It's Getting Windy

A couple days relaxing and organizing in Christchurch left my body feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next section. I got a ride into Twizel, a small town right on the trail to get some last minute food supplies and start the next five days of hiking. The landscape of this particular section can be described as near-desert with small patches of short shrubs and a few skinny trees. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the hills surrounding Lake Tahoe or the rolling hills in Southern Utah.

Sand Flies

After a month off, I finally made my way back to the trail, back to nothing but walking, sweating, and eating my way to a lighter pack. I finally got away from the routine of waking up and trying to find work, away from the latest Trump tweet wreaking havoc across the media and Facebook, and away from the basic comforts I usually take for granted. I hitched a ride from Nelson, my hide out from the trail, down to St. Arnaud, a ski town situated between the Richmond Ranges and the Nelson Lakes

Hostels and Happiness

​What started as a quick two or three day break from the trail has quickly turned in two or three weeks (I've lost count). At first I just wanted a couple days of rest, let my body heal up a little bit before I moved on to the next part of the trail. Then I realized I needed to make a little bit of money so I could afford to keep going so I took a couple more days. Then a couple more. Now it's already mid-February and I'm still in Nelson, taking any and all writing jobs I can get my hands on.