DON'T SLIP!!

This weekend started out rather tame on Friday (Thur. in the U.S.) with a nice American Thanksgiving dinner with the whole office (15 of us).  It ramped up on Saturday with a high ropes course called Adrenalin Forest.  It then began a steep climb (quite literally) with a hike to the top of Avalanche Peak in Arthur's Pass National Park.  Do check out the full album for the latter.

Thanksgiving

It sucks to be in a foreign country for a holiday as great as Thanksgiving.  Though it wasn't Mom's home-cooked feast, it was a pleasant dinner with Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Cranberry Sauce.  It did lack Jell-O, good Rolls, and Sparkling Apple Cider.

High-Ropes Course

The last time I did a high-ropes course, I was in 8th Grade.  It was a field trip to Camp Tamarack for team building with Mr. Cousino's class (block 8D).  With the temperature around 35 degrees (Fahrenheit) and a steady rain all day, my sweatshirt was soaked through, and I almost certainly was hypothermic.  This particular trip was much more pleasant.  If you slip, no big deal, you're clipped in, and you'll just be dangling there.  But Don't Slip.  FULL ALBUM.

65 ft up in the trees (which were swaying considerably)

one of the easier challenges, actually

Avalanche Peak

"Yeah, it's about a 6 hour day-hike with gorgeous views, but it does get pretty steep," says my co-worker, Eric Lumpkin.  That statement was completely true.  However, that statement does not indicate exactly how difficult it would prove to be, nor how dangerous.  The grade was roughly "straight up" and above the tree-line (1/2 way up) you had to literally climb with your hands and feet over rocks with drop-offs on either side.  DON'T SLIP!!  Had I known what this entailed beforehand, I would not have attempted it.  But it was absolutely gorgeous; these pictures neither tell the impossible journey that it was nor do they illustrate the level of beauty observed.  FULL ALBUM HERE.  Later on, I read that it was one of the most challenging hikes in all of New Zealand.  7 mile round trip.  Exhausted, I slept for 13 hours until Monday morning.

about 1/8 of the way up with a view of a waterfall:  Devil's Punchbowl

Wildcat victory over Illinois 50-14, brought the flag 10,000 miles for shots like these.

Coke bottle with label:  "Share a Coke with LAURA"

summit with Eric Lumpkin, note the wind inflating my jacket (probably 40 mph+, very disheartening)

me sitting at the summit because I was too afraid to stand, note the narrow walkway

this picture almost tells the story of how dangerous this hike was

definitely felt like being on top of the world.

typical boulder that you had to climb over, it was like climbing a spine all the way up from the tree line.