Thursday night altitudinals

Rode Spot to work and after that rode to Nelson's work and we rushhoured to park next to Cracroft Reserve.  Proceeded to grind up the road then on up the dirt.  At the 'junction' we hopped over the fence to the right, and rode up a wee singletrack that cruised up the grass between the ruttsville main drag and the trees on the downhill side of the main drag.  Up, under the powerlines, then up into what used to be 'rest corner'.  Back on the main drag and up the techy rocky section, both with limited successes, then riding out the rest of it in good form, crawly crawly granny cruising.  Bottom of the body bag, for a change, headed on up.  Been a long time since I last ventured up this, May 1st in fact, the quagmire just over half way up now but a memory imprinted with scant evidence upon the trail.  Ended up walking a fair bunch at the top as I just wasn't carrying my Bodybag lungs or legs.  Nelson cleaned it all the way.  Back on, and through the Lovers Leap carpark, up the gravel, me speeding up a bit, to top of Nun.  Bit of spitty rain around here, but stopped for a bite to eat before we got rolling again.

Muppetry is the word.  Rolled it all pretty smoothly, but kinda with our Cautious Colin hats on.  There was definitely the potential for greasiness, but we didn't seem to get that much of it, and there was quite the (b)easterly blowing through, making any airborne sections sketchy.  I felt like a rooky most of the way down.  Like I wasn't used to the bike and wasn't used to the trail.  2/3rds of the way down the top section I dropped my chain, so Nelson got a good lead on me then.  Metres before the midway carpark woofdog and son were doing some trail maintenance.  Caught Nelson waiting here and we plowed our way down the rest of it, still not at great speeds, but not too bad either.  No sketchiness, and powered out the end and straight back into the climb back up the road around and up to the top of Worsley's again.

Into the bodybag, me leading, taking the right hand side and regretting it several times.  Good speed towards the bottom but still pretty dodge.  Up the forest access, with Nelson leading straight into the extra bonus climb towards the very top, greasy as a greasy thing, with some slips and slides on the way.  Onwards past Debbie's, and up to the top of T2 and the Goat (or Hangloose as we once knew it).  Carefully into the Goat, but finding carefulness not absolutely necessary.  Top section a little greasy, but manageable, and it kinda dried as we descended, tho was still sketchy in places lower down too.  Did the first log drop after pulling up first round, walking back up a wee ways and dropping it wondering what the hell I'd been worried about all those other times of stepping down it.  Second one further down, not so much.  At least it's got an easier nana line.  Then we stopped at the top of Yoda and walked climbed down it, checking it out.  Hell of a track.  walked climbed down to where Nick crashed on it a couple weeks back, then clambered back up to our bikes.  Onwards down the trail, steeeepnesssss, picking our ways carefully, bailing only one corner that you get to and it doesn't know what it's doing, leaving you guessing.  Out the bottom and sweeet as.  Into the climb.

Up the access to the 'junction', and then up the guts, all the way up to the clifftop, then into Waynes World, one really sketchy part near the top and the rolling out wondering if it's the right one (it was) and then into the lower bit and down into Fight Club and fanging it nicely all the way down and out, and back up the climb.  'Junction' and down, riding a different (older) line for a bit and enjoying it's flow, then jumping well towards the tank and finally out the bottom of it and down to where the groms park.  Over the fence and into the grass track down, then joining the overgrown grassy singletrack down to the normal carpark and down the road (via a couple of sidelines) and eventually, into Farside, bombing down this, bottoming out in some of the dips and clinging for dear life to the side of the hill with the knobs on the sides of the tires, and out.  Back up the road, me verrry slowly this time, for another go at the same trail, faster in places this time and finally out the end, down the road to the car, 8.05pm as we drove away.  Home, and a bit tired after all that effort, close to 1000m of altitude climbed (and the same descended...) - not helped by a 5am start this morning.