“On a Mish” #233 During a Fine Spell of Weather (Part Two). Mt Somers / Woolshed Creek Hut Loop. Mt Somers South-face Track. Hakatere Conservation Area. 14.6.2009. During fine spells of weather, the adventurous types trek themselves into some rather remote spots. An aspect of hiking that I really enjoy is the commitment needed once you are on a mish. Once you get into it you find yourself in a position were giving up is not an option. So you can only stop when you get to the hut, or turn back and return to where you started. Sometimes when the mission gets tough your legs are looking for the hut more than your eyes, and there are very few feelings that match the one you get when you see the spot you are hiking to for the first time…
From a distance the hut looked like most others, but the closer we got the better it looked. And because it was built in 2006 it was basically brand new and nothing like the back country bivouacs I was used to. The spacious 26 bunk hut has a large lounge and cooking area, so as there were only two of us, we had plenty of room. The woodshed had been stocked up for the winter, and in no time at all we had a glorious fire warming the hut. With two separate bunkrooms, we had a room each (a massive plus due to Jeremy’s legendary snoring capabilities).
At around 9.30-10pm we were getting sorted out for bed when, to our surprise, two fellas came stumbling in out of the cold darkness. The two were locals on a hunt and seemed to have a lot of knowledge about, and experience in, the area. They had both finished work in Ashburton that afternoon / evening and then driven to the carpark, arriving in the dark. In their case it was lucky the fine spell of weather included that evening! After the quick backstory yarn, it was time for bed and a well-earned rest.
Even though we were up early-ish the next day the two hunters were long gone looking for things to shoot, meaning they had only spent a couple of hours at the hut in total! We decided to head home via the much more challenging Rhyolite Ridge Track. The route crosses over the Morgan Stream gorge on an epic swing-bridge, before dropping down into a cold river valley on the western side of Mt Somers(1688m).
The climb back up onto the Southface of Mt Somers(1688m) is grueling with a full overnight pack, however the views increase the higher you climb, and this acts as a solid dose of mountain motivation. Slowly we made our way past the famous ‘Bus Stop’ (an overhanging rock on the side of the mountain), and from here had great views of the Canterbury Plains to the east, and of the other mountains of the Hakatere area.
Tired legs took us along the remainder of the track across the southface of Mt Somers(1688m), then down the Rhyolite Ridge zigzags back to the car park. This was the first of many missions during the winters when I would return to Christchurch to work in the ski shop. Every time I had time off work and a fine spell of weather, I’d be out making memories and exploring new (or old) places in the wild…
