“On a Mish” #43 Walking Off the Map (Part Two). Hakatere Conservation Park. 26.6.2012. After a few years of adventures, I was feeling reasonably confident in my abilities. I felt like I could reach any target I aimed for and would overcome any challenge put in front of me. At this stage I hadn’t had a mish when things didn’t go to plan, and I didn’t get to the place I wanted to get to. That would all change the day I walked off the map…
I was asked to help my sister and nephew get ready for their hike on the Able Tasman Track, and with experience in the wilderness I made sure they were ready for anything. It didn’t bother me that my sister told me that they carried clothing items that they never used, better than a story that involves hypothermia and wishing you had more gear! Along with its stunning beauty, our alpine environment can turn a warm summer day into a snow-laced blizzard very quickly. There is a reason why most of New Zealand’s populated areas are on our coasts.
Getting to the hut was now an afterthought, and my role now was to set up some sort of campsite without a tent to use. In a strange way the snow helped, as I now found myself under the shelter of a snow-covered matagouri bush, and not in the cosy confines of a hut. Some might see this as a failure, but for me it was now time to test myself against the elements.
With a place to sleep sorted (sort of!) I prepared a meal and had a warm drink while crouched under my temporary home made of matagouri. The snow on the roof acted like a snow-cave, and to my surprise felt a small amount of warmth starting to build under the bush and frozen water. The only downside was the odd drip thanks to the warmer air reacting with the snow. When all’s said and done, my experience walking off the map could have been much, much worse!
After this mish I now always carry a bivvy bag (waterproof sleeping bag), so I’m always prepared for an unexpected overnight stop if this situation happens again. But back in 2012 I wasn’t as organised. I had to improvise a bivvy bag by sleeping with my sleeping bag in my plastic pack-liner and lying on top of my pack. It was surprisingly warm under the Matagouri, and somehow, I managed to get some sleep despite my hut-less situation.
Very early-ish the next day I opened my semi-frozen eyes to the sight of the twin peaks of Mt Potts lit up by a very bright moon and clear sky. I survived the night and now it was time to retrace my steps and get outta here! I was up at 5am to see the first light on all the other impressive peaks in the area, then packed up my “camp” under the matagouri bush.
The plan was to follow my footsteps in the snow from the day before and get back to my car and where I started at Paddle Hill car park. The previous day had seemed so long that it felt like I’d been out for a week instead of a single night. The near endless plod through the snow had left me feeling tired and as it turned out, I had wandered around 23km and now had to repeat the journey in reverse…
