Total Miles Traveled: 60,295
MOUNT DOOM! Yes, it’s the famed mountain of evil in Mordor from the movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings. And it’s in New Zealand, which, after all of the advertising for LOTR tours, might just as well be Middle Earth. See the map below – it only lists movie filming sites on just the North Island, which includes the set of Hobbiton. They’re just starting to film the Hobbit.
Here’s the real Mount Doom (a.k.a. Mount Ngauruhoe) which was chosen for the movie because it’s the quintessential perception of a volcano cone. Most volcanoes aren’t perfectly formed like this.
One can hike Mount Doom – it’s a tough 3 hour there-and-back hike after you reach the “saddle”. Alas, we wouldn’t have time to do the hike (you really have to double-time it if you want to make it in a day), nor would the weather permit us. The wind picked up a lot about 15 minutes in to our hike and clouds moved in to obscure the volcano.
To get to the Mount Doom trail, you have to climb up to the saddle via a fairly steep trail called the Devil’s Staircase. It takes about 45 minutes and your heart will be pounding throughout, but it’s very doable.
As you can see, the view is beautiful, BUT we had to contend with nasty wind and cold temps.
Really windy, really cold and REALLY STEEP = Lisa with a frowny face.
After Devil’s Crossing, we reached a high plateau which is basically tundra – frozen ground.
Up ahead on the ridge, we see a lot of hikers taking in the sights. We’ll be going there next.
These were the views they were looking at:
Oh, did I mention it was freezing up there? Here we are at about the halfway point. Does it get any easier?
It certainly is breathtaking, despite the cold and wind…
After another climb (beware it’s quite slippery), we come upon the caldera of a volcano, still steaming and very sulphuric.
But it isn’t about to get easier, we’ve got to climb to the top of the volcano. Did I mention the wind? It’s now even stronger and we’re worried about gusts that could blow us… well… down the mountain. 🙁
And once you summit the volcano? It’s straight downhill on a scree. What’s that, you ask? It’s loose volcanic gravel. Quite slippery, but easy to navigate once you learn how to dig in your heels and lean back a little.
As you’re descending, you see three sulfuric lakes, a common postcard shot.
Which are less blue as you get closer…
The trail leads around to the right of the lava flow and up the ridge to a lake (you can see the trail on the rand-hand side of the photo).
By now, the hike is going to be a lot easier. You’re more protected from the wind and the steep climbs are over. Now it’s just managing the downhill stress on your knees.
Here’s a closer look at the lake. The sun starts to come out, though the wind is still pretty rippin’. We stopped here for a lunch even though we weren’t hungry. We were already 5 hours in to the trip and were running on pure adrenalin.
The back side of the crossing is a slight downhill, but it goes on for a long long time. It can wreak havoc on your knees so be prepared to ice down if your legs aren’t strong enough to handle the stress.
By now, the weather was sunny and the wind gone. We started shedding layer after layer as we descended. Along the way, you see some beautiful views of Lake Taupo to the north.
There was a little stream, but the water looked really gray and minerally. I’ve never seen water that color except around cement!
The grass here is exactly the kind you see in Lord of the Rings. There were fields of it growing on the mountain. The trail seems like its neverending, and finally you reach Ketatahi Hut where there’s fresh water and lodging if you need it.
After you leave the hut, there’s about an hour and a half (maybe more) of downhill through a forest which is nice, but the scenery doesn’t change much at all. Just when you think you’re about to reach the parking lot, there are more steps down, until you suddenly turn the corner and there it is, with other hikers lounging around waiting for their pickup.
All in all, it was a very challenging one-day hike, especially given the weather and temperature. I wouldn’t want to attempt this in bad/rainy weather and would encourage everyone who attempts it to be overly prepared clothing-wise as the weather can change on a dime. Don’t forget your first-aid kit in case of blisters or rolled ankles. But have fun – it’s a beautiful hike!
Here are all of our photos:
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