What an Intrepid Tramper you are. This was mesmerising and I was glued to the screen for the entire video. As a tranper in my 60s I felt the challenges! 😅 Huge respect to you. Your philosophical ponderings towards the end resonate deeply in my heart, and your parents' welcome off the trail was beautiful 😍 Well done and brilliant video content.
Thanks Beau. I've been meaning to write and share with you, that your Junk Paddle RUclips vid was a real hit with my Masters students doing a Crafting paper. A couple of them have been combing the Auckland streets and railway lines for wood and are building a paddle for a trip at the end of the year. Love your work!
Hey Beau, looking forward to hosting you in NZ at AUT. How long will you have in Auckland? My emails the same. Get in touch and we'll see if we can work in a micro adventure...
Hey Mark. Well done. You are an athlete. We cut 46 ks of new predator control tracks on Resolution Island plus heaps of tracks around Milford. So we fet a taste of what you have done. We'll done My man. Fiordland toughens up up but is so rewarding in another way. It gets in your blood.
A great watch! I had to keep pausing and flicking to NZ Topo Map to work out where you were. I worked for DOC in Te Anau for 10 years and have been to most of those huts you stayed in and maintained the cable structures you walked over. Thanks for filling in all the rugged bits in between. Very inspirational to someone also in their fifties!
I spent a total of 98 days in and around Dusky Sound in the mid 70s. Geology field work full tramping style with just two of us fully off track all of the time. I deeply appreciate the courage and physicality this journey demanded and it resonates so hard with me it hurts. Well done and much respect.
Wow! 98days. I bet you had some adventures during that trip. And the coms in the 70s would have made it very committing. Glad you enjoyed the video and it brought back some rich memories.
Mark - was sent this video by a friend in Dunedin and found it entirely jaw dropping. Such a strong sense of awe. Thanks for all that walking. Cheers, Simon in London.
This trek through Fiordland, you've taken me back to some places I've been and to others I've only dreamed of. Absolutely amazing, epic. Thankyou again
An awesome video, well put to gether. Its impossible to put everything on a video and I bet you still have fresh memories today of that adventure. And many of your other adventures.
An absolute eye-opener. I stumbled across your video on one of my many searches of Fiordland I've made over the last year or two. It's my dream to do something similar. I hadn't planned on watching the whole thing but from the first few scenes you were so relatable and then the adventure drew me in. As the credits rolled I found myself wanting more. I guess I'll have to get down to Fiordland and create my own story from here. Amazing effort, thanks for making this video.
Thanks Nick It is a place that will draw you in with its scale, beauty and mystique. Keep the dream alive and I look forward to hearing about your own adventure one day.
Hats of to you Mark, your doubts at the start, are as it should be with a task that big ahead of you. You did well to keep it together when it was all stacked against you and the sandflies conspiring to drive you insane. That knife edge ridge in the mist at 9.26 looks so dodgy! Awesome film.
What an extraordinary journey Mark. It takes real testicular capacity to strike out on your own on such an adventure. I actually got emotional when you finished it. I'd love to do something like this but I don't have a good head for heights. Thank you so much for sharing a remarkable journey with us. Cheers
Hi Mark we cut 43 ks on Resolution Island ..Mate well done.I can fully appreciate your mission. Fiordland toughens you you up. A vast wilderness. Well done.
Bro, nice to see you crossing the from the Cozette Head Basin via the Irene Benches to Robin Saddle and staying at Robin Saddle Hut.... such a brilliant place and stoked you;ve recorded this as I crossed to the benches many times in the 80's from Robin Saddle but did not have the tech to record those times... thank you!!!
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Yeah, I wish I'd known you then as we used that route often when working with the Takahe on the Irene Benches and the Cozette Burn Head Basin... but all good as you found your way through easy as...
@@DarrenPeters-l7o Yeah, that would have been great. It would have taken a lot of stress out of the day knowing a route existed. I was just operating on a hunch and headed in the opposite direction from the Moirs Guide advice.
Wow, I saw that this video was 50 minutes long and thought I'm not going to watch all of it, maybe 5 minutes... 50 minutes later and the video was incredible, felt like a movie. brilliant video and commentary ❤️
Fascinating journey Mark. Tremendous effort, and especially solo. I know only a few others who have done similar trips. We had planned a similar traverse back in 2012/13, and picked out pretty much the same route. By the time we got to West Arm Manapouri, however, the weather really got stuck in with storm after storm, and we were beaten further east - we had a full length of the South Island in mind. We managed a short trip into the Glaisnock and up to Edith Saddle, and back out, and then carried on north until a knee injury knocked me out in the Landsborough. We were on our journey 72 days in total. This will be etched in your memory for life. So nice to the see the country we so wanted to traverse in your video. Thanks.
Thanks Mel. I couldn't agree more. What it needs is more investment in pest eradication. I saw stoats and possums in there, even in the most remote of places.
Leo (in the red jacket, pack raft bit)and Laurel just watched this in California. My, how far away and precious Fiordland and New Zealand seem now. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on an amazing journey!
Stunning achievement, congrats! The scenery is jaw dropping, I can imagine how it felt being there on your own, but for 40 days, it's another level. Thanks for the video. Massive respect for what you have done for mental health.
Wow Mark , what a truly inspiring journey. Stu sent me this ... We feel proud to have you as our Cousin .. Great to see R &R at the end. This is like a land version of a Swanhaven adventure.
Thanks you guys. I just checked out your Sawcut Gorge movie. That's a place I've always wanted to get to.You guys are doing some great work. What program did you use for the map worm at the end of that movie please?
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Sawcut Gorge is an amazing place. For the maps we just use PowerPoint animations and save it as an mp4 file. It does raise a question about your trip however around battery conservation. It looks like you used Relive, which I assume you ran off your phone, looks like you also had an in reach and at least two cameras. It must have been difficult keeping everything charged even with spare batteries and power banks. I noticed you had some solar panels, but weather appeared to not always be playing ball with good sunlight hours.
YesI had a GoPro and an iPhone X. I charged both with the solar panel and I had a Wopow powerpack for the cloudy days. The InReach was important to keep charged and switched on while I was walking pinging the satellite every 30minutes. Yes Relive for the GPX file and 3D worm. I was blogging by using the Earthmate App to pair the iPhone to the InReach Mini and Txting updates to my wife to upload to Facebook. Amazing technology all. The only issue was accidentally leaving on the GoPro and filling up the card, and with no spare that was the end of that.
Quite a remarkable journey you undertook. I worked in the Park from the beginning of 63 and did lots of journeys during and since, so it has been a tremendous reminder of the beauty and strength of Nature. Thanks, Mark. Robin Smith
WOW, simply stunning video footage and an amazing recount of your journey. I followed your journey on Facebook and was thrilled to watch this video. Well done on your achievement, congratulations!!
Really Fantastic Mark!!! this is just what I needed. Been toying with the idea of taking my launch down from Auckland to explore the fiords but its such a long haul to get there. Wish I Iived closer. Certainly got me thinking. Thanks so much for sharing this epic adventure. Awesome achievement at 60 and some of that climbing took balls of steel.
Thanks solo3071. I'm heading back down to paddle the Fiordland coast this summer if all goes to plan to close the circle. Thanks for your kind words and sorry I took so long to reply.
That was amazing! The Relive recap at the end really hammered it home - the fact that if took so long and that elevation profile was so gnarly. An incredible and inspirational achievement. Well done.
Bloody incredible mate very impressed. Love the comment about everyone having a journey to tick off within their comfort zone. One day I’ll get my version of your traverse. Awesome
Well done an awesome idea changing adventure into the world's most rugged Park. I have been fortunate enough to cut and maintain many tracks in Fiordland. I know the highs and the lows. Fjordland toughens you up a vast wilderness that will test you and reward you equally..
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Thanks for replying Mark we were not working on the main wing track s rather route finding and cutting predator control line's..some evil going. Well done on your epic adventure... you are one hardy soul.
Caralho! The good portugese to describe what have you done. Absolutuly amazing. Such a good inspiration to keep me getting more into tramping and skilled to do someyhing like this one day.
Wow Jonesy what an epic adventure. Watched this twice now, simply inspirational. You did a great job of commentating the journey as well. Look forward to the next time I bump into you in the field somewhere
Epic trip! I was following your travels as you left, missed you on the dusky only by a couple of days. Planning a 2 week bash next summer myself...don't think I'm quite ready for 40 days!
Thank you for sharing this video, beautiful land, great journey, well done
What an Intrepid Tramper you are.
This was mesmerising and I was glued to the screen for the entire video.
As a tranper in my 60s I felt the challenges! 😅
Huge respect to you. Your philosophical ponderings towards the end resonate deeply in my heart, and your parents' welcome off the trail was beautiful 😍
Well done and brilliant video content.
Thanks GypsyGirl317, nice of you to say. And well done for watching until the end.
Good stuff Jonesy! Nice to see you in action again. What a brilliant A-B. Fortitude, thoughtfulness and grit.
Thanks Beau. I've been meaning to write and share with you, that your Junk Paddle RUclips vid was a real hit with my Masters students doing a Crafting paper. A couple of them have been combing the Auckland streets and railway lines for wood and are building a paddle for a trip at the end of the year. Love your work!
Hey Beau, looking forward to hosting you in NZ at AUT. How long will you have in Auckland? My emails the same. Get in touch and we'll see if we can work in a micro adventure...
Hey Mark. Well done. You are an athlete. We cut 46 ks of new predator control tracks on Resolution Island plus heaps of tracks around Milford. So we fet a taste of what you have done. We'll done My man. Fiordland toughens up up but is so rewarding in another way. It gets in your blood.
A great watch! I had to keep pausing and flicking to NZ Topo Map to work out where you were. I worked for DOC in Te Anau for 10 years and have been to most of those huts you stayed in and maintained the cable structures you walked over. Thanks for filling in all the rugged bits in between. Very inspirational to someone also in their fifties!
Thanks Al. What a great place to devote a decade of your life to!
You are amazing, Thankyou for taking the time to film & share the toughest trek known to man .
I spent a total of 98 days in and around Dusky Sound in the mid 70s. Geology field work full tramping style with just two of us fully off track all of the time. I deeply appreciate the courage and physicality this journey demanded and it resonates so hard with me it hurts. Well done and much respect.
Wow! 98days. I bet you had some adventures during that trip. And the coms in the 70s would have made it very committing. Glad you enjoyed the video and it brought back some rich memories.
Thank you for sharing your adventure Mark. That was an epic journey ❤
Wow what an incredible trip. 👏 😍
Awsom vid, amazing stamina,,,and for a great cause, 👍👍💪💪
Mark - was sent this video by a friend in Dunedin and found it entirely jaw dropping. Such a strong sense of awe. Thanks for all that walking. Cheers, Simon in London.
This trek through Fiordland, you've taken me back to some places I've been and to others I've only dreamed of. Absolutely amazing, epic. Thankyou again
Thanks Bruce. It was indeed a dream trip for me. So many places that I'd read about and finally got to experience.
What a feat! Very well done and thanks for giving all a taste of what is was like.
What an adventure, what a journey. Congratulations on this epic achievement. Love watching every minute of this.
An awesome video, well put to gether. Its impossible to put everything on a video and I bet you still have fresh memories today of
that adventure. And many of your
other adventures.
An absolute eye-opener. I stumbled across your video on one of my many searches of Fiordland I've made over the last year or two. It's my dream to do something similar. I hadn't planned on watching the whole thing but from the first few scenes you were so relatable and then the adventure drew me in. As the credits rolled I found myself wanting more. I guess I'll have to get down to Fiordland and create my own story from here. Amazing effort, thanks for making this video.
Thanks Nick
It is a place that will draw you in with its scale, beauty and mystique. Keep the dream alive and I look forward to hearing about your own adventure one day.
What an awesome trip. Thankyou for sharing it with us all.
In Fiordland they say, "If you can't see the mountains it's raining, if you can see the mountains, it's about to rain."
absolutely Awesome, you're a machine & an inspiration . Thankyou for sharing this .
Hats of to you Mark, your doubts at the start, are as it should be with a task that big ahead of you.
You did well to keep it together when it was all stacked against you and the sandflies conspiring to drive you insane. That knife edge ridge in the mist at 9.26 looks so dodgy! Awesome film.
Just amazing,be very proud in what you did.
What an extraordinary journey Mark. It takes real testicular capacity to strike out on your own on such an adventure. I actually got emotional when you finished it. I'd love to do something like this but I don't have a good head for heights. Thank you so much for sharing a remarkable journey with us. Cheers
Best doco I've seen in a while! 👍
Hi Mark we cut 43 ks on Resolution Island ..Mate well done.I can fully appreciate your mission. Fiordland toughens you you up. A vast wilderness. Well done.
Bro, nice to see you crossing the from the Cozette Head Basin via the Irene Benches to Robin Saddle and staying at Robin Saddle Hut.... such a brilliant place and stoked you;ve recorded this as I crossed to the benches many times in the 80's from Robin Saddle but did not have the tech to record those times... thank you!!!
Thanks Darren. Yeah that was the highlight of my trip, finding a high route through to that hut ahead of the storm.
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Yeah, I wish I'd known you then as we used that route often when working with the Takahe on the Irene Benches and the Cozette Burn Head Basin... but all good as you found your way through easy as...
@@DarrenPeters-l7o Yeah, that would have been great. It would have taken a lot of stress out of the day knowing a route existed. I was just operating on a hunch and headed in the opposite direction from the Moirs Guide advice.
O for Awesome, was a pleasure and sometimes scary to watch your epic journey Cheers
Nice one mate. I grew up there and this took me back to my childhood. Well done with this epic achievement Mark
Wow, I saw that this video was 50 minutes long and thought I'm not going to watch all of it, maybe 5 minutes... 50 minutes later and the video was incredible, felt like a movie. brilliant video and commentary ❤️
Hey, thanks Alfred, that means a lot to me. Cheers
Fascinating journey Mark. Tremendous effort, and especially solo. I know only a few others who have done similar trips. We had planned a similar traverse back in 2012/13, and picked out pretty much the same route. By the time we got to West Arm Manapouri, however, the weather really got stuck in with storm after storm, and we were beaten further east - we had a full length of the South Island in mind. We managed a short trip into the Glaisnock and up to Edith Saddle, and back out, and then carried on north until a knee injury knocked me out in the Landsborough. We were on our journey 72 days in total. This will be etched in your memory for life. So nice to the see the country we so wanted to traverse in your video. Thanks.
Your journey must've been amazing Markus. 72days is quite a while to be on the go. Yes I was fortunate to get some good spells of weather. Thanks
Awesome video, thoroughly enjoyed watching this! What a trip!
Mark .
That was a truly amazing inspirational video of an amazing journey . Fiordland is the most awe inspiring place ,and needs our protection !.
Thanks Mel. I couldn't agree more. What it needs is more investment in pest eradication. I saw stoats and possums in there, even in the most remote of places.
Started watching and couldn’t stop.. what an adventure ! Super impressive and inspiring, thanks for sharing - Bear Grylls ain’t got nothing on you ! 😂
Thanks Darrell Glad you enjoyed it.
Leo (in the red jacket, pack raft bit)and Laurel just watched this in California. My, how far away and precious Fiordland and New Zealand seem now. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on an amazing journey!
Thanks Leo. It was great to spend a a couple of days with you and the others in Lake T Hut. Glad you got back home safe.
Hat off to you, well done great video
Cool adventure
Thanks Mark. Really enjoyed watching that 😊
Well done brother!!!!!
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us. Much appreciated!
Fantastic achievement!
What a wonderful mental and physical challenge...loved it.
A tough unforgiving and spectacular land. Well done, well filmed and narrated. Food for the soul
Inspirational! What a hikoi. Some of that ridge top stuff was pretty out there. Great watch - thanks
and congratulations!
Awesome to watch Bro. It’s very well done. I didn’t know there was a saddle named after me there. 💓
Stunning achievement, congrats! The scenery is jaw dropping, I can imagine how it felt being there on your own, but for 40 days, it's another level. Thanks for the video. Massive respect for what you have done for mental health.
It is always great to have some free time while enjoying and exploring nature, incredible sights
That is astounding - at once both daunting, and yet, inspiring. Thank you for the effort of putting this together. Simply awesome. - John
Thanks John. I appreciating you saying. You come back from these things with a pile of footage and wonder if it will ever come together as a movie.
Just spectacular. Congratulations! You're an inspiration.
Thanks Mark for laying out your soul and producing an excellent video story.
Great Video Mark, wonderful trip, thanks for sharing
Well done Mark , New Zealand has got some World class tramping adventures.
This is Amazing. One Tough man. Well Done.
Wow Mark , what a truly inspiring journey. Stu sent me this ... We feel proud to have you as our Cousin ..
Great to see R &R at the end.
This is like a land version of a Swanhaven adventure.
Mark thank you so much for sharing. That was absolutely fantastic and incredibly inspiring.
Thanks you guys. I just checked out your Sawcut Gorge movie. That's a place I've always wanted to get to.You guys are doing some great work. What program did you use for the map worm at the end of that movie please?
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Sawcut Gorge is an amazing place. For the maps we just use PowerPoint animations and save it as an mp4 file. It does raise a question about your trip however around battery conservation. It looks like you used Relive, which I assume you ran off your phone, looks like you also had an in reach and at least two cameras. It must have been difficult keeping everything charged even with spare batteries and power banks. I noticed you had some solar panels, but weather appeared to not always be playing ball with good sunlight hours.
YesI had a GoPro and an iPhone X. I charged both with the solar panel and I had a Wopow powerpack for the cloudy days. The InReach was important to keep charged and switched on while I was walking pinging the satellite every 30minutes. Yes Relive for the GPX file and 3D worm. I was blogging by using the Earthmate App to pair the iPhone to the InReach Mini and Txting updates to my wife to upload to Facebook. Amazing technology all. The only issue was accidentally leaving on the GoPro and filling up the card, and with no spare that was the end of that.
What a journey well done❤
Really epic and inspiring journey!
Epic journey and storey Jonesy!
Thank you Jonesy. Food for the soul 🙏 A gift for storytelling.....terrifying at times, full of adventure and beauty and always inspiring! 💚
Thanks Cath. Glad you enjoyed it.
An Epic journey my friend, probably one of the best videos I've seen, great commentary, mind blowing 😊
Thanks so much for saying that Silver Peaks. Appreciated.
This is an inspiring adventure. Thank you for documenting it.
Many thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome Mark, unreal effort.
This is the stuff of legends, Mark.
Super inspirational, well done brother!!!
Thanks Levi
Absolutely amazing adventure !! thank you !
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed it. It was nice to be able to share it a little.
Quite a remarkable journey you undertook. I worked in the Park from the beginning of 63 and did lots of journeys during and since, so it has been a tremendous reminder of the beauty and strength of Nature. Thanks, Mark. Robin Smith
Thanks Robin.
Yes, I have some very special memories from that journey and smile often thinking about my time in Fiordland.
Absolutely mental! What an epic trip & epic achievement. So much respect for you and fratutude for sharing. No words. Awesome. 😁
Cheers Darrell. You said it all right there.
This has been awesome to watch. Love the fact it's off track
Cheers Karl. Tons of intrigue some days as to weather a route was going to go or not.
Really enjoyed watching this. What an epic journey, thanks for sharing Mark.
Thanks Ryan
Awesome to see you doing this Jonesie. Out boy heads to tihoi next year. Have told him all about your adventures and how you were teaching with Dad.
What an adventure. Truly epic.
That was awesome. I enjoyed following you live during the adventure and really cool that you put together such a good video. Cheers
Wow Mark, what an incredible journey. Thank you so much for sharing.
What an insane and brilliant idea, absolute stunning watch.
Very inspiring!!!
Stunning. What a great journey and story. Thank you for sharing.
Unbelievable a adventure of a lifetime good on you and thanks for sharing
What an epic journey Mark.
Thanks for sharing 👍
Mate what an epic trip...Very inspiring and motivating, you have yourself a new subsciber, looking forward to more...Cheers
Wow mate! I dunno what to say.. that was extremely inspiring!! Thanks so much for putting that together 👌🏼
incredible, thankyou
Exceptional adventure, thanks for sharing the video!
Incredible adventure thanks for sharing your grit mental fortitude in the toughest country in NZ was inspiring
Thanks Steve. Glad you enjoyed it. I still smile when I think about that trip.
epic trip mate, thanks for sharing your journey.
WOW, simply stunning video footage and an amazing recount of your journey. I followed your journey on Facebook and was thrilled to watch this video. Well done on your achievement, congratulations!!
Well done that man.
Really Fantastic Mark!!! this is just what I needed. Been toying with the idea of taking my launch down from Auckland to explore the fiords but its such a long haul to get there. Wish I Iived closer. Certainly got me thinking. Thanks so much for sharing this epic adventure. Awesome achievement at 60 and some of that climbing took balls of steel.
Thanks solo3071. I'm heading back down to paddle the Fiordland coast this summer if all goes to plan to close the circle. Thanks for your kind words and sorry I took so long to reply.
That was amazing! The Relive recap at the end really hammered it home - the fact that if took so long and that elevation profile was so gnarly. An incredible and inspirational achievement. Well done.
Bloody incredible mate very impressed. Love the comment about everyone having a journey to tick off within their comfort zone. One day I’ll get my version of your traverse. Awesome
Mark, that was amazing, watching this made me realise I’ve used the word epic a bit too often in the oat.
Love your journey. So brave.. and especially to raise money for mental health.. I think you are amazing. Congratulations.
Thank you Tofao. The discomfort was easily outweighed by the beauty and awe. Deeply grateful to all who contributed.
wonderful, inspiring! Many thanks for sharing!
What an adventure, Mark. Timing at Robin Saddle hut couldn't have worked out better!
Yes, I was pushing hard for a few days to beat the frontal system. I loved that wee hut.
Love the video grate content keep it up
Well done an awesome idea changing adventure into the world's most rugged Park. I have been fortunate enough to cut and maintain many tracks in Fiordland. I know the highs and the lows. Fjordland toughens you up a vast wilderness that will test you and reward you equally..
Thanks Warren. Top respect for your track work too. I was lucky enough to do most of the Dusky track section behind a track crew.
@@MarkJones-ht9zd Thanks for replying Mark we were not working on the main wing track s rather route finding and cutting predator control line's..some evil going. Well done on your epic adventure... you are one hardy soul.
Awesome stuff mate! Very inspiring journey.
Caralho! The good portugese to describe what have you done. Absolutuly amazing. Such a good inspiration to keep me getting more into tramping and skilled to do someyhing like this one day.
Wow Jonesy what an epic adventure. Watched this twice now, simply inspirational. You did a great job of commentating the journey as well. Look forward to the next time I bump into you in the field somewhere
Thanks Kyle. I'll look forward to that too. Cheers
Epic trip! I was following your travels as you left, missed you on the dusky only by a couple of days. Planning a 2 week bash next summer myself...don't think I'm quite ready for 40 days!
What a great video of an epic journey, I really enjoyed this. Courageous, inspiring and honest, well done.
An awe inspiring journey.
Omg - what an insane, inspiring trip!
What an amazing and inspiring journey Mark. Great job!