Backcountry Bibles: Foggy Peak, Torlesse Range

7 February 2013

Foggy Peak, Torlesse Range - 7 February 2010

An early start was the order of the day, and all indications were that it would be the perfect morning with fine weather and a full moon expected to provide me with ideal conditions. One look outside was enough to change that thought - thick fog lay on the Canterbury Plains, not exactly what I wanted given that I was hoping to catch a sunrise.I decided to press on, hopeful that I could climb above the fog.

I was heading for the Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands, a conservation park in the eastern foothills of Canterbury bisected by SH73 which takes you from Christchurch to Arthurs Pass. South of the highway lies the gentler, tussock covered Ben More and Big Ben Ranges, while to the north sits the rock and scree slopes of the Torlesse Range.

My goal on this morning was a pre-dawn climb of Foggy Peak, a 1741m summit on the Torlesse Range. At 3:30am I was parked at the top of Porters Pass, ready to go and, to my relief, above the fog. At 942m, Porters Pass provides the ideal launching pad for the climb, but I still had 800 vertical metres to the summit and I figured about 90 minutes until sunrise - time to get moving. There was just one more obstacle to overcome - darkness. The full moon had cleverly hidden itself behind the very mountain I was about to climb.

The climb itself was straightforward, the ridge is broad and a well-worn foot trail winds its' way steadily upwards - not that I could see it until my descent! I also discovered (in daylight on the way down) that numerous cairns mark the trail, which would be useful if caught returning in poor conditions.
The route is steep, with little respite, but this worked to my advantage, enabling me to gain height quickly in my race against the sun.

At 5am I had reached around 1650m and the glow of dawn was upon me. I set up camera and tripod, stunned by the beauty that was slowly being revealed below.
The Canterbury Plains lay blanketed in fog. Hills and peaks rose above it, like islands in a white ocean. To the south, Lake Lyndon shimmered in the early light while beyond, the Coleridge basin and Rakaia valley were filled with fog also.

Although wanting to linger, and revel in the majestic surrounds, I needed to make a hasty return home to make the Sunday morning church service and so, with a promise to return another day, I made my descent.

Foggy Peak is aptly named, for the ridge is often cloud covered by afternoon, but fortunately for me the fog resided far below on the flats on this morning.