“On a Mish” #377 Little Lyndon Hill (Part Three). Korowai / Torlesse Tussocklands Park. 14.6.2023. If you ever feel like life is getting away from you, then head to the hills. In Japan people go forest bathing in order to restore peace in their lives. Along with long soaks in the flora of Fiordland and other parts of Aotearoa, I also like to take a dip in the mountains in order to reorder any disorder caused by challenging times. I am positive that my forays into the hills have prevented me from losing the plot completely. The fresh air and exercise (even if only minimal) has been the best therapy / rehab for me. From the big mountains around Arthurs Pass to the little Lyndon Hill, all have been beneficial and all have played their part in my recovery journey…
The events of earlier had been washed away by time spent looking at the surrounding mountains and Ernie was now back in the good books. I am looking forward to the days when I can let him roam free and be confident that he won’t take it as an opportunity to go on his own solo mish. The training continues and at least he has improved a little!
The clear skies meant the coldness could have free reign on the area, and it didn’t take long for me to start to think about retreating to the warmth of my sleeping bag. Along with all of my sleeping kit I had also carried up Ernie’s little bed, so with both of us warm and sorted it was time to bring an end to an awesome day.
Early-ish the next morning I was up before the sun, and as I took care of ‘morning business’ I saw a couple of shooting stars. Is there a better way to start your day?
I got the billy boiling for a brew and, as the steam from the hot water began to swirl in the air, the warm burning orange of a new day began to appear behind the hills to the east. Any wisps of cloud took turns at glowing pink, a subtle sign of the weather change forecast for later in the day. As much as I wanted to set up shop and stay on top of the little Lyndon Hill I knew that if I did it would become a windy and wet affair.
After collapsing my tent and loading up my bags I took my first steps towards the car. The crunch of frost made me nervous about the steeper parts of the little hill. Knowing it would be slippery I had to forgo attaching Ernie to my waist belt as I didn’t want him to knock me off my feet and send me on an unwanted adventure to the bottom of the hill!
To my happy surprise Ernie stuck with me as I went up and down the hill with gear, and after a couple of calf-crunching clambers I had all of my gear loaded in the car and was ready to head back to reality.
As I made my way back over Porters Pass and onto the Canterbury Plains I remembered how I felt before the mish. Although the issues I had before were still there, after doing some mountain bathing they seemed less stressful than before. The mountains had worked their magic and the spell they cast was powerful.
Forest bathing is a powerful tool that in New Zealand is only ever a stone’s throw away and should be used whenever possible. Soak yourself in the wilderness and wash your worries away…
