Two years ago (2012) I hiked the Te Araroa Trail. I met many people and had many experiences along the way but perhaps two of my favorite two people are
Ludo and Flore.
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| Ludo and Flore on the PCT, Snoqualmie Pass, August 2014 |
We had the opportunity to hike many days together along the Te Araroa and though we all hiked our own hike separating to go different directions, we kept coming across one another.
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| Ludo and Flore with Mt. Adams in the background. |
When I left New Zealand, I flew to San Diego where I immediately started the
PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). Now, two years later, Ludo and Flore have just completed the PCT and with a few extra weeks before they depart to France, we got together for another great trip on Rainier.
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My MSR Reactor, best stove ever. This is the same stove I used
in NZ along the Te Araroa Trail and now, after all my bragging about it
Ludo and Flore have one too!! |
I first met Ludo and Flore near the Glow Worm Caves, just south of Waitoma on the North Island of New Zealand. It was a brief encounter and before I knew it, they went one way and we (I was hiking with Graham) went the other. Yet we managed to end up at the same backpackers than evening.
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| l2r:Yessi, dbBrad, Flore, Ludo, Mt Rainier. |
At the
Bog in Hut, deep in the dark wet forest of Pureora, we met again. We shared an emergency rum over a batch of instant pudding. Then, early the next day, our time came to an end as they went one way and I went another, again.
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| Yessi, Ludo and Flore at abut 6k feet n the side of Mt. Rainier. |
In Ohakune we met up to share a
3 day river canoe trip along the Wanganui. My last memory of this trip was Ludo and Flore dragging a canoe, full of water up onto a boat ramp having just capsized. It was raining but it didn't matter because everything they owned was floating in water and absolutely soaked. I was injured and took the bus back to Ohakune but they packed up their gear and hiked on. This was not our last goodbye.
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| Yessi, Ludo and Flore on the Wonderland Trail headed around Mt. Rainier. |
We met up in Palmerston North a week or so later and hiked all the way to Wellington together. This included the Taururas, a lovely stretch of beach, some interesting rides including one by an exotic dancer and the guard cow of Welliington.
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| Ludo with yet another 'cool' pose! |
We stayed in the same backpackers in Wellington but they left a day or two before me. It wasn't until Nelson Lakes south of St. Arnaud that I almost caught up with them again. It snowed several inches and running low on food, they went another way and we missed by a day.
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| Flore demonstrates effective poling climbing Mt. Rainier. |
I did catch them again at Aurthurs Pass. They were staying in the backpackers and when I went to do laundry, I saw Ludo's red shirt. I knew they were nearby. We hiked out together the next day headed off on another leg of the Te Araroa.
We hiked together to the Raikai river and hitched together along lake Coleridge. It's a long way around the Raikai river and we hiked for several hours before we even saw a car. As it turns out, a local tramping club just finishing a day hike with room for two. I stayed and walked and Ludo and Flore took the ride. I watched them drive away, smiling and waving through the back window of a car.
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| Flore and Ludo and Yessi, always smiling and having fun. |
But then a few weeks later on the
Two Thumbs track south of the Rangitata river, I was with Richard, another hiker. We had just crossed the Rangitata, started up into the mountains and camped for the night. The trail here follows a river and it's a cold wet hike. We camped for the night and when we woke up, we saw it had snowed in the mountains. We hiked in icy water all day climbing up and up until we were on top of another beautiful mountain range. As we approached our target hut, we noticed smoke coming out of the chimney. We found this odd and as we approached the hut the door opened and out came Ludo. Again, Ludo and Flore were at this little hut and we had yet another micro reunion.
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| A panoramic (Auto Stitch App) of our first camp just above Pan Handle gap. |
Somehow, we ended up in Tekapo together after bumping into each other at a hut. I was just leaving and they decided to stay the night. We thought maybe we would meet in town two days later. As it turns out, I camped high above the lake and walked down early the next day. Its another long road walk around the lake and very few cars to hitch from. One of the few, a truck, drove right past and then stopped and backed up. When I looked closely, Ludo and Flore were in the cab. The truck was full, but they convinced the driver to squeeze me in and off to Tekapo we went.
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Ludo and Flore taking down the tent just after sunrise. Here were at 7200 feet
in the Frying Pan back country zone. |
From here, we split up and I hiked most of the rest of the trip by myself, until catching up with Arnaud and Charlie, two other Te Araroa trampers. But we met again in Riverton, two days prior to
finishing the Te Araroa. We hiked the last section to Bluff, all 6 of us (dbBrad, Ludo, Flore, Charlie, Arnaud and Richard) and had a celebration/reunion at the finish. We all stayed in Bluff that night together before, once again, going our separate ways.
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Our second night camp. We couldn't see Rainier from here,
but we could see Baker, Adams and even Mt. Hood for a brief spell. |
This time, having finished the trail, we said goodbyes for good. As fate would have it, after attempting Mt. Aspiring with Richard, I left Wanaka and headed up to Tekapo to meet Yessi. As fate would have it, I hitched a ride out of town and got a ride a few clicks up the road. The driver let me off at a turn off and there were two hitch hikers standing where I got out of the car. It was Ludo and Flore. We had another very brief hello and goodbye, and they got in the same car I just exited and off they went.
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Ludo and Flore taking a quick break on a log foot bridge over one of the
many creeks you will cross on the Wonderland trail. |
Now, two years later, Ludo and Flore just finished the PCT. I met them at Snoqualmie pass briefly. We made plans and upon their finish, they came to visit for a week. We spent a few days on Whidbey island, a few days in the Cascades and then three days on Mr. Rainier. Even though they hiked right next to the mountain, bad weather permitted them no views of the spectacular mountain. But we fixed that!!
Finally and sadly, Ludo and Flore and Yessi and I spent our last day together in Seattle sight seeing prior to taking them to the airport around midnight, just a few hours before they were to depart early the next morning for home, back to France.
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Ludo and Flore in front of a waterfall. Were not on Mt. Rainier anymore
but rather in Seattle Wa, at Freeway Park. |
This was yet another goodbye to my good friends, but this time I know it won't be the last. Yessi and I will visit France sometime soon and we will see Ludo and Flore then. Perhaps they will make our wedding in China too!
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| Two years ago, Ludo and Flore behind bars along the Te Araroa trail in NZ.. |
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Two days ago, Ludo and Flore behind bars once again!!
This time Yessi is with them and were in Seattle WA, USA.! |
