I was thinking as I walked today about the similarities and differences between hiking here and hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I certainly am as dirty as I used to be on the AT; 4 days of no showers and wearing the same clothes makes me pretty smelly, especially because I sweat like a pig when I hike. Very lady-like! The trails are easier here than most of the AT - better footing and not as steep, long ups and downs. I'm also not hiking for as many hours per day - 5 or 6 here vs. 8-12 hours on the AT. Also, the hut environments are very nice - cold running tap water, flush toilets and gas cook rings. We haven't had to filter our water. The hut wardens have to tell us that we drink the water at our own risk if we don't filter or boil it, but they also tell us they all drink the water straight out of the tap.
Another difference is that the people here are from all over the world. I met some people on the AT from Europe and Australia, etc. but nothing like this. It is so great to meet so many interesting people and they are all so nice and offer good ideas of things to do when we get to their part of the world. I'm not sure if I wrote before that there aren't too many Americans out here and certainly very few who are travelling for a year. It's much more common to meet Israelis and people from the UK (and I'm told Germany) who are traveling for long periods of time. One young Israeli woman, Dickla, who I met at the start of the this hike, said Israelis travel a lot because they want a break after they finish their army stints. All the young Israelis (male and female) are required to serve 2 years in the army.
One similarity with the people on the AT is the broad age range - from Dick and Beth (a brother and sister, 77 and 71 respectively) that we met on the Milford Track, to a young German girl - 19 - that I talked with last night. It's great to see people from such different backgrounds and nationalities and ages, all enjoying themselves out of doors.
The birds are interesting here. I've not seen a kiwi but I think I've heard them call in the middle of the night (it's a nocturnal bird). The most commonly seen bird around the huts and lunch stops is the kea. It is a large parrot-type bird with a raucous call and a strong beak that can rip open tents, sleeping bags and packs and make off with any loose clothing, (especially socks) that might be laying around outside. The hut warden tells us to be sure not to leave stuff unattended outside. There is also a small charcoal colored bird that has a white breast with a bit of gold colored feathers on it and some white feathers on its wings that I really like. I mostly see it when I'm hiking through the woods. It is especially pretty when it flies and you can see the white feathers on its wings.
This afternoon Shari and I talked with John and Sharon from New York, who we met at Luxmore Hut. They are very nice and are interested in hiking gear and asked lots of questions about the AT. They are pretty young, but both are retired - John from Lehman Brothers and Sharon from Oppenheimer - and they do a lot of travelling. They are both big bikers and John is doing the RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Ranier in One Day) race out in Seattle in August. It is a 140 mile race that is just what the name says - a one day ride around the base of Ranier. Pretty intense!
I moved down to the beach about 3PM to sit and read, and shortly after I got there one of the hikers, Bob - a fellow from Auckland - came walking up the beach. I asked him to use my camera to take a picture of me sitting in my chair and after he did we started talking. Well, we sat there for 3 hours, talking about life, looking at that magnificent view. It was a very special afternoon.
