A few days at Hangdog – a simple draft

Writing this up is taking me forever, so here’s a draft version to tide you loyal readers over 🙂

 

This post just contains the camping that I did at the Hangdog camp near Paynes Ford in New Zealand, and not the whole story of my stay there. See the other two posts in this series for the rest of the details – “Driving to and from Takaka” and “Climbing at Paynes Ford”

Nov 26^th

Time spent out of doors (no car, tent, etc…) = 6 hrs

• Get up pretty late and have some brekky
• head out to get the car
• Pack up, check gear, hit the road
• Damn but New Zealand is pretty…
• Lunch at the coffee shop – Mochachino and “chips”, AKA “French Fries”
• Lots of fun driving… lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns
• Arrive
• Set up tent, realize we only have one… “We’re getting cozy tonight!”
• Make us some dinner… why isn’t the stove working? I think its ’cause the fuel isn’t burning hot enough, since the burner isn’t holding pure
• Finally finish dinner on the semi-working stove, eat amazing pasta and chicken
• Chill & eat by fire – learn that yes, the fuel does burn too cool. Lots of folks have that problem
• Drink and relax, trading stories about everything
• Pull out the big guns, pour everyone a glass of scotch, and do a toast to Sam with lots of people
• DAMN but thats some fine scotch
• Sleep outside

 

Nov 27^th

Time spent out of doors (no car, tent, etc…) = 20+ hrs

Time spent barefoot = 24 hrs

• Wake up & its still dark… screw that I’m going back to sleep
• Wake up for real, eat some cereal and have hot coffee with Mike
• Chat with folks, meet a few random folks, meet Henry (short for Henrietta), a really cool woman who plans to meet up with us later on
• Pack up gear and some food
• Walk to the climbs, get shit together, rack up, and start up
• Henry gets here, then Johaan joins up too, and the four of us start rocking it
• Climbs:
• Get back to camp, write & read and eat beans and relax for a bit.
• Get annoyed with Methyl fuel and head into town to get some white-gas
• no white-gas, so we get Kerosine instead
• get back, cook dinner (yay fuel that works), relax with Henry and Johaan
• shoot the shit for a while with Henry and Johaan, then move over to the fire
• chill by the fire for a bit telling stories and drinking scotch
• Sleep in tent

 

Nov 28^th

Time spent out of doors (no car, tent, etc…) = 20+ hrs

• Wake up a few times, don’t really feel like getting out of the sleeping bag since its raining
• Have some breakfast of bread & cheese & apple & drink
• Chill & read for a bit, then head out for an adventure
• Drive around and explore
  • Long pretty views
  • Rain
  • Waterfalls
  • skipping stones
  • Lunch @ Dangerous Cafe – Pizza!
• Climbing!
• Head back, since its starting to get late and we’re hungry
• Hit the store to grab beef and bread
• Chill with Hannah and Jess for a bit, clean up my stove and relax
• Cook up some awesome chili while chatting with Tanya, a climber who just set up her tent next to ours
• Chili… so good! Yet so dangerous if you drop it on your lap…
• Eat up, chat with Johaan and Rikke for a bit, then head over to the fire since Tanya is sleeping nearby (pro-tip: Mosquitos can sneak into cars. You are not safe)
• Fire time! Porn mags, swede’s are perverts, lots of fun
• sleep outside, SO GOOD! Also of note: Swedish girls are loud. When along in a tent. Aww yeah.

 

Nov 29^th

Time spent out of doors (no car, tent, etc…) = 20+ hrs

• Sleep outside, but get into the tent around six ’cause its raining
• Wake up around 9:30 to Johaan kicking the tent in
• TOAST! AND COFFEE!
• Chat with Danny and Tanya (Canadian climbers who’re awesome)
• Head to The Seawall with Johaan, Rikke, Hannah and Jess
• CLIMBING!
• Get back, say goodbyes to the girls
• Cook ourselves up some awesome dinner of Spaghetti and meat sauce
• NARM NARM NARM
• Clean up, Mike takes a nap, chill and read for a bit
• Lost Horse
• Air Raid siren
• Chilling by the fire and relaxing with Johaan and Rikke… the other people are boring as shit.
• See quotes from the night-life

 

Nov 30^th

Time spent out of doors (no car, tent, etc…) = 20+ hrs

• slept outside, and dang it was cold. But ohh so excellent
• Wake up when the birds mimic my alarm
• wake up again when Johaan wakes me up
• Up, coffee, breakfast of beans, get Mike moving… no luck.
• Johaan and Rikke leave early
• CLIMB!
• pack up and head out
• Meet Ana and Steffy who’re really cool / hot German chicks
• Say our goodbyes to Johaan and Rikke
• jet out