“On a Mish” #190 Wild Turkey’s (Part Three). Ashton Burn Camp. Taka Ra Haka / Eyre Mountain Conservation Area. 10.9.2018. For a lot of people it is the close companionship found when on a mish that keeps them repeating the process. A couple of days together tackling a tough task is a good way to see if you are really mates. Luckily hours of shenanigans on the tranquil waters of Patea / Doubtful Sound together assured me that when these two turkeys get together tremendous things will happen!
After negotiating the nasty patch of scrub at the base of the mountain we clambered our way up the wide ridge south east. As we climbed higher the views got better and better, so the mountain motivation was flowing through us just like the whiskey from the night before.
With the sun beaming down on our backs we pushed on and at one point the last signs of the previous winter were encountered near the top of the hill. We had to cross a couple of patches of snow and it was at this point where we decided to give the unnamed peak a name to justify our presence. Not long after the snow we stood atop the mountain we had just named Wild Turkey(1330m).
The stunning weather matched our epic view from the top, and from here we could see the vast array of snow-covered peaks in the Eyre Mountains and beyond. This included Jane Peak(2022m). The broad spire is the biggest, prettiest and mountain queen of the Eyre Range. From the valley the peak was impressive and now as we stood on one of her minions we were in awe of her glorious grandeur.
Sitting apart and in our own little worlds we stared out at the endless epicness and enjoyed a very tasty lunch which we had conjured up at camp. On a day like this it is hard to retreat back to base, and it is also difficult to grasp how wild the weather can get up this high when the day is so still. After one last deep breath of alpine air we began to retrace our steps back down to camp and then to the car.
The mish was everything we were after and more, and after seeing the beauty of this part of Aotearoa we were ready to go and present another part to people who had paid to be blown away.
After getting back to Te Anau we had a chance to go over each other’s photos and with all the awesomeness on display we were keen to go back to work and show our skipper what a couple of turkeys can do on their days off!
