“On a Mish” #196 A Fridge Sized Rock (Part Two). Cold Peak(1613m). Mavora Lakes Conservation Area. 10.11.2016. I have been very lucky during my time roaming the hills. A couple of situations have been close to disaster, but due to a mix of luck and experience, I have survived everything that Mother Nature has thrown at me while out on a mish. The close calls and near misses have taught me some very valuable plans, and on a mish up above North Mavora Lake I was going to be taught another important lesson, however I wouldn’t be getting away from this without the scars of an interesting adventure…
At the edge of a bubbling Mararoa River we paused and pondered our next steps. The river was running high and swift, and after looking around we decided that crossing the river was a no-go and we needed another plan. Luckily the Mararoa Valley has many different options and after a quick map check we decided to continue up the valley to Boundary Hut. To get there we didn’t need to worry about crossing rivers and we weren’t in this location to worry about anything!
The open paddocks meant we could take in the scenery as we walked towards our plan B, and after some very pleasant wandering we sighted what we thought was going to be our home for the night.
We were nearly at the hut’s door before we spotted two 4WD vehicles parked outside the hut. We poked our heads inside to see that nobody was home, however the amount of gear showed us that there were going to be a few people at the hut that night. Along with the gear there was also a stack of 24packs of beer boxes topped off with a couple of bottles of whiskey. We were immediately aware that if we stayed here, we wouldn’t get the night of solitude that we were seeking, and we’d probably struggle to get any sleep.
So, after a quick look around we were now looking at plan C. Appropriately our plan C would be Careys Hut, which meant we had to back track our way back to the top of the lake. The mix of afternoon sun and scenery meant we didn’t mind the fact that we had had to change our mission multiple times.
We got back to Careys Hut, and after getting the fire going and settling in, we were happy and in a place of peace. The still lake and clear skies made for a breath-taking scene and at this stage we were totally alone.
We were lucky to have the hut to ourselves and from the looks of the hut’s logbook this was a rare occasion. As afternoon turned to evening, we went for a walk to the lake, and it was while we were at the lakes edge that we looked up behind the hut at Cold Peak and it was decided that the next day we would climb Cold Peak…
