It’s the honeymoon phase all over again. When we first started our journey, after the struggle of the first few days on the beach, we were super happy. We were through-hiking, and having no problems doing it. Every day I was having the time of my life. The past two sections we walked (Mavora walkway and Motoputu track) recaptured that feeling. Ruth and I have been so happy to be back on trail after a few weeks of break. Even when it was cold and hailing on us as we trudged up and down peaks with tall wet grasses that soaked our feet, our spirits were high.
Having switched from southbound to northbound has probably helped our morale. The downside of travelling NOBO is that instead of being in a bubble of people that could be relatively small, you hit all the SOBO bubbles, including the very big ones. That’s how we ended up having to camp outside of a twelve bunk hut on the last section. The upside is that when we meet people or groups we don’t like, we only have to put up with them for one night! And the trail has its share of strange people and boisterous groups, so this is a big upside.
It’s also easier to keep morale up knowing that the trip is ending soon. We are trying to enjoy it as much as possible in the closing 2-3 weeks.
As we’ve been reflecting on our time on TA we’ve realized something. They say that as you get older, time starts to feel as if it’s moving faster, because you are experiencing less novelty and things have become routine. The three years we lived in Vancouver leading up to our trip where we worked and had a good routine passed by so quickly. But this trip has played tricks on my brain. Because we’ve seen so much, done so much, met so many great people and overall had a lot of experiences, things that happened last month feel like they happened a year ago. I think back on our time on the North Island, and the memories feel faded with time: that was only two months ago! It will be sad to have life return to its regular pace.
We’ve started to think more concretely about our lives back home, and planning for our return. While we are excited for the comforts of home, and have been looking forward to them for almost the whole length of the trip, in the past couple days a sense of trepidation has crept in. Being on trail has been very busy, with little dead time and a strong sense of purpose. I know that going home, especially initially when I won’t have work, there will be plenty of time where there’s nothing to do. I have ways I plan to mitigate the feeling, such as getting back to a routine, exercising regularly and exploring some musical interests that have been lacking on trail. But I think the purposelessness will still be there, as it is for a lot of people who complete a through-hike.
So overall, my feelings are mixed. Very happy to be on trail, but equally happy that the trail is coming to an end. Excited to be returning home, but worried about going back to a regular home life. Anyways, there are still a few weeks on trail left, which, if I’ve learned anything, will feel long and result in months’ worth of memories.
