Tongariro Crossing Part 2/4 - Mt Doom

Many people hike the Tongariro Crossing, but few brave the slopes of Mt Doom. So, of course, Mats wanted to do it. Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings), is the tallest point of the hike, at 2291m high. The last lava flow was in 1954, although it last erupted (smoke and ash) in 1975.

At the base, the walking was easy, stepping around loose rocks and shrubs, even though there was no defined path. The incline slowly increased, and the sandy ground (scree) was tiring to walk on. The easiest route was over the old lava slide. Up higher, a path had formed in the scree. But it branched, one way over a rocky ridge, another through a small valley straight up. Occasionally a round rock would roll down from climbers above, so it was important to always keep an eye up, and ears open. The hike was tough and slow, the sand kept sliding down as you tried to crawl up on hands and feet. The slope was about 45°.

Loose rocks were getting into my sandals, so I tried bare feet. The real Hobbit experience! It was surprisingly comfortable, since most of the ground was sand. Getting on the ridge made the climb much easier because of the solid footing. After an hour and a half of the slow ascent, I made it to the rim of Mt Doom. There were snowy patches up here but steam was also escaping from the red rocks. Looking over the far edge of the rim, the view stretched far and wide (over Mordor). The landscape was completely different from anywhere else we had been so far. Looking North, Mt Tongariro. Looking South Mt Ruapehu.

You could walk a half loop around the rim, but an icy hill went to the highest point. It was quite slippery. On bare hands and keens, the scramble up was difficult, and cold! But when I reached the top, it was totally worth it. I was standing on the edge of the volcanic crater. The rim below had just been a plateau to the side. The crater was really deep, covered in snow on one side, and fiery red rock on the other. Stunning!

On the other side of the crater, the snowy slope slid back down to the plateau. Sitting on the little backpack, I slid down the side of the volcano. How cool is that?! The walk down was much easier. Although I was still getting rocks in my shoes, sliding down the sandy slopes on my feet was fun, kind of like skiing. On the flatter part, I skipped around the rocks and bushes to get back to Jenna. It had been a three-hour return.

In the meantime, Jenna had a relaxing lunch, read a book and took a quick nap.Read more