While returning from the United States after visiting family and doing some climbing, I contracted what we believe was norovirus during my transit. Trailcutter and I had planned to go on a grand adventure to herald my return to New Zealand, but after I gave her the virus, we put our plans on hold. With us finally feeling better, we set off for an easy trail run at Rakaia Gorge before the weekend's main event, climbing Mount Philistine.
The Rakaia Gorge track starts gently but quickly goes into a steep incline that switches up the hill to the ridgeline. The rolling trail and steep uphill made the jogging/walking the first 1.5K an excellent warm-up for the rest of the run. Despite the wet weather, the trail was surprisingly devoid of mud for most of this section of the trail. After 1.5k, the Rakaia Gorge track exits the woods onto the Lower Gorge lookout.
For those interested in only a day hike, this would be a great stopping point for a quick hike.
After leaving the Lower Gorge lookout, the trail along the gorge's rim has a nice undulating pace that makes running for this trail a solid mix of terrain for a trail run. There are plenty of views between the Lower Gorge lookout and the loop that leads to the upper Rakaia Gorge lookout. A 50m side trail also leads to an old coal mine worth a quick look.
We went left at the trail junction to make the loop to the upper lookout. From here, the trail drops steeply to the river below, where there is a boat launch. The trail rise back to the top of the hill was quite steep, making running up the hill a challenge. I was glad we had gone left since running down the hill seemed like it would be even more of a challenge and carry a higher risk of injury from falls.
The only area with a lot of mud to run through/around was on the way downhill from the Upper Gorge lookout. Besides that, the gorge was an excellent way to test our lungs post-norovirus to ensure we could trek up Mount Philistine on Sunday.
After taking a trip back to the US for six weeks to see family and climb, I had a lot of time to think. Over the past couple of years, I have had this overall sense in my head that I am losing the things I love. One of them has been my ability to keep up on this website.
Sometimes, trips go unposted for weeks and months. Because of that, I have developed a backlog of trips to add to all my adventures here on Hike2Hike. Getting this run up on the site the same week it happened (like I used to pre-COVID) is my hope of being better at keeping with my goals, whether for this site or in my everyday life.
Writing down my adventures throughout the week is a big part of my struggle to maintain my mental health. It reminds me that last weekend or vacation was fun. The week will end, work won't matter once I am off the clock, and I always have something to look forward to in my free time.
"Mental illness is nothing like a broken leg."
- Hannah Jane Parkinson, The Guardian, June 2018
Instead, mental health issues take constant care and attention. I stopped paying attention. Now, it is time to reassess, repair, and give it another go. Hopefully, by keeping up my effort towards this site, it will become one of the pillars I stand on again over time.