"One does not simply walk into Mordor"

Well, it turns out Boromir was wrong, you can simply walk into Mordor. The afternoon of the first day of new years was spent in good company traversing up to the base of Mount Ngauruhoe, otherwise known in the movie, the Lord of the Rings, as Mount Doom, the ending point for the book series where Frodo casts the ring back into the fires of the volcano. Our journey was not fraught with the same dangers as we expected, however, at the beginning of the trek, enjoying the fine views, we did notice a sign which might have been of some use to adventuring hobbits.

Not heeding the danger, but remaining aware of it, we traversed the course gravel road over hills and through grasslands that led into the perilous mountains. The trail was indeed rugged but manageable. The same could not be said for the hillside which were covered in eroding rocks which we were warned could pose a danger, and thus admired them from afar. Aside from a bit of solar irradiation, the weather was nice; a light breeze with cool mountain air to try and take the edge off from all heating. At this point it was far from the moonscape I expected of an active volcano, with numerous plants in a very prolific grassland. We didn't know exactly how far we were going, or how long we would be, but that is how most good adventures are.

The ground beneath us became increasingly covered in rocks of volcanic origin, including the ever so light pumice with which Tom and I had a rock fight, tossing a few sizable chunks at point blank range that had they been just about any other type of rock would have been felt, but instead bounced off harmlessly to our amusement. The great volcano grew larger as we continued and the path grew increasingly rugged. There was a quiet beauty to this landscape which in the past had been an area of death and destruction. Chunks of volcanic rocks sit as stoic reminders of that destruction while along the path a gentle stream bubbles over rock, providing a lush green zone, a slice of paradise in an increasingly barren landscape. Even this however, reminded us of the powerful force of nature looming over top of us, as the water was mildly sulfuric.

A bit more than halfway up we stopped for lunch by the stream, close to a hillside that was part of the mountain range. Like a scene straight out of the movie we watched the ridge line for signs of orcs while we took advantage of the clouds having moved away from the summit of the mountain. Due to the clouds persistence around the summit, this was the best pictures we could take which had the whole mountain in it. It seemed as though every other time we tried to get some shots, the mountain would catch another cloud, like branch catching your sweater, hanging on until either the sweater loosened or tore. Tom was super stoked to be hiking the most dangerous mountain in all of middle earth!

The plant life was beautiful, and one of the most interesting features was the incredibly short shrubs, like bonsai trees, stunted in growth by climate. These dotted the path but diminished as we approached the base of the mountain.

It was very clear that the guide wasn't kidding when he said it got very dangerous beyond the base. Already close to 2 km above sea level. The vegetation had almost ceased. The mountainside near Mount Doom was quiet but evidence of it's violent activity was clear. Black river beds where lava had poured down the mountainside were now frozen in time, scaring a great deal of the mountain. The volcanic chunks were becoming monolithic as they mounded on top of one another. Although we were all glad to have not been there at the time, it would have been a spectacular site to see when the volcano had erupted.

We also learned an important lesson at this point, which was to never trust an outhouse built on rock in the mountains, especially one on a trail that can be frequented easily by large numbers of tourists! Pheww! Anyway, there was one more hidden gem at the end of the trail, an area known as Soda Springs. This was like an oasis in the dessert, a small falls that was the visible beginning of the little stream that followed us along the track. Being significantly upstream it was also ripe with the smell of sulfur, but was home to some beautiful lush greenery and some gorgeous mountain flowers.

After a very quick bathroom break, we wandered down the mountainside, finishing off what water we had in the now hot environment, looking back for the chance of getting a shot of the mountain without a cloud and for any marauding orcs that might be lying in wait. Frankly I don't know what all the fuss was about, Tom and I could have taken care of it in a day, but then again, that wouldn't have made for a very exciting movie. Anyway, we said good bye to Mount Doom, our 10.2 kilometer hike, and hopped in the car. We drove to our next spot in Pureora Forest Park where we set up camp, ate, had a nice chat while waiting for the rain to stop, and went to sleep. Conquering a volcano on our first day in the year 2014. The next day would be full of more adventures, but until then we reminisced on the sights of the day, including this nice stop on the way to the camp site.