“On a Mish” #344 Must Go Camping (Part Two). Lake Coleridge Area to Boundary Hill. Torlesse Conservation Area. 1.8.2022. Many fear the cold, therefore the winter is a time to stay warm in the comfort of your own home. However, if you brave the cold the rewards can be incredibly satisfying. The vista of a frozen environment can be something that defeats your fear of the cold, and it might just get you out and about more often enjoying the cold months of winter instead of fearing its frigid fingers. There is a reason why another name for cold is cool, and if you are brave enough you will see how cool cold actually is!
Continuing hip and back issues had kept me from camping for over a month, not a good situation to be in. Because of my ailments I wanted to camp near my car, and the idea of pitching my tent at the out on the Wilberforce River-flats near the canals was what I needed. Unfortunately, that plan was dashed by the fact that the road to the canals was open only to the few residents that reside in the Lake Coleridge area. My plan changed from one snowy road to another. Luckily, I spotted that there were a couple of cars still moving along the road to Lake Lyndon and the West Coast.
Now with a new plan and purpose I slowly made my way into a snow covered Torlesse Conservation Area on the Lake Lyndon Road. Power Lines follow the road, and each pylon has a short road / track for workers to access each tower. This is just like the Borland Road back in Southland (home), and these tracks get me away from the road and provide the perfect place to pitch a tent. I was hoping the tracks off the Lyndon Road would be like the Borland area.
Because I was now in a location different to the place I had originally planned to go to, I didn’t go very far up the road. If something went wrong, I would find myself in a situation where no one would know where I was.
After leaving the private farmlands near the start of the road I began to drive while scanning for the perfect location. The ever-increasing snow on the road and fields around me told me to find a place quickly, I was getting a feeling like I was getting a little further from safety than I wanted.
After creeping and searching for a while I found a short snow-covered track that led up to what I thought looked like a good place on the east face of Boundary Hill. With care and a little force I backed up as far as my car could go before the wheels began to spin on the slippery surface and the back buried itself in a snow-pile.
With a view over the Upper Acheron Flat to the Mount Hutt Range I had found my camping craving solver, now it was time to make the place my temporary home for the night…
