Low key

It’s not uncommon for me to not see another soul while I’m out trail running.

In fact, it’s rare enough that I’m always slightly startled when I round a corner to find a fully laden tramper coming towards me. I say tramper because the few times I have seen people out on the trails they are invariably boot clad, pack on back and poles in hand trampers.

I always feel so under dressed when I come across trampers out on the trail, they look like they could hunker down quite comfortably for an entire month whereas I’m over here in my frilly skirt carrying some water and a few mentos.   One pack wielding gentleman I came across the afternoon I climbed Andersons Track was so concerned about my “lack of preparedness” he asked how far I was going, bless him!

Andersons Track

(For those of you who are now genuinely worried – I do carry a personal locator beacon just in case anything should  REALLY go wrong).

Yesterday afternoon I headed to the Bethells Beach end of the Te Henga Walkway. I did a small section of this end of the trail back in May when I first started trail running and even though it was early on a blustery Saturday morning I still met quite a few individuals (and yes that included a group of trampers) out on the trail, so I was not surprised when I arrived to find other cars parked at the entrance, especially as it’s the school holidays and there are just more people around than usual at that time of the day.

I came across the first group of people as I ran through the first paddock and although the track itself was clear there were groups of people stopped along the route enjoying the view (and why wouldn’t you)!

Godzone

What I did notice is that you come across a much broader range of the community when you are on one of the more widely known and easily accessible tracks than when you are in the middle of the Waitakere Ranges.

As I rounded one corner I came across (what I assume, although I shouldn’t) was a Mother and her teen aged daughter admiring a tree (that part I’m sure of) and they were dressed in .. Redbands!  Yep, they were out on the trail in gumboots but perhaps what was even cooler was the fact they were also wearing plaid suit jackets and jeans (picture English country upper class), I mean how cool is that!

And then there were the girls who I came across high up on the hill wandering along one of the more treacherous parts of the track, smart phones at the ready, in bare feet ..

If I hadn’t known better, (as in there is no cellphone coverage out there) I’d have sworn they were hunting Pokemon.  I’m guessing they were heading to the point to get selfies, and who am I to judge – I took some too. 😉

A selfie before heading back.

Although, I will admit, I now understand how that tramper I came across on Anderson’s Track felt  .. (but at least I was wearing shoes).

Till next time