“On a Mish” #31 Crawling in the Wind (Part Two). Erewhon Peak(2068m). Hakatere Conservation Park. 5.5.2014. Whether you like it or not, weather will always happen, and it is best to see the positives of what Mother Nature is up to when you are in her presence. Some days she gives you bluebird conditions with barely a breath of a breeze, and the sun is the only disruption to the blue above. And then there are the days when wanders become wild, and walking is no longer possible. Then, crawling is the only way as you fight forward in the wind which wants to send you flying into the sky like a piece of tussock…
The Erewhon Park ski area resides in a large hanging valley above the Rangitata Riverbed, with several large basins perfect for holding snow during the winter months. This is why there was once a commercial field here with rope-tows dragging skiers up to the top of the area. Nowadays the remains of the ski operation are scattered around as a reminder of what was here many years ago. The tows might be lying in tatters, but the bulldozed road is still usable and an easy way to get elevation in the massive Hakatere Conservation Park.
After getting up into the Hanging Valley the way is straight forward, apart from one nasty section that keeps you on your toes. About halfway between the valley’s entrance and the upper basins is a large washout which changes with heavy rain in the summer and avalanches in winter. Every time I visit the area the slip has altered. Most of the time crossing over the steep slope of loose rock is a tricky affair and what I thought would be our only real challenge on this mish. On this outing the rough track through the slip wasn’t too bad, and after carefully negotiating it, we continued to the ski area in the upper reaches of the valley.
The goal for this mish was to climb one of the bigger peaks at the head of the valley. Along with Mt Potts (biggest in the range) I had climbed a couple of the other mountains, and it was only a matter of time before I would be heading towards the top of the valley. Because the peak is only marked as its height on maps we decided to give the mountain a name, Erewhon Peak(2068m).
By the time we got to the base of the mountain’s final ridges, the wind was in full swing, or so we thought. At this stage we were unaware what was waiting for us on the summit, something that would make us crawl…
