Greymouth

I was now one pair of liner socks short. As a matter of necessity, they were bundled up in the night, then thrown across the room into the face of the worst snorer you can possibly imagine. We’re taking inbreath and outbreath, full asthma attack. Never had I sympathised this heavily with new parents. Toby and I sat red-eyed over coffees at the local café, completely at a loss over what to do next. Our energy, hormones, digestion, the entire enchilada was completely shot. I felt like might actually die. Heavy rain was forecasted today and tomorrow, and there were tons of river crossings again. I stared into the chocolaty froth of my mocha, unable to think about anything other than the crippling exhaustion.

A hiker couple we had gotten to know last night, Tim and Roxelane, walked up to our table and saw our drained expressions.

-          Guys, we gotta figure this out. The trail is gonna be miserable, and there’s nothing to do here. There is no way we are spending another night in that shelter. We’re thinking about hitching to Greymouth.

Tim had barely uttered the worlds before I was on my feet, pulling at Toby’s arm. Maybe it was the coffee, but I started hyperventilating with excitement. Heck yes, we were going to Greymouth! Arthur’s Pass lay smack in the alpine crest between the east and west coast, and I was saving the east for my post-trail days. Greymouth it was! Suddenly the world felt bright with hope. Greymouth was a large town, not like the tiny outposts we’d encountered thus far. There would be an abundance of hostels, restaurants, a New World… (I knew this, having enjoyed a good shopping spree at that very same store back in 2015 on my last visit to NZ). We packed our bags in a frenzy, ran to the edge of town, and stuck our thumb out. Dang, getting that hitch was a nightmare! Despite all the tourist traffic running through Arthur’s Pass, we stood in the drizzle for almost two hours before a wonderful woman – a TV director named Caroline – picked us up. She was so bright, warm and entertaining that I could have sat in her car forever.

Caroline dropped us off at the New World parking lot, and after a brief splurge we made our way over to our accommodation. Global Village Backpackers hostel was the coolest, most hip place I’d been to in the southern hemisphere. Tons of Polynesian carved figures lined the brightly painted walls, and there was plenty of seating outside to watch the sunset. I installed myself and my gear in the girls dorm room, where a friendly Dutch girl took pity on my trashed appearance and borrowed me some mascara. I felt my femininity increase a thousandfold.

We walked the streets of Greymouth. It sure was quiet for being designated a big town. A sleepy tourist officer helped us book a bus ride to the trailhead tomorrow morning. We loaded up on unnecessary resupplies and a grotesque dinner at the absurdly large Countdown. Jazz apples and caramel dip complimented my meal - pretty much every food group was represented. I couldn’t help myself in the bookstore and purchased an insanely good but harrowing book: I will find you – In search of the man who raped me by Joanna Connors. Toby and I trudged back to the hotel, plastic bags in hand like the nomads we were.

Looking myself in a proper, full-length mirror for the first time in a month was… educational. I was proper chunky now. Instead of becoming leaner and leaner as I had during the first two weeks, I was now getting beefier by the stretch. Walking with trekking poles had given my normally slender arms a rugby-beef look. My calves looked like someone had stuffed tennis balls inside them when I flexed. Surrounded by the fluffy pink interior of the girls’ dorm room, I felt like a tramp. The Dutch girl’s mascara brought a shade of civilisation onto my freckled face, but the rest… I’d also moved into a fresh Icebreaker t-shirt (pink to coral. Daring, I know) to celebrate the 1/3 mile mark. But I looked dirty no matter how much I showered now. Heck, I was technically homeless. My place of residence was 50 cm wide and now about 1000 km long. Tomorrow we would attack the trail with renewed determination.