THURSDAY 24th FEBRUARY – CHARITY MUGGING

I got my dawn start this morning and Pat dropped me off for a 7am kick off. It was a crisp and clear morning but as I stretched a bank of fog tip toed its way down the Waikato beneath me and soon everything was engulfed in mist. I wanted to get all the way to Hamilton but Pat reckoned I would be pushing it. My morning stroll was along the Hakarimata Range to Ngaruwahia, which was meant to be a six hour stretch. Then after lunch I had a 20km road walk to the city outskirts. I was determined to get through as I had to get close to Pirongia, a big hill just 40m from being a mountain, tomorrow as I had arranged to walk it with Kathy, another former survival course instructor, over the weekend. I was staying at Kathy's tonight so a hot meal and a shower would be dangling in front of me to goad me on.

It was a sweaty climb up a huge flight of steps to get into the Hakarimatas. I pushed on to the top past all the beaconing benches until I reached the viewpoint but being deep in the fog the panoramic wasn't up to much. It was a bush covered range so the fog further helped keep the temperature at a comfortable tramping level. After a short while I heard something crashing through the bush up ahead and it was making a lot more noise than I was. I stopped and waited for it to emerge, walking poles poised for a quick getaway. Expecting a huge boar my pulse quickened but seconds later a charcoal goat poked its head through the ferns and after a moment regarding me shot back the way it had come. Was I that scary. I would have expected the beard to have attracted goats not repelled them.

It was a ridge walk and only the roots slowed my progress through the green forest folds. Minus the lovely phone call from my Gran, I tramped the trail in four and a half hours. It was a gradient happy descent and luckily the kids scribble of roots down the track didn't trip me or I would have ended up at the bottom without my consciousness to carry me out. Reaching town it began to rain so I sheltered in a cafe, chomped a pie and released my pungent feet from their soggy homes. I moved quickly outside to avoid asphyxiating the patrons and did some catching up on the diary. Before leaving I got chatting to the cafe owner and telling him of my walk he told me he had met a Welsh guy, who I had read about, that was passing through while doing a similar walk last year pushing a wheelbarrow. He offered me some food or a cup of tea but I was all right. This, however, was my chance to do something I hadn't started doing yet. Something I had been putting off but was now ready to start although still dreading it. I asked him for some money for my cause. To my relief he disappeared inside and emerged with a chunk of change. I could do this; I could make a good charity mugger! The time had come to put my money rising into full swing and as I left town I asked someone else. "I'm doing a sponsored walk for charity a.." He was gone already. I didn't even get to the mugging part! Oh well, all I could do was chuckle. You win some you repel the others.

Road all the way form now but apparently one could get down the riverbank. I tried but after threading my way through a succession of fancy gardens a dead end forced my through a cow field back on to the main road. There was a grassy bank by the road most of the way so it wasn't too grim a ride. To keep me amused there was another road art piece, this time with a flattened bird participant. It must be the only fun you can get from such a thrilling job.

Kathy picked me up from the edge of Hamilton and back at hers I had another night of royal treatment. It's going to be a shock going back to my camping life. I have been living better while tramping than I was when I stopped...

Ducks in the Mist		Roots, rock, Reggae!

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