The night before, we had met a German couple at the hostel who kindly gave us a ride to the starting point of the Alpine Crossing. For the first time on my journey, I felt what it meant to freeze. Despite wearing a wind and rainproof jacket, a long-sleeved hiking shirt, and thick socks, I froze like a tailor.
Icy cold and a frosty wind made it challenging for us to complete the 19.4 km long route up to 2200 meters above sea level. Over rocks and volcanic landscapes, mountain lakes, and volcanic craters, we hiked for 6.5 hours, sometimes steeply uphill, with wind speeds of up to 50 km/h, and then back down into the valley and to slightly warmer areas. It is an absolute mystery to me how some people were able to do this hike in shorts and thin jackets (the Dutch, of course). Next time, please bring gloves and a woolen hat... Stefan and Inma, who accompanied us on our journey, spontaneously took us to Wellington the next day. A big thank you to them at this point!!! We had so much fun with you!
