We all set alarms to make sure we were awake and packed up in time to book it to National Park. We wanted to catch the early shuttle to the West entrance, hike the 19.4km trek with a possible side trip up Mount Ngauruhoe (AKA Mount Doom) and make it to the Northern exit point in time for the last shuttle. We missed the early shuttle and had to wait around for the next, and final one. This did give us more time to reconfigure our gear to a day-hike mode and eat some brekkie in the parking lot. It was one of the first days with nice weather in a while so the shuttles were pretty full. The trek started off winding through an old lava field that was littered with rocks from the most recent eruption. It felt like Mars and was pretty trippy. We passed a few trail crews that were adding stairs and building erosion-prevention pathways.

A veteran of this trail told us that the hike to the summit of Mount Doom is all scree (loose rock) where each step up slides halfway back down. Sam had hiked this terrain before and wanted nothing of it and Nick was battling a huge headcold so when we arrived at the spur trail, I was left to go solo. I remembered Brian telling me of the hike to the Fox Glacier overlook and I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity like that! Five years later, a good friend of mine was hiking this trail and said that the local Maori now forbid hikers from going to the summit. Too many people were stealing rocks and ruining the sacred peak so it is now closed off. Looking back, I am very happy to have taken the extra effort to slog up to the top.

When you have the opportunity to summit a mountain as rugged, beautiful, and famous as Mount Doom, you take it. Even if you missed the early shuttle to Tongariro and they say that you won't have time for the summit side trail if you want to catch the last shuttle back to town.

Mount Ngauruhoe. I was probably just arriving at the summit when Sam and Nick took this photo from a few miles ahead on the trail.

The rest of the photos are from Sam and Nick’s journey, I was only equipped with a GoPro to take some video footage.

Hiking up the scree to the summit was no joke. I was completely exhausted when I made it to the top and realized that the sign had an accurate ETA for the up and back hike. I enjoyed some snacks at the top rim as I gazed down into the volcanic crater, just thoroughly enjoying every second. I could see Lake Taupo to the North and miles off in every direction. I knew that I was pressed for time since we missed the early shuttle so I began the descent back down. Going up scree totally sucks but going down scree is a ton of fun. You can quite literally ski down it, each step is a glide downward of five to eight feet. I kept a fast pace across the rest of the lava field, past the Red Crater, and along the Emerald Lakes.

The trail was all mine because I was the only hiker from the late morning shuttle who summitted Mount Doom. I had to book it to catch the last shuttle out but it was totally worth it!

Nick taking a nap a few minutes after taking the previous photo.

I was overwhelmed with the beauty and surreal colors of the formations and it continued as I entered the active volcano zone of Rahui. You could see the pillar of smoke pouring out of the earth just to the East. I bounded down a plethora of switchbacks to a full on jungle. I was impressed how the trail went from desolate lava fields, towering ridgelines, past shockingly blue lakes, and now was in a lush jungle. This hike a had it all!

I arrived at the northern parking lot with about 10 minutes to spare. I found Nick and Sam napping on some picnic tables and woke them up with my best Arnold voice, yelling “get to the shuttle naaaoogharrrgh!” They didn’t move. We got back to the hostel in National Park, cooked a huge pasta dinner and I passed out hard. I was more exhausted than I ever remembered in my entire life.