Josh and Anne are gearing up for another adventure in the great outdoors.
For this trip, they will spend two weeks backpacking through New Zealand, which sounds like fun, don't you think?
However, this adventure will require getting some special gear before they head out.
Anne and Josh decide to visit a store that sells a lot of backpacking supplies.
Anne knows that the most important piece of equipment for when she's about to do a lot of hiking, is strong boots.
She tries out a number of boots, walking up and down plastic mountains in the store to test how well they hold the ground.
It looks like she has found some boots that are very light, waterproof, strong, and her favorite color─yellow!
Josh, meanwhile, knows that the next most important purchase is poles.
Scientists have recently discovered that walking downhill with a lot of weight is difficult for the knees to handle.
In fact, a lot of people injure their knees by slipping downhill, but poles help the knees by providing extra support and balance.
So Josh chooses some poles that are lightweight but strong enough to support his weight and grip the ground.
The last big purchase is a backpack. Backpacks come in all colors, sizes, and weights.
Bags that hold over seven kilograms have a padded strap that goes around the waist to help lift the weight off the shoulders.
Josh picks a brown pack that will help him hide in the trees, and Anne picks a pack with her favorite color─yellow!
There are a lot more pieces of equipment that Josh and Anne will need to go on their trip,
such as headlamps, sleeping bags, a cookstove, food, hiking clothes, a first aid kit, and bug repellant.
However, all of this can get expensive, so they borrow a lot of these things from their friends.
"In order to stay safe when you go backpacking, it's important to have good gear," Josh says.
Their bags are packed, and they are on their way to New Zealand!
New Zealand is a beautiful country with many kinds of landscapes.
There are beaches, forests, jungles, plains, mountains, and volcanoes, just to name a few.
The country is about the same size as Korea, just a tiny bit bigger.
But there are seventy million people living in Korea and only four million living in New Zealand.
Of course, you can change the total to four million and two, now that Josh and Anne have landed!
There are countless trails and hikes to choose from when you visit this beautiful country.
Josh and Anne decide to try the most famous trail in New Zealand, which is nicknamed the Most Beautiful Walk in the World.
It is a trail called the Milford Track.
It will take four days to hike the 53 kilometers from one side of the mountain to the other.
And because so many people like to visit Milford, they will sleep in huts instead of tents because it is easier on the wildlife.
Josh and Anne arrive at Milford on a very sunny day.
After walking a few kilometers, they pass by a river that is a color of blue Anne has never seen in a river before.
She is tempted to dive in, but it is too cold!
Later on in the hike, Josh meets a kea.
Don't be fooled, this is a very smart and talented bird.
While people aren't looking, it will unzip their backpacks and steal their lunches.
Josh gets close enough to take a picture and leaves the disappointed kea waiting for its next victim.
At the top of the mountain is Mackinnon Pass.
The view is breathtaking, and so is the freezing wind!
As they walk down the other side of the mountain, Josh and Anne are glad they have their poles.
Along the way they find a powerful waterfall.
Anne decides to test how waterproof her jacket is and steps underneath the falls.
"It felt like a massage!" she says, emerging from the waterfall dry and smiling.
The four days of hiking go by faster than they expected, and soon Josh and Anne are at the end of the trail.
"What did you think of Milford?" Anne asked.
"It's so beautiful, my feet aren't even tired!" said Josh.
"I agree. I can't wait to come back and do it again!" said Anne.
The first trail was a success.
With another 12 days to go, Josh and Anne are thankful they have such great gear and such a beautiful country to visit.