I’ve been down here in New Zealand for what seems like three weeks, but has actually been two months. Time has been moving at warp speed and before I know it I’ll be returning home. I took the first few weeks easy really getting to learn the city I am living in and the varying bars and restaurants as well as what makes the city tick and move, but the last few weeks have been full on.

The infamous Deluge Lake hike. A simple 9.1 mile hike staring in East Vail, Colorado. Despite being steep and easily accomplished in a day, up until this attempt I had been 0-2 on this trail. The first two times that I attempted this trail was in the winter, and both times resulted in failure. Thick snow, post-holing deep down to me knees, and relatively short days of sunlight meant neither time I’d had even made it past the aspen grove.