Key Summit

As always in the early days of planning any trip, as well as my trip to New Zealand, I had some rather hefty ideas. Originally I set out to hike three of the nine great walks that NZ had to offer. Again, as in the past, say back in Ireland when I also thought I could hike like 500 miles, I'd planned and bitten off more than I could chew. On this adventure, in the end, I hiked only one of the trails and sufficed to do day hikes thereafter. Key Summit was the healing salve for the wound created by having to give in to inclement weather and poor logistical planning which in the end, caused me to give up hiking those particular trails.
Have you ever read Of Mice and Men? Well, that was kind of how my trip up Key Summit went, but with a Hail Mary pass to win the Super Bowl at the end, along with me screaming from the top of the mountain, "I'm going to Disneyland!" The of Mice and Men reference is, "the best-laid plans of mice and men..." which basically just means; the universe has a funny way of mucking up your well-laid and well-intentioned ideas. My idea was to pick a brilliantly, clear day and head up to the summit early in the morning before every person on the planet ended up there as well. And so, away I went all chipper and positive. Go me! Until of course I got out into the mountains and realized that mountain weather is just a tad unpredictable, no matter what the weatherman says.

No matter. I had decided I'm going up that bloody mountain; fog, low clouds, rain or what have you be damned. So there I am hiking poles in hand, weaving my way up through the forest with fog as thick as, well, pea soup. Up the winding path, looking expectantly around each bend as if the blanket of fog would magically disappear, only to discover more fog, more clouds, and absolutely no view. In this, I must say I am not easily deterred. After about an hour, I finally cleared the tree line wherein the view was...nonexistent. However, not all was lost (no pun intended). I may not have had a stellar view of the countryside or whatever else was out there that I couldn't see, but now instead of the fog bank being just a nuisance, it turned into an entity all its own. It became a

living, breathing thing. I stood in awe of it. In awe of the way it swooped down across the mountain bog. Without the trees to impede its flow, it brushed past my face, leaving droplets of water in its wake. It smelled of the earth and the sky. You could see the mist heave and sigh as the wind carried it across the mountain bog. I was mesmerized. The clouds drifted across my skin, my eyelashes, my smile; my entire being was engulfed in Mother Nature herself. I closed my eyes and stood; happy to be in that moment, in that place, on that mountain. When my eyes opened, I gave one last glance at the passing mist, pulled myself away, and headed for the summit. As I made my final approach I decided if I had to stay on the top of that damn mountain all day to see SOMETHING I would. I didn't have to wait long. When it happened, it was as if the wind had finally had enough and came racing down the mountainside like an eagle after its prey. It lifted the clouds in one fell swoop. One singular moment in time I was engulfed in the grey and the next I was staring at vast, gigantic mountains that were so close it seemed as if I could reach out and touch

them with my fingertips. Soaring mountain peaks covered in the last snow of the season. Grey, towering rocks jutting out of the surrounding earth. Blue skies and white puffy clouds soared overhead. Birds flew higher than the peaks themselves. The sun sparkled, laughed, and kissed my cheeks with its warmth. I was enamored. I stood tall, hands on hips, feeling as if the world belonged only to me. I was alone, but not. The company I kept was Mother Earth and as always she shared with me her energy, her love, and her aura. Here happiness abides.