blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike

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Blissful Hiker discovers the difference between loneliness and solitude, appreciating the camaraderie crossing a difficult mountain pass.

In this episode:

1. Blissful joins six determined friends to cross Waiua Pass in high winds and squalls on the Te Araroa. 
2. It's not so bad up and down around Lake Constance then up again on loose scree over the pass with a tricky downclimb on a crumbling cliff into a wonderland of mountains and waterfalls in Nelson Lakes National Park, the view coming in and out of swirling mist. 
3. Blissful faces her first tricky river crossings and breaks down in tears, and one friend tells her, "Remember, no one walked this for you."
4. Along Waiau River, a cowboy tells her to hide in the thorn trees until wild horses stampede by. 
5. She's surprised by another hiker's asking her if she's ok and what her plans are, the first time any hiker had asked in nearly three months. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker learns what she plans to do with her one wild and precious life by heading into the mountains when weather moves in.

In this episode:

1. Blissful is told by the experts at DOC to keep moving up into the mountains since the bad weather is not a storm but more "squally showers" and very big wind.
2. She gets a late start as she heads into Nelson Lakes National Park around Lake Rotoiti thinking of poet Mary Oliver who died the day before and asked in her most famous poem, Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
3. On Travers Saddle she braves the wild gale-force wind to cross over.
4. On the descent, she wipes out on mud and tumbles down, hardly hurting herself but bending her trekking pole, but finding it's still useable. 
5. Walking over avalanche zones, waterfalls, root-filled trails and up steep climbs, she meets a ranger who calculates because of her age, she can't handle Waiau Pass the next day. 
6. But at the hut at Blue Lake/Rotomairewhenua, her friends convince her to continue to the pass the next day, if they all go together. 

MUSIC: Suite Argentina by Horacio Salgán as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker discovers that if you have the energy, the daylight and the weather is good, you should always try to get some distance while the getting’s good.

In this episode:

1. Blissful is up before dawn and has Purple Top in the Richmond Range of the  Te Araroa all to herself. 
2. Then she dives back into a deep valley to walk up the Wairoa River, sidling its steep, crumbly banks and using the water itself as a trail.
3. The next day is in a transformed environment of the Red Hills, magnesium rich desert-like landscape still filled with dozens of rushing streams to cross.
4. Her friends catch up and convince her to push hard and continue to Red Hills Hut while the weather is good and there's still time. 
5. It's good she moved forward as the weather begins to turn just as she arrives in St. Arnaud to pick up a resupply. 

MUSIC: MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker discovers that having her ego tweaked just a little by a braggart can be a good thing, because it helps her decide what matters and what doesn't. 

In this episode:

1. The day starts with a rainbow, feathery falls and then a steep climb into the stunning Richmond Range on New Zealand's long walk, the Te Araroa. 
2. At Slaty Hut, she meets a young thru-hiker who brags about his speed, his distance and his light gear much to her annoyance. 
3. She "interviews" him and discovers he's actually a nice guy, hiking his own hike. 
4. It's steep up Little Rintoul, though she realizes it's only the first climb of the day as the real, and higher Rintoul is an eroding, scree-field of a trail.
5. Rather than take John's bragging as "fighting words" she continues to hike her hike, taking the time to enjoy the view, air and sunshine from the summits. 

MUSIC: MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala and Suite Argentina by Horacio Salgan as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker learns about the Maori legend of the sandfly, created to remind us that this Garden of Eden is something ephemeral, and one we can only pass through.

In this episode:

1. Blissful finishes her glorious walk of the Queen Charlotte Track visiting Havelock for a pot of mussels then camping on a trail angel's lawn. 
2. The walk continues to the unbelievably crystal clear emerald green Pelorus River. 
3. It's a glorious path through magical forests of beech and moss, a hobbit habitat. 
4. Blissful takes a swim, but is eaten alive by sandflies, definitely not part of the "Pure New Zealand" campaign.
5. It's a steep hike to the ridge, with views to the big mountains ahead, then down Hacket Creek to meet friends in Nelson where Blissful plays a koauau, a Maori flute.

MUSIC: MUSIC: Allegro by Carlos Guastavino  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker takes a chance stealth camping at a lookout and shares spectacular views with one cheeky weka.     

In this episode:

1. Blissful leaves Wellington and the North Island behind on the Te Araroa when she takes the ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton and then a mail boat to the Queen Charlotte Track at Ship Cove. 
2. She moves fast to Camp Madsen, harvesting mussels on the beach and awakened by the loud screeching of a weka, a "faux-kiwi."
3. It's an easy track with views of turquoise inlets, the mountains seemingly growing out of the ocean and the bush as wild as it must have been with Captain Cook arrived in the 18th century.  
4. Not wanting to camp where a DOC worker is repairing a shelter with heavy metal cranking or walk all the way down to the beach and pay a hefty fee, Blissful ends up at Onahau Lookout with a 360-degree view of Marlborough Sound. 

MUSIC: MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker is snubbed by a young hiker causing her to question friendships and her solo walk as she finishes the North Island with the help from, yes, friends. 


In this episode:

1. Blissful is dropped off where she left off on the Te Araroa in Paekakariki after a zero day with her trail angel family, Rob and George.
2. It begins on the spectacular Escarpment Track past the beach at Plimmerton, along the Ara Harakeke Cycle Way, then through a noisy mall before she sets her tent, the alicoop, at Camp Elsdon.
3. It's up over Colonial Knob where she meets a Dutch thru-hiker and his unfriendly girlfriend.  
4. From Mount Kaukau, there's a view of beautiful Wellington built on the hills along a string-of-pearls of bays and inlets. 
5. She "slackpacks" the city – hiking with a daypack – staying with friends-of-friends-of-friends, who treat her like family and hold her bounce box, a collection of gear she brought with her into New Zealand, including new shoes. 

MUSIC: MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  and Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker watches the sunrise from the summit of Mount Taranaki on the first day of the year and learns that getting to the top is optional, while getting down is mandatory.


In this episode:

1. Blissful leaves Paekakariki in pouring rain to head off-trail for a side-trip to climb the stratovolcano, Taranaki, an almost cliché of a cone-shaped, snow-capped mountain. 
2. To see the sunrise, she needs to climb in the dark and is treated to a rising moon amidst a sky full of stars, including the Magellan Cloud and Southern Cross. 
3. It's easy walking through broken pumice but she's warned not to loiter because of avalanches, then it's stairs over the worst of the eroded mountain, followed by a scramble on scree, one-foot up and a half-foot back. 
4. The crater is permanently covered in icy snow, and she climbs up on the rocky edge to watch the sun rise in glowing orange.
5. The descent is difficult on ball-bearing stones and in the heat, but she times it perfectly before the clouds return. 

MUSIC: Soliloquy by Bernard Rogers and Suite by Ernst Krenek  as played by Alison Young

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The Blissful Hiker meets an English ex-pat in the Tararuas  named Julian and they bond like war-buddies, but are unsure they'll connect again.


In this episode:

1. Blissful bonds with an ex-pat named Julian when they leave Waitewaewae Hut in the Tarauas  sidling the Otaki River on a nasty, muddy, and root-filled trail . 
2. It's hard to say goodbye, she walks alone the rest of the way over Mount Pukeatua, down a steep area of clear-cut, then on road to trail angel – and Julian's friend – Carol's house in Waikanae.
3. Even after dinner, beer and a hot tub, the rain destroys her spirit and Carol's boyfriend Brent restores it with a couple of sandwiches – and coming to accept that rain – and mud and difficult trail – is all part of this thru-hike. 
4. It's easy walking on estuary and beach to Paikakariki where Julian texts and invites her to climb a mountain with him the next day to welcome the new year. 

MUSIC: Impresiones de la Puna by  Alberto Ginastera  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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The Blissful Hiker takes a calculated risk to cross the glorious, but dangerous, Tararua Range all alone, the most difficult section of the Te Araroa so far,  taking advantage of a weather window.


In this episode:

1. Blissful is told at Makahika Outddoor Pursuit Centre to keep moving to get through the high, exposed Tararuas, since it will be calm and clear for two days.
2. It's steep and muddy straight uphill to the Te Matawai Hut, but she skips it as advised and moves on all alone on top of the world atop lonely ridge tops shrouded in mist. 
3. After several gloomy but mystical goblin forests, and the summit of Pukematawai, she arrives at Dracophyllum Hut, and watched a glorious sunset. 
4. Stopped momentarily by tachycardia, she finally climbs to the summit of Mount Crawford, the highest point on the trail in this range. 
5. It's a long, muddy descent to the Waitewaewae Hut, where Blissful meets hiker friends and is grateful for a day that felt like flying on clouds.

MUSIC: Impresiones de la Puna by  Alberto Ginastera  and Pastorale Calchaqui by Hector Gallac as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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