A Snapshot of The Lost Years: Part 1

Alright, since I failed to keep up on my blog since my New Zealand trip, I'll take a moment (or three) here to go over the highlights of the last three years to catch you up to speed on what I've been up to.

New Zealand October to November 2011

Hiking...No, wading through
 the watery trail on a rainy day

Much of this time was devoted to finishing my two papers (one on large scale composting and applying it to the University of Otago, and why people do sustained high risk activities like mountaineering/alpine climbing), and studying for finals. Around the beginning of November I finished the last of my undergraduate classes. I thought for sure they'd be my last classes ever, but three years later, I'm having second thoughts. In celebration of finishing school, I departed on a 11-day tramping trip on Stewart Island, connecting the North and South circuits. If you ever go to New Zealand, you need to do a mandatory detour to there. Spend 4 or 5 days hiking, I can almost guarantee you'll see a kiwi. Yes, rumors are true of how muddy and wet it is, but that's really an essential part of the adventure.

Claire fishing on a beach of Stewart Island

Upon finishing my trip I headed to Peel Mountain Adventure Centre to finish my internship hours so I could actually graduate. 

December 2011-February 22, 2012

Just before the Holidays, life became a whirlwind. 

Mt Cook from the top of Haast Ridge.

I squeezed in a proper climb up Mt Cook (4+ days to get up and down New Zealand's tallest peak) with Danilo Hegg via Haast Ridge, Linda Glacier, and down Cinema Col. 

Danilo Just before we got
on Tasman Glacier

Upon returning from that trip (like arrive at 11 P.M. and then leave at 7 A.M. the next morning) I headed to the Darrens with Emily Harding. It was nice to be on some solid granite after the terrifyingly loose scree and boulders on Aoraki (Cook). I think that was the most laid back climbing trip of my life. Mt Cook made me drained, calm, and satisfied like nothing else had. Lucky for Emily. She didn't see the real me climbing until about a month later.
We came back to Dunedin to have the best Christmas one could ask for. Brunch in the sun with friends followed by climbing and swimming at the beach. 

The day after Christmas I left with Chris Whitting (my newish boyfriend at the time) for a 7-day tramping trip that took us down the Hollyford Track and up the West Coast past the legendary Hermit's house. We enjoyed New Years Eve upon arriving on the West Coast. When we reached the road's end we shuttled and hitched our way North to Paynes Ford in Takaka to rock climb with a group of friends for a week or two. Upon exhausting ourselves we hitched our way back to Dunedin and I scooted my way back to the Adventure Center to finish those internship hours.

The last month I snuck in a climb on Sabre in the Darrens with Steven McInally. It was an epic 3 day trip with my first bivy that was unplanned no less. That's one of those things that's absolutely miserable in the moment but a great story for later that you'll brag and laugh about. I also made another trip to Paynes Ford for climbing with Emily. I then spent the last two weeks traveling in a car with the parents who came to visit (needless to say, I was pretty antsy with them after 2 months of non-stop go).

The stunning views from the base of Sabre