Hump Ridge Track!

Hello all, sorry its been so long since I have posted! So about a week before I went to Fiji I did the Hump Ridge track in southern Fiordland! It was a three day hike of 55 km! The first day started off early in the morning. The sun was up and there was a rainbow over the mountains and it seemed like the day would be amazing! We hiked through the forest and down a steep set of stairs to the beach, hiked along the beach for a few kilometers and then turned into the bush to start our ascent up the mountain. After walking for a long time in the sand my legs were pretty tired by the time we had to go "uphill" (I use quotes because up hill is an understatement...). To be honest... I WAS DYING! In a span of about 4 km we ascended around 1,200 meters!!!! Needless to say I was having mental conversations with myself about how it would be over soon and how I am a rockstar that can do anything. So after what felt like ages we finally got to the top. So I thought I would feel like superman once I got to the top.... But actually not... the temperature had dropped a significant amount, high winds came ripping over the top of the mountain, AND........ It was raining.... Hard. YIPPEE!!! Just what I wanted at that point in time. But I sucked it up and kept going, there was about a one hour ridge walk until we got to the hut so I knew I could do it. When I finally had the hut insight I actually ran down to it doing the Rocky run with my fists up in the air over my head. Thats how excited I was to see the hut.  How amazing it was to put on dry clothes. It was cold inside but I didn't care because I wasn't dripping wet anymore! And that was all I could ask and hope for. We spent that night huddled in the kitchen cooking, playing cards, chatting and trying to keep warm. It was well below freezing outside, we were exposed on the top of the mountain and there was no stove... So that night I put on all of my dry clothes, hat and mittens, and like 4 pairs of socks and crawled into my sleeping bag, it was freezing, but I was so exhausted I passed out quite quickly and was dead to the world for a good 9 hours. The next morning we got an early start, and summitted a near by ridge that gave amazing views of fiordland to the north and stuart island to the south. It was incredible!!! There were even a few rainbows! But we did have another 17 km day ahead of us so we started off. We had to hike along the ridge, going up and down summiting all of the peaks along the ridge, then descend down like a million stairs (my knees were not happy), keep going down through a beautiful woodland area and then hike for three hours on a flat set of train tracks to get to the hut. So we started off along the ridge, I immediately regretted not starting early because through the mountain to the north I could see a nice storm heading right for us, and it was moving fast. Up on top of the mountain, it was like being hit by a train. Cold temperatures, high wind, and rain/snow. I was again, soaked, and freezing, and at one point I think I almost plummeted to my death when a huge gust of wind came up and knocked me over. But we finally made it down off the ridge and into the forest where we were protected from the elements. The forest walk was incredible. Its a strange thing, Fiordland national park is just as beautiful when its raining as when its clear and sunny, but in a different way. Its almost as if the trees, grasses and ferns emit a glow when its raining, It really is quite a magical thing to experience. After a few hours in the forest though the storm passed and the sun came out, and all that was left was 3 hours walking along a flat path! Or so I thought.... Firstly walking on train tracks suck.... The beams are spaced just close enough that you can't just simply walk on them, you have to mentally look at every step you take and calculate it or you will trip or twist your ankle... And there was nowhere else to walk because they carved the track down into a gully that had 3m high walls on either side. That was fun for 3 hours. And not only were we walking on horribly annoying train tracks but since it had just poored for a few days the gully was filled with huge lakes of water and mud... tons and tons of mud. Some of it was navigable and you could avoid it but there were a few mud pools that spanned the entire width of the track and would go on forever... So I got to walk in ankle high mud  for three hours...... The mud was honestly the worst part... As much as it sucks, I can handle being cold, I can even handle being soaking wet for three days.... I could not handle the mud. It was so mentally exhausting to trek through that by the time we were nearing the end of the "mud monster" as I like to refer to it, I was looking down at the mud, physically flicking it off with both hands and yelling "F U!!!!" over and over again (I think its safe to assume at this point, I was a little frustrated). The previous day I had thought that seeing the hut finally was the happiest moment of my life..... no. The amount of happiness I felt when I saw the hut on the second day after defeating the mud monster was like if I was 6 again and the north pole and disney world teamed up and I got to visit and meet santa and disney characters, go on rides, open presents, and I got to eat ice cream and candy for every meal. That was how happy I was to not be walking in that mud anymore. So we got to the hut, and I took off my muddy boots and again put on dry clothes, which was amazing and my mood immediately began to elevate. Because lets be honest, as shitty as things can get I am still in New Zealand and hiking in the most beautiful places on earth so I couldn't stay irritated for long. We spent the night in an awesome hut with a 4 story bunk bed that slept around 25 people! And there was a wood burning stove, so I was nice and warm :). The next day was not quite as intense. A leisurely 15km hike through the bush and on the beach, and there was no rain and it was sunny and quite warm. Things could for sure be worse. I may have been battling a few large blisters at that point but I powered through and made it back to the car in record time!!!! Then we had a 3 hour drive home and I was sleeping in my own bed :). This may have sounded like a terrible experience but it wasn't. There may have been some tough aspects but it was an amazing place and a great hike and I wouldn't trade it! I also made some pretty unforgettable memories.. I mean, I will never forget that mud monster... Ever.