“On a Mish” #145 The Last of the Borland Peaks – Part Two. Mt Borland(1547m). Fiordland National Park. 24.3.2019. I seem to wake often when sleeping in the wild, so I have a series of long naps as opposed to sleeping through the night. This doesn’t bother me, and even though I wake often I always seem to wake up refreshed and ready for battle. On this mountain I had the extra motivation that once I climbed it would be the last of the peaks around the Borland Road…
An early-ish start was needed so I could complete the climb, and then get back home to Te Anau afterwards. I enjoyed breakfast with a view, and like the day before, I heard Kea flying around high above me but luckily they hadn’t dropped down to visit my campsite. After breakfast I crossed the basin to a spur that led straight to the summit, with no real issues apart from the author’s lack of fitness. A slow plod on steepening ground eventually took me to the top of Mt Borland(1547m), and as I clambered up the last few metres I could see that the uphill grunt was well worth the effort. What a stunning view from the top!
I could see the vast plains of Southland to the east and south, and to the west were endless peaks of Fiordland fading to the blur of many mountains standing together. Clear skies and very little wind made the experience even more special, and I had a grin of achievement plastered on my face. From the summit I had a good look at the other peaks I had climbed in the area. Along with the road that heads over Borland Saddle(990m), there were the area’s giants Eldrig Peak(1595m), Mt Burns(1647m) and the white sands of Titiroa(1715m), all visible from the perfectly positioned peak.
After spending a little bit of time on the summit, I headed north west along the ridge to a saddle at point 1351m, then climbed back up to Peak 1543m. As this was my last high point I soaked in the view and looked along the open ridges running north west and already started thinking about future missions. I was still far from finishing this mish, so I descended a ridge towards my campsite making the trip a loop of the basin’s main ridges.
I put a lot more thought into my descent, and exited the basin via the forest on the true left of the south branch of the Borland Burn. This way was far easier than the way I had approached the basin, and I even saw a deer while clambering back down through the forest. I popped out into the valley and saw an old 4wd Track about 500 or so meters away, but what I didn’t realize is how boggy the area was to get to the track. Lots of deep, sloppy bog holes were hidden by the long tussock, and just before getting to the track I had one leg up to the thigh in stinky bog juice. A few grumbles later I dragged myself out and I was on my way again. It was excellent to finally tick off this peak, and now I will have to turn my attention to the inner mountains with the more difficult approaches…
