new track... shhhhh

Wicked ride Wednesday night, that included a couple of trails of dubious legality... Went up farmtrack (why oh why do I punish myself like that), then turned right on the single track and rode to highest point (hundreds of plebs up there training for the Rim race). Then turned around and headed back down towards Rapaki, getting a bit baulked on a few of the rocky sections, which annoyed me, didnt seem to be going fast enough down there.., bypassed the top of Rapaki, continuing on around the singletrack below Rapaki Rock, then on up summit road, down Castlerock to Bridle (chasing a guy who was obviously training for the Crater Rim - racer boy). Bridle to John Britten Reserve, then bombed down through it (fun track, too bad its not legal) to top of Major Hornbrook, down to Mt Pleasant Rd and I found my valley track… it starts off switchbacking down the side of the hill, some steps right at the top, but none following them, and then it just shoots beautifully down the valley, some fun and techy bits, but mostly just smooth sailing, not a soul on it. Near the bottom, i thought i'd taken a wrong turn, so headed back a little to this track that had loads of steps down through these pines, then down the side of a bunch of houses, but i reckon the proper connector that spits you out down in McCormacks Bay should be accessible to about where i turned back… Anyway, I was saying to Steve the other night how I thought it might be a good climber, but having come down it i think its probably a wee bit steep in places, and then you dont end up that high up Mt Pleasant Rd, which on its own is much easier. But, I’ll give it a go some time, just for interest’s sake. And there’s heaps of side tracks that zig and zag off it up to different parts of the hill suburbs…