“On a Mish” #411 It’s Easier Because It’s Dark (Part Two). Peak 1170m (Lake Lyndon Area). Craigieburn Forest Park. 6.7.2024. Lot of the time when you are climbing a mountain you have your head down and are focused on your feet and each step they must take. If you just focused on the uphill in front of you it would be a ‘watched kettle never boils’ situation. Many bigger missions have begun in the dark, and because it’s dark it seems easier. After hauling gear for Georgie and myself up to a little ledge above Lake Lyndon I thought my next mish was just going to be hauling everything back down. Then I got the wild idea to drag myself up the hill above my camp…
The angle that I was climbing up didn’t change for what seemed like ages, but the eastern skyline did. As time went on, I could see the smallest slither of sunlight beginning to glow beyond the hills of the Torlesse Range. The world was beginning to wake up and I was on the side of a hill sipping a coffee and taking slow steps into the snowy highlands near State Highway 73. To me this is the best way to start a day, and I’ll take the discomfort of my back and hip while doing this over not doing this and my sore bits being less sore!
Eventually the slope’s angle eased, and I was onto the summit plateau hiking in snow closer to where I wanted to go. Every now and then I would see Georgie darting in and out of the darkness. She was mesmerised by the sensation of the snow under her feet, and this kept her zooming around. Oh, how I wished to have her ability to move! But with no genie in sight I had to use what I had, even if it wasn’t working properly.
From my time reading the map of the area, I could see that the hill leveled off a little bit before it then rose one last time to the high point. It is always a strange feeling when you are crossing land you are unfamiliar with physically, but are familiar with the topography. I knew what I had to do, I just couldn’t see it. The last rise wasn’t as bad as expected thanks to my legs now being warmed up. In the dark distance I could see the summit marker, and this was the final motivation needed to get to the top.
I never expected to get the pleasure of standing atop of a hill on this mish, but here I was in the darkness of the early morning with no more up left to do. The hundreds of hours of physio work, stretches and yoga was starting to pay off. For the first time in a long time, I was on top of a mountain, and I didn’t feel completely written off. With that said, I was still pretty bloody tired, and a long rest was need before I did anything else.
As I rested, I noticed that Georgie was looking a little bit cold. She was decked out in her warm knitted jersey (thanks to my mother’s epic knitting skills) and wearing her outdoor jacket. Her feet on the other hand were crunching through the snow unprotected. As much as I wanted to wait around for the sunrise, I knew I had to get my chilly doggie down to ground without snow. After one last look around it was time to head back down to my temporary home on the little ledge above Lake Lyndon.
By the time I got back down to my camp the day was well underway. I was no longer dealing with the darkness of the night and looking back up at the hill I had climbed, I was happy that it was dark when I began to tackle it. Uphill is so much easier when it’s dark and this was no more apparent than my little morning adventure. I quickly packed up and after two trips down and up, my gear and faithful four-legged friend were loaded in the car, and I was on my way back to Christchurch.
Thanks to the darkness I had not only achieved my goal of camping in a spot I had seen back in 2023, but I had also unexpectedly ticked another peak for the collection. I don’t get as many as I used to thanks to my hip and back, but on this mish the ordeal seemed less taxing thanks to the cover of darkness…
