And P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you

Today…deserves…not one…but TWO thumbs up!!!The place that’s always been in the back of my mind. The place that has continued to force its way into this decision..even when I found every reason not to pick it. I found a 1000 more reasons to not move to the other places. I know that it was just yesterday that I listed 3 other places…Oregon, Colorado, and Boston. But after the most enjoyable 5 hours spent alone on a trail sandwiched between an ocean and a snowcapped mountain range…with a rainforest making up this juicy sandwich…I chose to solidify this jump. It’s Austin. I knew yesterday that it had a 75% chance…but today…..I found tranquility, happiness,…peace…and one of my most memorable adventures to date…the sun came out..while I was trying to make this decision. I stayed up all night debating…I asked for opinions from a few friends…I knew my answer 3/4 of the way through my hike.. I’m going for it. Why put off the job and accommodation search any longer. Let’s do this.

Relief…Houston..we have lift off…

My name is Zachary Dallas Houston…and I’m about to live in Austin, Texas. Ain’t nothing big about me but this heart, baby! Oof.. I got family on here..sorry Mom.

I had another rough night…I cried a little bit..in my wee little bed in the room with a stranger..or two? in a hostel. I woke up ready to skydive at 11:00 am. I showed up to the starting line of a triathlon in town that a new friend of mine was getting ready to start in. I was trying to get my mind off of the fact that I was about to jump out of an airplane at an altitude of 16,500 ft…so I had an early coffee…and watched the triathletes take off…I researched before they started what all a triathlon entailed…I was so impressed. Its a small town here in Franz Josef…there were about 40 participants getting ready to start…a playground to the left of them with children playing…chunking a tire from the top of a playset over and over…this is a small town triathlon….I think I remember the director saying…”so Jerry here…is gonna be behind you guys in a kayak while you swim”…. The clouds are rolling through the mountains behind them…I’m getting ready to go meet my people to skydive. As I’m watching them take off..the skydive company calls me and says that my booking needs to be pushed to tomorrow..citing the cloud coverage…all this anticipation and then bam…its not happening…I had also just built up some extra courage by understanding what these kiwi’s were embarking on in their triathlon. I’ve never been skydiving before..scared of the ground not being underneath me. So I still have a booking to jump out of a plane in the morning…I don’t have much confidence in the weather. If it doesn’t work out..I have plans to move to the next town..headed North on the west coast.

So…all the sudden I’ve got this pent up anticipation…and then the inspiration of the triathlon…I gotta go see something…I walk into the nearest shop…ask the guy if he only had one day in Franz Josef what would he do…he pointed to the one I already did…I said..next..he said..alright…this one(i’ve heard of this one..its long and everyone does it..but the view is dependent on weather..he said it could be a waste of your time..I said next…he said ok..this one is a little bit of a drive and most don’t go out of their way to do it…but its worth it...pack a lunch…there is nothing out there…weather doesn’t usually obstruct the view. Deal.

I walk over to the country store..buy 4 small pieces of “Louisiana chicken tenders” cooked in a small little take away tray…buy their version of a propel. Fill up my tank. I’m off. The place I’m headed to is Okarito. It’s the ocean. It took much longer to get there as I ended up catching up with the triathlon runners…one of my favorite artists released an album today..Novo Amor is his name. So I have the discovery and excitement making the pauses in traffic a little bit easier…I’m hoping the clouds clear…by the time I get to Okarito..its a beautiful sunny day…I’m thinking…cmon skydive company…we could have done this…I’m glad they chose to postpone once I see this sunshine and where I’ve ended up. For skydiving they recommended wearing several layers as we are going pretty high..high enough that I was going to have oxygen once we passed 13,000 ft. I imagine it gets cold during the free fall. I’m wearing long johns..pants..a few layers up top. I get to the beach.. I see that I’m about to be out on the trail for several hours. I shed the long johns..I now have boots..pretty much ski socks..breathable pants..an orvis button up(not ideal) and a book bag filled with one sweater…extra pair of socks..two water bottles.4 small chicken fingers and some chapstick lol. I take off…It feels southern marshy in the beginning..it still has the rainforest vibe but there are definitely a species of some palmetto type of plant present…Its a mix of rainforest and ocean.

The sun is out but its still a little chilly…after some inclines..I’m sweating through the cotton button down..knew it would happen…I stuck it out until I reached to first main view point…which was an hour to the left of the main trail…Make it up there…there’s about 6 people in a small space looking at the same panoramic views..not what I preferred..but no doubt…breathtaking views of the ocean..rainforest..and mountain range..too many ppl for me.. I don’t stay long.. I head back towards the main trail..take off my shirt..I can’t remember the last time I hiked without a shirt..with a book bag its not ideal…but it was necessary this go around.

I’m cruising through rainforest/beachside terrain..no one on the trail…the further I get..the more snippets of the ocean you can see…the trail is mostly uphill on this side of it..but not too bad. Working towards the gold I tell myself. I am listening to music but not loud enough that I can’t hear my surroundings…the birds are chirping big time. One thing about the outdoors here…if you’re not in a place with sandflies…you really don’t have to worry about insects, reptiles, or mammals messing with you…not even spiders…you see a bird..you see a moth..maybe a fly..but you don’t have to worry about a snake..or a coyote or anything crazy like that.. its refreshing…it definitely allows you to fully enjoy and immerse yourself without worrying about things…the biggest worry is mainly the moss on the rocks that might cause you to slip.

My thinking on this hike is centered on my next “jump”…..I feel “Austin” but I feel the other places too….Boston starts to slip away from my mind…Oregon…starts to feel too far away…it’s colorado(not Denver) and Austin. I planned on making the decision when I made it to Christchurch in a few days…I knew my answer deep down though. Center of the country..2-4 hour flight wherever I need to go in the US. Music! Arts! Open Minds! But also Texas! Opportunity! Outdoors!…not as much green as I would like in my life…but I can be okay without it at my doorstep…I know how to find when I need. This isn’t weed btw for the Boomer generation..I’m talking nature…which technically…so is weed.

So I know that the endpoint of this hike is going to have a lagoon…its called Three Mile Lagoon…there is an ocean to my right that I can see…I’m on a ridge..not quite a mountain..but it is a cliff down to the ocean…and I know the mountain range will be viewable when the trees clear….my lucky day I tell you what… I’ve spent 4 days in this region without being able to see the snowcapped mountains…I get to the end…there they are..there..is the ocean..there is the lagoon. There is a swinging bridge! What in the world…I’m pumped…this is what I’ve been wanting to experience since I’ve started this trip…I’m the only one out here…I took a couple videos where I say a few words..but in what some would call a cringey thing….I did yell at the top of my lungs…several times…not really words..just audible sounds..might as well….yell into a pillow every once in awhile..it does wonders..go under water in the ocean or the pool…scream….it helps….I was in my paradise. It felt good. I said fuck it. Let’s go to Austin. Co-Pathetic has been the song of the day…on repeat…by Novo Amor…today is a good day…now we move onto the next step…now that we know where we are going…what do we do next? Talk soon.

Much love.

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A Jump Awaits 3