We wrapped up our camping adventures by returning to Tongariro National Park, the site of our inaugural tramp, and had a flawless day in the stunning volcanic landscape. This time we walked without our big backpacks; reveling in the feeling of lightness, we climbed to our favorite spots, plunged screaming recklessly down the loose scree slopes, ran back up and raced down them again. The boys and I took on Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom for all you Tolkien fans) and spent an unforgettable afternoon climbing to the summit together. (Timothy tried to extinguish the volcano by peeing in the steam vent, but shhhhh, don't tell anyone.) Climbing the mountain was probably the hardest thing that we did on this trip and the boys just were amazing. Mt Ngauruhoe rises a stark 2000 feet in a little over half a mile and there is no marked path through the loose volcanic rock. The climb felt impossibly steep and on the way up I dislodged a rock that rolled a couple of times, picked up speed, and bounced all the way to the valley floor. Looking out and seeing the small planes flying well below our feet made us feel as if we could fall right off the mountain. Mary sat at the base and watched us pick our way slowly up the mountain like the little hobbits we were.

We hiked back to the car foot sore and weary but elated by the accomplishment. What a fitting way to close this chapter of our travels.

So now we are back on Whisper, and wow is it good to be home!

What did we miss the most?
Real pillows (unanimous first place!)
Comfy Beds
Indoor plumbing
More than one burner
Full sized plates
Real lights
Stuffed animals

The next couple of weeks will include hauling the boat to paint the bottom and getting ready to go.