‘I Don’t Mind’ by the Tabasco Donkeys provided the soundtrack to my journey along Te Araroa. The lyrics sum up a long distance thru-hike and many of the reasons why we take on such adventures. I share them with you here:

I am looking, I am searching, I have found
Near the ground, my soul, myself, Beneath this trail
There’s no other place I’d rather be
Can’t you see me out here walking, In the rain and hail
The purpose of life, it seems to me Is not to take yourself too seriously
I wouldn’t want to be an old man
Sitting in an office building someplace far away With worry on my face

Well you can take my car, my stereo, my little money
Leave me with nothing but my trail family
Take my dress up clothes, my cheap cologne, my college loans
I don’t mind
I don’t mind

Well if that tax man comes looking
I’m at ten thousand feet cooking up some oatmeal
Or some rice and beans
I worship the spirit who doesn’t just look down
He looks up and through and all around
Find him in the rocks and trees
Cause there’s no reason to pray
When you wake up every day to the sunrise
Over Cito Peak

So find some ground, lace up your boots, start walking
And you will find reason
Enough reason to believe
Well you can drop your worries at the parking lot
Or way down in the city where the sun burns hot
Although civilization is a nice place to visit
I wouldn’t want to live there

And just one final paragraph of advice
Don’t burn yourself out
Be as I am
It’s not enough to fight for the land
It’s even more important to enjoy it while you can
While it’s still here

So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around
Ramble out yonder, explore the woods, encounter a grizz
Climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep
That yet sweet, lucid air
Sit quiet for a while, contemplate the precious stillness, that mystery
And awesome space
Enjoy yourself, keep your brain in your head, and your head attached to your body
Your body active and alive

And I promise you this much
I promise you this one sweet victory, over our enemies
Over those desk-bound people with their hearts in a box
And their eyes hypnotized by calculators
I promise you this one sweet victory….
You’ll outlive the bastards!