8/4/22, Day 113, 53km, Total 3170km
Elevation Gain: 800, Loss: 1501m
A long day that was rather hard on my body.
Up at 6 and away at 7. A very cold and frosty morning with ice on the windscreen of my car. The walk took me through National Park Village and across the railway line then onto Fishers Track. This climbed gently for an hour then the rest of the day was mostly downhill or flat. Fishers Track was road for 8km then 4km of formed road (with a nice gentle gradient) that was a dirt track. All good easy walking.
From Fishers the rest of the day was on roads, mostly gravel.
I arrived at the monument, which is the halfway point just after 12. Rested and ate lunch for 15 minutes then off again. I was feeling pretty good at this stage.
The afternoon walk was 26km and about 8km of that was sealed. I prefer them as they are quicker and easier to walk on.
By mid afternoon my right foot felt like it was getting a blister so I stopped and put some hikers wool on. It helped but didn’t completely solve the issue. I think that wearing my old worn shoes that I haven’t worn for 6 months may not have been a smart idea. Someone had put up markers that showed the distance every km. The ones from the monument were really good but they stopped 7km from Whakahoro when I needed them the most.
I kept the pace up in the hope of getting to the Blue Duck Café at Whakahoro before 5pm when they shut. I got there at 5.10pm and they sold me a couple of cold drinks.
Across the road is the DOC campsite with a 10 bunk bunkroom in an old school building. I was really worried that it would be full – I had brought a sleeping bag but no tent. But I had the place to myself. It has power connected so good electric lights.
My leg muscles and feet are very sore when I try to walk. I sure hope they are better tomorrow. The 2-3 week break I’ve had from walking has not helped.
Tomorrow I’ll have breakfast at the café then hitch back to National Park.
