My walk above the clouds

I walked above the clouds, where the air smelled of sulphur, and the ground was painted white. -Tongariro pass Although it nearly killed me (the first 6.4 km were steep), I made it to the top of the pass. They always say the hardest things have the greatest rewards and this was no exception. I've only seen pictures of these types of places, and to know that I've now been there is... Well, amazing. The hike took all day, but it was probay my favorite day in new Zealand so far, even with me seriously thinking that I couldn't continue walking. You started in the jungle, entered the mostly barren hillside, and then ascended the snowy peaks at about 16 km up. I'm addicted to mountain hiking now. There is truly nothing more rewarding that I have yet experienced. You round a corner and the snowy landscape took hold of me and became so overwhelmed that I cried, because of its magnificence, because of its rarity, and because I felt like I had really accomplished something. I pushed myself harder than I've ever pushed myself before and I learned the true gift of never giving up-eating your lunch on top on a mountain, with mt. Doom staring down at you' My god, what a day. And tomorrow we climb the other side. Utter brilliance.