Hanmer scorcher

found myself and the switchback in Hanmer for a few days, finally test driving the Thule strap-on rack that i got well over a year ago. worked a treat. just the frame on the rack, seat out, (wheels on top of luggage in the boot - pram, chilli bin, and all baggage for 2 adults a 3.5 year old and a 5 month old, squeezed into the Fiat).

Al came up for Wednesday, to ride and show me a couple of new trails.
So. rode up the start of Jacks Pass Rd, and peeled right onto a dirt track which bombed down for a bit then hung a tight right onto some single that bombed downwards for a bit too, some nice waterbar jumps on the way, crossed a stream and started climbing. few switchbacks, nice climb, spitting us out behind Conical Hill, overlooking the forestry operations which have wiped out Yankee Zephyr... then we headed around an unmade trail to connect to Mahuja or Mahuta or Majuba? majuta?? trail, nice fly down that, pumping and squirrelling, then across behind the 12hr race camp area, and up Timberlands trail to the Joliffe saddle skidder site. then up Joliffe Saddle track, steeper and longer than i remembered, hot sun pounding down on us, and fun descent down to Dog Stream switchbacky rocky fun.

cross the bridge, up the road to Bigfoot. crazy crazy trail, climbing, zigging and zagging, the zigzag switchbacks getting more and more frequent, shorter and shorter between, in tight narrow douglas fir, eventually after i dont know how many switchies you peak and the forest opens up into nice old open country and the descent bombs down, little ups just before corners, beautiful flow, down down down, jumps on roots etc, awesome.

then we poached the nature trail, hung a new left onto the Detox... climbed up there, and bombed down that, reminding me of Hot X buns in vegas. then up the road to the bridge to cross over onto lower dogstream, hoofed it down that, then up Joliffe Rd to the skidder site again, and out Red Rocks, one of my favourites, bombed that, then skirted back across the bottom of the 12 hr paddock, and back into town... nice