“On a Mish” #439 Wet Feet in Fiordland (Part Four). West Cleddau Valley to Chasm. Fiordland National Park. Southland. 11.8.2025. If you don’t like wet feet, then a suggestion is that you say away from untracked Fiordland. With over 65 major rivers and many other streams and creeks, there is a high chance you will encounter water at some stage of your journey. While wet feet may cause some discomfort, the main thing to remember is that you are in one of the most pristine environments and your feet will dry off, while the memories will remain with you forever…
I’ve forgotten many things during my journeys, but not having spare socks is a new one! The thought of not having dry feet during early August in the mountains made me shudder to my bones. How could I have forgotten such an important item, especially when I’m hiking off-track in Fiordland. As I searched my bag for the fifteenth time, I finally concluded that my socks were still at home, and I needed to plan around not having them.
Luckily, it wasn’t raining, and I had no more rivers to cross. I knew if I stopped, the coldness engulfing my feet would catch up with me. So, to fill in the time before I retreated to the warmth of my sleeping bag, I made a campfire. It was while doing this that I rediscovered how hard it is to get a fire going in this part of the world. Not only was most of the wood soaking wet, but some of it still had frost on it from the chilly morning. Sorting a fire did the job as it was enough work to distract me from my frozen feet.
Eventually darkness arrived and with that I could retreat to the tent and get some warmth back in my feet via my sleeping bag. After drying off my poor toes and only pair of socks as well as I could, I eased myself into a much more comfortable situation and the soreness in my feet went away. The experience has reinforced how important having spare socks really is.
Early-ish the next morning I was up hoping that my only pair of socks had dried a little overnight while crammed into the bottom of my sleeping bag. I had a very refreshing cup of coffee and some brekkie before I even dared think about putting them on. A thick frost had arrived in the Cleddau Valley, and anything exposed had been consumed by the coldness. Luckily, I only had a short wander back to the Chasm. And then back to my car.
Due to my back hurting from the day before, and thanks to the fact that my car was close, I decided to divide my gear into two separated loads. This would be easier on my back and hip which were really feeling the chill in the air. Two loads later and I was sitting in my car with the heater cranking on my feet.
Overall, I’d say the mish was a major success (apart from forgetting my socks!). I had finally gone somewhere I had dreamed about visiting since 2021, and the time had made the place even more spectacular. The sock situation had taught me to take extra care when packing as not having any socks to change into was not the nicest experience and could have been worse if I had traveled further. I really should have expected that is it most likely you will have to cross a river when off track in this part of the world, and that I should always expect to have wet feet when wandering off-track in Fiordland National Park!
