文 / Zoe Yuan
Roys Peak Track – substance over form
This is the 2nd track I managed to drag Matt to go with me. And this is the end of his hiking journey in 2016, or life.LOL
Everyone has been saying Roys Peak Track is so simple and nice, you must do it. We drove from Wanaka town along the Wanaka - Mount Aspiring Road, you would find the starting point of the track on your left. You should prepare some small changes for track maintenance donation.
It was in the afternoon, hot, dry, windy, and the top looks far. With 2 bananas and 2 apples for both of us, I decided to go slowly in ascent and then run down. We saw some hikers with beers; beers are like the fuel for endurance. 「 Good day 」 people are all in good mood, no matter fast or slow.
Half way to the top, we agreed to go at own pace, and meet when we meet. Which is cool, so I hiked a bit faster, trying to touch base and run back to meet Matt for dinner in time. ( Later on, I found out he got a fever by the time we were half way, but I felt terribly sorry that Iover looked it ). Like in beginning of many ultra - trail races, runners are reminded to look after each other and be safe and have fun, I should pay more attention to my teammate. Just like we are in the mountains and they are in us…
Again, there is NO WAY you would get lost in this track,with or without signs. It goes all the way up and all the way down, there are a few short cuts, but are all above tree lines, super easy to judge which is the main direction.
The way I hiked up alone felt different, it was not the same feeling as when I ran the first track, i.e., the Route burn track, I was excited, nervous, on a surviving mode, I was on a mission to get from one end to the other, I knew I must do that alone. But this was different, I have a friend with me, but why should I abandon him and go alone, for the views? It’s beautiful enough just at half way, why bother going higher? Passing the tussock area and I looked up, I saw the narrow alpine and huge wind blowing in my face,I was literally 30 meters away from the real summit, but I was in a rush to accomplish and I felt lonely rather than proud. I turned back, as fast as I could, as carefully as I could, running back down.
It’s not a race, and even if it’s in a race, everyone has the choice to stop, quit, refocus, adjust, why should I limit myself by reaching the real summit or finishing certain meters within a month?
Substance over form, I was there, meters away from the real summit which is at 1,578m, the all - encompassing panorama from Roys Peak covered most of the Lake Wanaka, the surrounding peaks and Mount Aspiring / Tititea. I saw the merino lambs, they saw me, and I saw Matt, walking in the sunset, I embraced the presence of things around me, people connected tome. It was such a beautiful moment.
Albert Einstein possibility wrote this in a letter regarding death once, 「 Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. 」
From that day onwards, I tried out other activities recommended by friends. Amazed by how the earth can change over decades and maybe a little bit more consideration in our modern 『 civilized 』 life can help to reduce the aging and damaging to where we live.
By the way, there is one track I must do next time, the Hooker Valley Track ( Mt. Cook area ), I just cannot change myself over a couple of days, can I?
Happy Trails in 2017 and I will never forget the beautiful sunset near Lake Wanaka that day.
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Roys Peak Descend
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