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She Wakes with the Rain
I wrote this poem a little over a year ago when I was coping with a bout of depression. At the time I had just returned to the UK after a whirlwind trip with lots of rushing around. I was coping with a lot of uncertainty, including living situation, relationship doubts, work stress, and general direction in life. Rereading it, I reflect on how important it is to acknowledge the darker parts of ourselves and to hold them with love and care. Pushing those parts away, holding them at arm’s length, only creates division within ourselves and ultimately prevents us from having meaningful, lasting, and connected relationships with those around…
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Te Araroa: Final Forests
17.03.2020 Day 141 (32km) If my pace matched the time estimate in the trail notes, I would arrive at the hut at 9pm. There was nothing appealing about arriving that late. Not to mention the temperatures had been dropping over the last week or so and I was not keen to lose the use of my hands to the cold, which was a common occurrence on the TA. After leaving Te Anau I planned to push several big days in a row, cause to be honest I’m over tenting. It’s gotten colder and I don’t want to deal with a wet tent in the mornings anymore. However, in order to…
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Te Araroa: Running From the Rain
10.11.2019 Day 21 (22km) We took out time this morning getting a lift back to the trail, stopping along the way for coffee. It was an easy yet difficult day. Difficult due to the amount of road walking, which kills my joints; easy in regards to the flat terrain. Dom and Nadia were staying with a friend in Waipu, whereas I was hiking on to Waipu Cove. It was the first night that I would arrive somewhere and not know anyone, which I found quite refreshing. A group I had heard about but never met happened to be staying at the campsite as well: Kate, Will, James, and Alex. We…
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First Taste of Tassie
I’m sitting in a bookstore coffee shop that reminds me of Babi’s house. The cooking section to my right and has familiar titles like Poly Unsaturated Cooking, A Wizz in the Kitchen, and Cooking for Every Occasion. We have been in Tassie for two days now and are taking the morning off to catch up on things, like blogs. We took the Spirit of Tassie, bringing Pieter’s car and choosing the free recliner over a private cabin with beds. The voyage was a bit rocky but the motion sickness pills and stress from the previous week were inducement enough to sleep through the night. As of late I had been…
Insights and Stories Through the Eyes of a Wanderer
