New Zealand, Chapter 2, in which Kathryn wears herself out and feels humiliated

In this photograph, there is a mountain. There are also at least 5 SPT scientists. Two of them are little slivers above the edge of the mountain, in the very center of the shot. A few more are lower down. Those two at the top - they're professors Bill Holzapfel and Adrian Lee from University of California, Berkeley. In the middle are some other postdocs and graduate students on the project. You can see from where the camera is taken that I'm a lot further down. The straggler. What a day.

The night before our scheduled flight to McMurdo, we found out that we were delayed for at least a day, probably two, due to a mechanical problem. Great, I thought. A chance to catch up on a little bit of work on my laptop while sitting out at the Dux de Lux bar or in the Botanic Garden. I'm very behind in my software development and I've been worried about not having enough solid blocks of time to just sit and program. I was looking forward to it. But over breakfast, I heard news that Bill had rented a van and all of the Berkeley SPT folks were going out for a hike. At the last minute, I decided, sure, I'd tag along.

In a couple of important ways I had no idea what I was getting into. First, I had no idea of the geography around Christchurch, so I didn't realize we were close to the Southern Alps. In my head, I pictured a hike being a walk through some wooded hills, maybe a field of sheep, maybe a rocky streambed or something. Second, I had very much the wrong idea of what was indicated by "day hike". This being my first time in New Zealand, I was excited to spend some time looking at the plants and birds and landscapes, and having lots of time to try out my new camera. But that notion was way off. No, the idea apparently was to climb a mountain.

In my naivete, I had not only left on my city boots (which I know I can wear forever without any pain, but they still aren't for hiking), and I had also ducked into the restroom at the ranger station while Bill & Co. picked the trail. And what did they pick? A trail that involved nearly three hours of scrambling up the steepest, rockiest terrain you could reasonably handle without extra gear. And then it involved scrambling back down another way that was just as steep but filled with loose, irregular rocks and roots. And the hike was launched at an aggressive pace, far beyond anything that was comfortable for someone who's had a fairly sedentary few months. I immediately regretted that, in the flat landscape of Chicago, I've lost my hill legs. It hurt. And each time the rest of the group stopped for a break, there I was huffing and puffing my way up, tripping on my stupid boots, and being grinned at by 8 faces I'll have to look at every day for the next six weeks. Sheesh.

But there were some pretty awesome things about the hike, despite the fact that I could barely walk afterwards. The views were spectacular. And since I was spending most of my time concentrating on my next steps rather than on the mountain vistas, I also had an unexpected opportunity to appreciate the dozens of bizarre lichens and mosses that grow in the New Zealand mountains. They're like nothing I've ever seen before, and a single rock can be covered with what looks like a miniaturized garden, complete with tiny flowering plants, succulents, shrubbery, and grasses. I wish I had good pictures! Foo on those silly SPT boys and their long legs and demonstrations of athletic prowess. But next time, at least I'll know what I'm getting into.
My favorite photograph from the day is this weird one of a kea. These are mischevious birds known for eating parts off of cars. They're a dark and muddy green color, but with shiny orange feathers you can only see when they fly. I love this photograph, which was an accident, just because it's so strange. The kea, at this moment, has realized that there's a cracker he might be able to snatch, just outside the frame. So I've captured his eager hop, and it makes me laugh.