Sunday Mounting Sinclair but not Fitzgerald

Short ride cos limited time. Quick flying visit to the bach to check on it and collect some feijoas (and grapefruit for marmalade and a couple of limes) and some seedling natives, and headed back and parked on Pettigrews Rd.

Over the first (of many) stile, got riding, up up up endlessly up.  Over the next stile, then the next, caught up with and passed a couple of walkers, saying "you'll see me again later."  Up over another stile, and up through the nice bush, stile, open stretch climbing, stile, then up around back of Sinclair, steep, short walk then climbing okay again.  At the gate and stile at the top of the steep, stopped for a stretch then got riding again, pretty soon seeing a solo female runner.  Across the northern side of the peak, over then next stile and a bit of a descent, meeting 2 more walkers who were laughing a lot, then their companion lady just standing up and pulling her pants up after a wee...  Fast descent from here down the side of the totara forest, then into singletrack goodness, some tech, along the ridge, stile halfway, with some up and some down.  It was the last high point along here I decided it was time to turn back, giving me as much time as I'd just taken.

Turning back, the ridge trail was fun, up and down, tech, goodness, then a steeeeep climb up through the totara forest, walking a little near the top, before it levelled off and the rest of the way was good going. Over the stile again, around to where I'd stretched, over this stile, and fast descent, but first, past the 3 walkers (who were surprised to see me even tho I announced my presence with an, "I'm baaaack"), bombing, watching for the greasy rocks, fun times.  Met the original two walkers down here, (they hadn't come that far since earlier, now I think about it).  Across then down down down, fun down, bombing, stile after stile, into the nice bush, wafting through the woods, then across the open again, small climb then speedy bomb back to car.

A fun there and back, 11 kms with 522 m climbed.

Because i was back to the car earlier than I'd expected, I popped up to see the giant totara.  Been years since I'd been up there.  a nice 10 minute jaunt.