Dumb Decisions on the Tongariro Northern Circuit

These are the conditions of a moron hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit:

Length of Circuit: 34.6 km, or 21.5mi     (Alright, let's do it!)
Maximum Altitude: 1886m     (Sweet, great views!)
Altitude Differential: approx 790m max    (That's not too bad.)
Pack Weight: approx. 40lbs     (Uh, are you sure?)
My Physical Condition: moderate; previously in a hibernation period for winter where I eat too much and whine about it being too cold to go for a run     (I'm not thinking you're quite prepared for this kind of trek...)
Caloric Consumption: some rice, a small potato, curry seasoning, trail mix, granola bars, and a carrot     (Rabbits have eaten more than this in a day...you really didn't prepare so well...)
Time Duration Chosen to Complete Trail: 2 days     (....Yup, you're seriously a moron.)

The beginning of a love/hate relationship.

So all in all, it was a beautiful hike.  The trek takes you between two active volcanoes, Tongariro and Ngaurahoe (the model for Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings).  You get to see some geothermal areas, Red Crater, the Emerald Lakes, and some pretty beautiful skylines.  The area is so interesting, in that the evidence of prior eruptions has littered the area with black and red lava rock formations.  

Could the real Mount Doom please stand up? 

In the squatting position to avoid being blown over the edge.  

My pack and I were not on speaking terms at this point.

Red Crater

Emerald Lakes

You continue walking through a valley with flint rock, tan and black sand, and large rock formations protruding from random areas of the walk.  Further in, you walk across rolling plains of sand where sparse vegetation has begun to grow and flower.  It was somewhat eery, the lack of presence of noise or wildlife; just the wind rustling the high grasses. 

 Pretty view

Pretty awful view from my campsite the first night...

Then you cross down past a stream and into a forest of beech trees, where you feel like you're in the rainforest.  Birds call an exotic song, the air is humid and chilled, and you can hear water running below.  Out of the forest, it was a long walk across decently flat grasslands.  Easy right? 

Beautiful grasses

In my defense, I was going to make this a 3-day trip, but I met up with some other hikers and continued to press on further before setting up camp.  I hiked about 12 hours that first day...  Oh well, live and learn!  It was an amazing trip, and it felt pretty sweet to say that I saw Mount Doom and hiked through Mordor!