{"id":275,"date":"2022-03-16T03:19:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T03:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myholidayradar.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/16\/a-solo-adventure-on-the-gillespie-pass\/"},"modified":"2022-03-16T03:19:59","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T03:19:59","slug":"a-solo-adventure-on-the-gillespie-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myholidayradar.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/16\/a-solo-adventure-on-the-gillespie-pass\/","title":{"rendered":"A solo adventure on the Gillespie Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Since I first moved to Wanaka nearly ten years ago, the mountains began calling me. Growing up on the suburban east coast of the USA, we had the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains on my back door. Beautiful and historic, they\u2019re so different from the spikey alpine peaks that decorate the Wanaka skyline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once I moved to New Zealand, I really got into tramping, ticking long walks and bigger adventures off my bucket list year after year. One of the first adventures I ever did was flying into the Siberia Valley<\/a> in the heart of Mt. Aspiring National Park. Dropping our packs at the Siberia Hut, my friends and I made our way up to Lake Crucible for the day. I can still remember being nervous.<\/p>\n

Back then, there wasn\u2019t heaps of info online, and I knew there were quite a few river crossings, something I hadn\u2019t done on my own before. The next day I tramped a few hours down the track to get picked up on a jet boat back to Makarora while others at the hut were heading over the iconic Gillespie Pass<\/a>. I knew one day I would go back!<\/p>\n

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6 epic backcountry adventures for first-time solo trampers<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

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When I saw that the NZ Mountain Safety Council<\/a> released one of their amazing tramping videos<\/a> about the Gillespie Pass Circuit this summer, I knew it was my time to tackle it. With many kilometers under melt and now years of experience tramping in the New Zealand backcountry, I was ready to solo tramp the Gillespie Pass for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over fifty kilometers long, with a thousand meters ascent and descent on the same day over the pass itself, I knew it was going to be really hard for me. But when things get hard are when I thrive. I find a lot of joy in challenging myself physically in the mountains and coming out on the other side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For me, there is a lot of therapy in nature. It\u2019s been a tough summer, as I navigate a new path that I wasn\u2019t expecting. Being able to escape into the hills, breathing in the fresh air, and not having my phone ping have been absolute lifesavers. It\u2019s given me the space to think, create, ponder and dream. I value it. Can you relate?<\/p>\n