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The sun had risen the better part of half an hour ago, coffee made; it spread its brilliance across the mountain ranges to the east as I sat in my small tent. Day two of a four-day trek, I still raged with energy, bounding to start off again. I leaned back against my sturdy pack, the week\'s constant friend, ally, taking it from my shoulder would soon become a welcomed break, but not yet. Coffee on the road is savored as compared to Tim\'s at home, even though it lacked consistency, strong one day, weak the next, it didn\'t matter. |
Finishing my coffee, I rolled my sleeping bag and mat and placed them in the bottom section of my pack. Other then some food and additional clothing, I only carried water, film, a camera and a small journal. Sometimes I had a pack of cards, Maritimer and all. What you carry is up to you, your trip and whom you are trekking with. Sun Screen, bug repellent, first aid kit, I guess I left that out, seeing how it is always stored in the inside pouch of my pack. Sunglasses and a hat are essential too, especially at high altitude.
The tent came down quickly; others were on the move as I had camped at a small base camp, scattered tents and walker\'s lay everywhere. 6:00am, who would have thought there would be this much action anywhere in the world at 6:00am? Then again, it was completely quiet at 9:00pm last night. Completely sorted I walked slowly down to the brook we all had stopped to camp by, having filled my water bottle last night, ah the joys of iodine and boiled water - just a side note, water doesn\'t boil properly at over 3000 metres so if you are high altitude trekking, bring iodine, you\'ll thank me for it later. I leaned over the running water, splashing the sleep from my eyes and was soon off, climbing in height as the trail ascended for most of the day. Slowly, I would make it slowly.
Your mind wanders when its just you on the trail, thoughts of work, friends, family, I kept trudging along, one foot in front of the other. The stone path leads the way as most of them do. Countless trails in New Brunswick can be found wherever you live. Waterfalls, caves, cliffs, ocean views, they are everywhere around the province. All it takes is a short drive and your out in the wilderness, exploring, escaping; it\'s up to you. The sun has risen as I continue forward, up the slow moving rise. A couple small thatched-roof huts can barely be seen in the distance, checking my time it still only 9:00am, they\'ll do for a break, but lunch can wait. I move on.
I stopped for lunch with a couple Canadian girls about an hour before the top crest of today\'s route. 4400m are coming up pretty quickly but I am starting to get a little tired. Hikers, generally speaking, act as a pretty small community, helping each other out, sharing conversations along the way. They were walking at the same pace as I was over the last hour so we traded stories of home, travel etc along the trail. Lunch is a couple tuna sandwiches made this morning; backpackers travel light so needless to say, gourmet meals are hard to come-by. The sun is out, shining brightly, warming, so I can\'t really complain now can I.
The trail loops around a large peak, gradual climb rather then brave anything technical. Finally the rock acts as stepping-stones, alleviating some of the strain on my worn boots; Prospectors, five or six years old now, third pair of "guaranteed for life" soles. Have to admit though; they\'ve replaced them free of charge both times, adding new insoles, laces and some polish to the worn leather; definitely one of my best purchases.
Re-shouldering my pack I was back trekking upwards, the odd porter screaming past me at super human speed. The mountains of gear they carried did little to slow them. Sandal clad, they bounded from rock to rock; I was completely amazed. Less then fifteen minutes from the summit I stumbled upon a younger trekker, fourteen possibly and definitely feeling the altitude.
"How are you doing?" I asked. He looked miserable, years of Nintendo and Play Station taking its toll. I had spoken with his sisters before lunch, so knew they were a family traveling from Toronto. What a way to spend Christmas.
"Okay" he puffed.
"Want some water?" I asked, stopping to rest with him. The majority of his family was screaming encouragement from the looming crest. I was sure he didn\'t care at this point.
"No, I am okay." His bottle was half full, so at least he was drinking some. Altitude sickness had to have crept in.
"How about some chocolate. I was just going to open a Snickers. Want half?"
"Yeah, sure."
Hopefully the chocolate bar we shared would give him a little bit of a rush. Couldn\'t be more the two hundred metres to the top. I offered
