“On a Mish” #124 A Good Mistake (Part One). Mistake Creek (U-Pass Basin). Fiordland National Park. 30.4.2015. Mistake Creek, a stunning hike, is one of three marked valleys that carve their way through the Earl Mountains, near the Milford Road in Fiordland. The mountain range is host to some of the finest views in Fiordland, with peaks pointing skywards covered in forest and grasses. The tracks in the area are rough and rewarding, and camping spots are plenty at the head of each valley. The valley’s name might give the appearance that something went wrong, but I can say from experience that this was a good mistake…
This was my first trip (of many) into Mistake Creek, coming after a quick overnight trip into the very scenic neighbouring valley Hut Creek. The two can be combined via a route known as U-Pass. That adventure up Hut Creek had fuelled the fire for more Fiordland adventure, so I now wanted to see what mysterious Mistake Creek was like. I wasn’t alone on this outing as my girlfriend at the time decided she wanted to see what the mistake was too!
To make the mish easier on ourselves we headed up the Milford Road late one afternoon and made our way to a spot about half an hour up the track. We found the perfect place beside the trickling waters of the Eglinton River, and with that a very short day one was over. Now all we had to do was kick back and enjoy the pleasure that is a night out in Fiordland National Park.
The first part of the hike was following the true left of creek / river at first, then after a few hours we crossed the refreshing Fiordland water to the true right. Most of the time we were hiking in a beautiful beech forest with the local birds singing loudly as they investigated our activity. Near the crossing point I spotted the big peaks at the head of the valley for the first time, and this was excellent motivation for us to continue further.
The upper section of the valley opens into alpine meadows dotted with small tarns in the centre and massive mountains standing tall on either side. A truly impressive place to be, and we could tell it was only going to get better the further up the valley we went.
At one stage the track vanished into a boggy mess around the tarns (beware of hidden dangers!), so this is where we tested the leather of our boots, and our gaiters were put to the extremes of their capabilities. Every so often what looked like dry ground would act like a trap door in the moss and in places our feet sank deep into the dark mud. The boggy area isn’t very big, and before long we reached the gravel of the riverbed and dry mosses and grasses which made for easier travel up into the head of the valley.
Before the final headwall and cliffs at the valley head there is a small creek coming into the valley from the west which leads up to U-Pass(1395m). This was the perfect spot to pitch a tent in preparation for heading up into the U-Pass basin the next day. There were signs of previous parties camping in the same area, so it was obvious the location was used as a rest point when tackling the U-Pass challenge…
