Conquered Mt Taranaki

I did it. The whole 2548m of Mt Taranaki climbed in 4 hours yesterday. I couldn't believe it. Half-an-hour into the climb I was already knackered and ready to ditch the hike. Somehow I persisted. Maybe because I saw people twice my age trying to climb which spurs me on. Also I spent $55 just to get to the foot of the mountain. Regardless, it wasn't plain sailing. Only half of the trail was formed, the other consisting of gravels and rocks. (see photo below). Those gravels were pretty annoying as they are slippery. Maybe I had improper shoe (my 5 years old Nike Cortez) but for every 2 steps up, I'll slide 1 step down. Very frustrating. And the slope is roughly 45 to 60 degrees. At the crater (Mt Taranaki is a dormant volcano), the temperature dropped dramatically. There was even snow/ice at the center of the crater. The crater lie just below the summit and at the summit, wind was blowing ice so I didn't stay long. 20 minutes most. After all that work, only 20 minutes to revel. And most of it was spent eating lunch. Getting down was also a challenge. Again the gravel proves to be an obstacle since the slipperiness can cause you to slide down uncontrollably. With sharp rocks and few hundred meters of downward slope, I took my time going down. Slow, steady but surely is the way to go. After 3.5 hours, I'm at the foot again. There were roughly 15 people who climbed the mountain that day. 2 needed rescuing. Apparently both had injured their ankle on the way down but fortunately rescue helicopter was there to pick those lucky people up. My shuttle driver said people use to die on this mountain even one of his close friend was killed there 8 years ago. Fortunately, the rescue helicopters had made a difference. According to him, to avoid mishap, always watch weather forecast and be prepared for the worst - carry warm clothing, food & water. Never delve into the mountain in treacherous weather. As you can see, it was generally fine (see bottom photo, foot of Mt Taranaki) & I didn't just go hike up the mountain nilly willy. I've googled about it, made my research and made my prep. Alhamdulillah everything went well. Will I do it again? No. Too much work :D I would rather spend my money on a helicopter ride up there. But I would climb another mountain if given another chance. It wont be long until I wont have time or energy to climb mountains anymore so take the opportunity when it comes.