I've been carrying around a 14mm lens (which is as wide angle as you can go without stuff bending in a goofy circle around the center of the image), and I've barely had the opportunity to use it. The landscape just never seemed appropriate…until today.

I hiked the first two legs of the Routeburn Track today. It was one of the more strenuous hikes I've been on in my life, as the second portion climbed straight up into the mountains. Until I reached my destination, things were quite boring. Sure, I crossed a few swaying suspension bridges, but nothing really caught my eye. Then, I stepped into Middle Earth.

The land opened up into beautiful waterfalls on one side and the valley from whence I'd come on the other. It was truly spectacular to behold, but I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking today. Sleepiness dulls my ability to form sentences.