Ethan's Tale of Mount Taranaki

CLIMBING MOUNT TARANAKI
On spring vacation this year I went to New Zealand to visit my grandparents. Of course, I did more than just visit them. I explored the cities and saw museums. But the best and most exciting thing that I did was to climb Mount Taranaki.
I learned some geological facts about Mount Taranaki. It is the most symmetrical mountain in the world. It is 8,261 feet high. It is also technically an active volcano, millions of years overdue for an eruption. But it’s very unlikely to erupt for a couple more million years.
When my dad and I got to the lodge at the base of the mountain, we found a “fatality list” dating back to the late 1800s. There were about 63 fatalities, and most of them involved slipping on ice and exposure. Because we visited during New Zealand’s late summer, we didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. However, some of the fatalities were things like, “being crushed by a boulder,” or “fell off of a bluff,” or even “got lost.” Seeing the fatalities list right before we climbed didn’t help our morale much, but it didn’t stop us from going. After all, this wasn’t the first mountain I’ve climbed. I also climbed Wanu Picchu in Peru.
Mount Taranaki is about nine miles up and down and takes eight to ten hours to hike. At the start of the hike my dad and I were making great time. All we were doing was walking up a slightly sloped trail across the side of the mountain. We were averaging 30 minutes per mile, but the hike got more difficult with every mile. The path got more sloped as we walked, and soon enough we got to a different path that was at a 40 degree angle. That path was about a mile long, but at the end of it was a lodge where we could eat and rest.
When we got to the lodge my dad and I both ate a granola bar and then got back on the trail, but the trail was pretty much gone. Instead, there was a path of rocks that led to some old wooden stairs. Climbing the rocks took about 20 minutes, and it was actually pretty easy, compared to the stairs we had to climb. There was about a mile of stairs, and each stair was about twelve inches tall and six inches wide. The high altitude made it even harder. And the climb got even more difficult after we cleared the stairs.
Past the stairs we had to climb up a 45 degree angle of really loose gravel. We would take two steps and then fall back one step. That went on for another mile and then we got very close to the top (The top was the mouth of the volcano) .The view was pretty sweet, but my dad and I didn’t stay long.
After six grueling hours of climbing up, we started down. We slid down the gravel, ran down the rocks, and made it back to the lodge. We spent about 20 minutes eating at the lodge and then we left. My dad and I talked about politics for the last three hours of the hike. We talked about the economy, and the conflicts in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.
When we got back to the base lodge we got in our car and drove back to the hotel and slept. I was literally asleep before my head hit the pillow. Overall it was a fun hike and a great experience. I had fun talking to my dad, and the bragging rights are great.