“On a Mish” #411 It’s Easier Because It’s Dark (Part One). Peak 1170m (Lake Lyndon Area). Craigieburn Forest Park. 6.7.2024. The norm for climbing a big peak is to get up around midnight and do a lot up the uphill stuff in the darkness of the night. Due to the low visibility the task at hand is only the distance your head torch will reach and this makes the climb a little less daunting. All you need to worry about is where to put your feet. After finally achieving my goal of camping on a small ledge above Lake Lyndon I got the wild idea to climb the small hill that stood behind my camp…
Clambering up and down the old 4wd track to the small ledge I was going to camp on had taken its toll on my broken bits. The dull ache that had dimmed over the time I went without a mish had returned, and my lack of fitness was evident in how tired I was feeling. The price I must pay these days if I want to play, and if the weather and timing is right then it’s game on!
After dinner under the ever-increasing sea of stars above my camp, I retreated to the warmth of my tent and began to map browse like I normally do at the end of a day in the hills. I could see the not far above my camp stood the summit of the peak that the ledge was protruding from. The ‘what if’s’ began to flood into my head, and before turning in for the night I decided that Georgie and I would climb the peak early-ish the next day.
My mission to the little ledge above Lake Lyndon had gone perfectly to plan and a near windless night had aided me in getting some sleep. I did toss and turn to begin with as I did my best to ignore the soreness, but once I was out, I was out until my 5am alarm the next day. And with the sound of my alarm another mish was about to begin.
My head torch and jet boil bubbling away were the only source of light as I readied myself for my first uphill battle in a while. After feeding Georgie and preparing a cuppa I threw my pack on my back and zipped up my tent. It is a sad but less stressful fact that there are very few Kea (Alpine Parrots) in this area. They are by far my favourite creature, but unfortunately the numbers are in decline and seeing them are these parts is rare. At least for now my camp will remain undisturbed.
For some weird reason I decided to carry my coffee with me. I figured that the top of the hill wasn’t that far away, and as I hiked, I could sip on my nice warm cup of go juice. This turned out to be a 50 / 50 call. Almost immediately I spilt a slosh of hot liquid onto my hand which was kind of pleasant in the cold conditions, but also very annoying. I was not on my way, so I just had to be careful and drink my minor inconvenience as quickly as possible.
For the sake of some distant photos, I had left my camping light on in my tent. As I slowly plodded upward, I kept turning back to see the glow floating above Lake Lyndon. Beyond the lake was State Highway 73 with the lights of the odd vehicle zooming along it looking like low-flying shooting stars. It was the perfect morning for a mish, however this adventure, like so many before, turned out to be just a little trickier than anticipated. At least it was still nighttime, and it’s easier when it’s dark…
