low alpine scrub and with spectacular views."

It seems the track climbs about 800m from car to hut, so it'll be a good warmup for the Milford Track, although we only need to carry clothes and food for one night.

On Wednesday morning we descend back to the car and drive on to spend the night at Franz Josef.

By Saturday we'll be walking the Milford Track, but I'll be updating before then.

As you can tell from the photo, shoes have been a preoccupation. 

In 2019 I walked the Camino in Salomon Ultra 3 shoes and they were perfect. A few months ago I bought a pair of Ultra 4, but I don't like them so much. Then, on sale, I bought some Salomon Urban Hikers. I'm hoping I'll be able to walk in these, but haven't yet decided. I'll wear the Ultra 4 pair for the heavy-duty hikes we have coming up next week, but the Camino surfaces are a bit more forgiving.

Cathie has the Salomon boots in the photo, but decided they were too bulky for the Camino. She bought some Merrell shoes, but they don't give her the support she needs, even with the custom orthotics she's had made. Last week she found some leather Merrell boots, which she loves and they're the likely Camino contenders. Like me, she's going to go with the heavier Salomon boots for the two trails next week.

It may seem strange for non-Camino walkers that shoes are such a commitment, but you can't afford to get it wrong. Blisters and foot problems could spell the end while on the trail. As well, we want to travel light. That means one pair of walking shoes, which will have to double as casual wear for the two weeks in Canada and the ten days on the way home in Holland and Singapore.

Stay tuned for the next episode - maybe Wednesday night in Franz Josef, once we've had a night on the Paparoa Track.