I got lots of weird looks for only spending 2 weeks vacation in New Zealand. When you’re deployed with the US Army for a year, you get (only) 2 weeks at any location of your choice. Months ago when my cousin asked where I was going to go, before I had a chance to answer, my mom said, "Isn’t that when you’re going to New Zealand?" With no pressure to return home, I took advantage of this chance to head far away from Afghanistan. I’d heard about Active New Zealand through either Backpacker or National Geographic Adventure magazine. When I started to look up ways to be active while exploring the country, the name of the company popped in my head and I googled it. Bingo! Exactly what I was looking for. Better yet, they actually had an 8 day tour right in the middle of my assigned R&R dates. I joke that I’ve only made two calls my whole time in Afghanistan: one, to my best friend, and two, to Active New Zealand to set up this trip. New Zealand, and seeing it through Active, was everything I’ve been missing. The vibrant colors of the country, the fresh smells, the varying topography, scenery that changes from oceanside to alps in only a few miles...or kilometers. Juxtaposed with flat, dusty (and sometimes disgustingly smelly) desert, my senses were in overload. When my friends/coworkers that I’m deployed with heard about the Active trip I was going on, they told me, "You’ll be more tired after that trip than when you left!" Little do they know, the kind of activities Active NZ organized are exactly what energize me. A 6 hour hike ("tramp") through fields, up a "gnarly," rooted-staircase, through more fields, and up a rocky, winding trail to a glacier lake (Lake Crucible) invigorated me. Scaring myself through a single-track, downhill on the bike, hopping around Hanz Josef Glacier with crampons on, crawling through the ice formations, spending all of my energy to make it across Milford sound on a sunny, but extremely windy day.....all of these things recharged my batteries. With this group, I got to meet people from other places and different backgrounds and interests. The tour allowed us to make selections of activities that suited our interests. The guides, Ben and Christina, were extremely knowledgeable about Kiwi culture and the areas we traveled to. If the weather wasn’t good at one location, they knew where we could go just a little further down the road to still have a good tramp or view. They were easy to pass time with and made sure we got the most from the tour. They made sure we were always full with delicious food and well informed about the next day’s activities. Having food, driving, lodging, and activities picked out for me made the trip that much easier to do. I wouldn’t have had the time, the energy, or the knowledge to put this trip together by myself (especially with only 3 weeks and from a place with poor resources). Also, as a single person, it was really easy to jump in with the group. I came back to the desert with so many fond memories and mental and digital images. Thanks, Active for giving me a very special get-away. l

| January 1970