Te Anau

As you can see, I discovered how to change my template. The picture at the top of the page was taken from outside our room in Te Anua, New Zealand. Te Anau is where we started the three-day hike on the Kepler track.

The evening before starting the hike we drove into town from the hostel to rent some gear. The rain was pouring down in sheets, pounding on the roof of our little car, making it nearly impossible to hear the music from the car stereo—U2's song "Stuck in a Moment" was playing. I remember a sick feeling of dread in my stomach as we splashed past the turnoff sign for the head of the trail; we didn't have proper rain gear or boots or warm sleeping bags, and we weren't exactly in prime hiking shape. I was pretty sure we were going to be wet and miserable for the next three days.

That night I lay awake in my bed, listening to the sounds of the rain and of five other people sleeping, wondering what on earth I'd gotten myself into. I finally fell asleep praying for sunshine.

We woke up early the next morning to a damp, but sunny day, and didn't feel a drop rain again until after we left the trail. The hike was amazing; not only was the scenery unlike anything we'd seen before, but our tennis shoes held up fine, our sleeping bags kept us warm, and we didn't need rain gear after all. I think days like the ones we spent on the ridges of the Kepler mountains make it a little easier to believe in miracles, even if they are small ones.