“On a Mish” #317 Welcome to Borland – Part Two. Borland Saddle (Mount Burns Tarns). Fiordland National Park. 12.1.2022. There is something so cool about showing people the beauty of the wilderness. It is very rewarding when you introduce someone to scenery or a location that you think is awesome and they agree. Really, this is what the life of a guide is about. We just point out things that we know are beautiful and then most people smile and nod in agreement. Not a very difficult job I agree, but one that must be done to remind people how awesome this world really is…
Early-ish the next morning I dragged myself out of my sleeping bag to a world of grey, drizzle and sandflies. Your day is defined by your attitude, so I was just stoked to be way up the top end of the Borland Valley on a mish. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the sandfly. For one of the smallest creatures in the country they can cause some big problems, and a sense of calm is always needed when encountering Fiordland’s least favourite foe. As an early riser I usually have to wait for my mission companions to wake up. While waiting for my new Swedish bro Jens I got our fire going again and this eased the number of sandflies (slightly!). Eventually Jens was up and ready for action, and our morning mish was going to be a wander up to the Mount Burns Tarns. As far as introductions to Fiordland go, Mount Burns Tarns is right up there with the best. You get everything you need with relative ease, and within the hour or so that it takes to hike up and down the track satisfaction will be found. Jens has an excellent outlook on life and not once did he mention the rain in a negative way, the attitude I wish most people had when visiting the outdoors in wet weather.
The grind up to the tarns was a challenge for my hip, but once up there it was easy to forget the pain and take in the views. We soaked up the atmosphere (and rain) before returning back down the track to the car and our inevitable return to the real world. It was awesome to introduce another person to the Borland area and hopefully Jens will return for his own adventures there one day. My plan was to get Jens hooked on Fiordland and as we drove back to Te Anau I could already see the first signs of wilderness addiction starting to show. It is safe to say that our Borland mission together was a HUGE success!
