A few weeks
ago Thomas had his last Dutch class for the year, and they were having Dutch
cakes to celebrate, so naturally I showed up as well.
(on a side
note, I will probably take over the Dutch classes for a few months next year,
when the actual teacher is back in the Netherlands)
As we were
discussing “we should have a coffee together at some point” with Thomas’
classmate Peter, it turned out that in fact Peter and his (Dutch) wife Tini
were dedicated trampers, and that they were embarking on a tramp the coming
weekend which Thomas and me had wanted to do for quite some time now. So
instead of a vague coffee-date, we quickly made a real tramping date.
So off we
went early Saturday morning. After some arrangements with cars (different
beginning and end-points) we set off on the Mount Somers track. Mount Somers is
somewhat of a phenomenon as it is an old volcanic dome, instead of your average
metamorphic Alpine foothill. This may sound abstract and insignificant to the
non-earth scientist, but look at these basaltic shapes:
Magnificent.
It was also
rather steep and I realized it had been months since I’d last done any tramping
with a heavy pack.
However in
good time we arrived at the hut and we were able to all secure beds for the
night. We then did some exploring of the rock outcrops and the intriguing flora
(orchids!) before having wine and nibbles, elaborate dinner, and finally
birthday cake for one of the party who turned 21 the next day.
 |
| spot the hut |
The next
day, after gale-force winds had shaken the hut all night, we had another steep
climb to go before it was all downhill again. My legs were shaking. The birthday boy was carrying his balloons, but they didn't make it to the end of the track.
We had a
longer lunch break at another hut, and Thomas and me went for a quick dip in
the waterfall/whirlpool. Not warm, but very nice.
Further
down through the beautiful forest and everybody back and forth to the right
cars in the right place. A quick weekend tramp, but another small adventure and
a world away from day-to-day life.
