Wednesday, Extended Hanmering

Out on my own yesterday, no dog, no boy.  Toodled through town and on the road around to Chatterton's, up the valley to the single track.  Up the steep pylon track, into the forest and across to Tank.  Great bomb down this, then for the first time ever, headed up the back of Conical Hill - stopping to answer some directional questions from someone at the C-Line/Eagles Nest juncture.  Continued on up to the top and had a rest and small snack. 

Then off down Eagle's Nest for some technicality, and straight across into C-Line some extra (walking some of the corners on account of not trusting myself on the steep-head-angled rigid Fatty.  Into the rest of Swoop, swooping through the turns, and then across the flat to Timberland.  Grunty climb up here then straight into Jolliffes, gruntier still, with a break at the top.  Into the descent, bomb bomb, corners steep and handlebars nearly scraping.

Across the bridge and up into Bigfoot for the nice slow meandering climb.  Great views from the top and off down, slightly faster than the day before.  Next into Detox, climby climb climb, and bombing of the descent, around the top of Mach 1 and across the bridge and down half way down Dogstream,  hanging a right up the road to Red Rocks, good run here and finally back round to the house.

20 kms covered, and strangely only 575 m climbed.

Saturday pHat-nmer Round Two

Out for round two.  Headed down the street and around thru town, getting lots of stares (freak on a fatbike!) and headed around Jacks Pass Rd and up past the camp in Chatterton Rd, up the valley to the walkway and up this for a ways (further than memory served), then hung a right on the singletrack that obviously doesn't get much use at all, climbing and sidling up to cross the 4wd track, onto the pylon access track up the steep under the pylon. Cleaned all the steep here (first time in years) then stopped for a very well earned breather at the peak point between two trees (that are much bigger than they were last time I was here (3 years ago)).  After the rest, it was into the down, and a nice sidle across and then past the beehives and up to Clarence Valley Rd, and the water tank.  A dad and his teenage son were just about to drop into Tank Track.  They offered me the go, but I stopped for a drink and let them get ahead.

Into Tank, lovely flight down this, and about halfway down I found I'd caught up to the dad, reeled him in and he pulled up to let me past.  Powered into the climb and out to the end of the track.  Decided on the Yankee, so headed across to and into it, climbing in the nicely grown young pines across and back and then into the larch gully and out onto the big open area. 

Photo op here (for the MMR) before hitting up the final bit of climb on singletrack and then the descent.  Decent, as.  Nice now, what was a pain in the ass in the past was really fun again, almost like old times (but not quite).  Went on for ages, then then I was out the end.  Hit up Swamp, climbing to it's top (after first telling some random couple the climb wasn't too bad) and then stopped and chatted to some guy at the top of Swoop.

Off down Swoop, chasing down a couple, getting past them both and flying down the bottom end, very splecky on one section (of melted frost).  Then it was similar to yesterday, back into Timberlands, just taking my time on the climbing, to the saddle, giving some germans some directions (they were impressed with the fatty), and then up onto Jolliffe Saddle track, climbing more and cleaning the top corner again.  Bit of a rest here at the top this time, and into the downwards facing dog.

Across the bridge, and into Bigfoot climb again, climb climb climb, blitzing the downhill, 2nd time in 2 days really paying off on the smoothness and flow, out the bottom, and down the road a little then straight onto Mach 1 down and climbing and descending, and repeat.  Fun!  Finally, onto Camp track, thinking about doing the green trail that winds it's way around on the flat in here, but taking a call from T saying she was waiting to go to the pool, so...  Straight back to base I headed, via the Western Link Track, and through the parklands and up over the hill for the final blast down to the house.

Hour and a half this time, nearly twice the distance to yesterday, 19kms on the dot, and 475 m climbed.

Saturday Hanmerific

Nelson and me met in Amberly after 9.30am and transferred to his car and hoofed it up to Hanmer.  A bite to eat and we got going, around Jacks Pass Rd and on up Chattertons, gravel road section waaay longer than I ever remember it.  Up the walking track for a bit then across and up the seemingly seldom used singletrack, leading to the skidder track up to the pylon.  Steeper and steeper it gets til we topped out just in the trees.  Nelson had a faff with his drivetrain, cleaning and lubing it, then we set off down through the dark forest.  A bit greasy in here, so took it quite easy.  Around, some climbing and a few more wee descents, and Nelson dropped his front wheel into something and went over the bars, not far from the Beehives.  Through these and on around the access track to the road and over this up to the Tank.

Into the Tank Track and descending and cornering like anything.  A tad greasy in places, roots inclusive.  Stopped briefly a little way down to get the lay of the land and spot where the trail was headed.  Onwards and down, getting the groove the further we went, except for one near miss where I seriously thought I was gonna crash, but somehow scraped through.  Into the forest and quick climb out to the open.

Across this and into the climb for the Yankee Zephyr.  Climb climb climb, a couple switchies then into the forest and over a creek and back out to a skidder site.  and into the descent.  We enjoyed the top section, it's a little wider and you can rail stuff and jump a bit and it's fun, but the lower swoopies are too narrow, rutted, and you're constantly fighting for balance.

Finished this and headed off down the Swamp track, which started out too tight, but got better and better, faster and faster.  A blast towards the end.  Then it was across the road and up Timberland trail, nasty climb for me, gasping for air, but eventually out onto the last steep 4wd bit to the skidder site at the top.

A rest here and a bit of a snack.  and off up Joliffe Saddle track, climbing climbing, and around the final corner to find a bunch of guys at the top.  One of them said, "Nice bike", and I looked at theirs and there was an orange 5 Spot.  indeed, it was the dude who'd let me have a wee go on that very 5 Spot and who told me WideOpen were selling ex-demo frames back in May last year that cinched me getting mine.  I told him as much.  They'd just climbed up where we were heading down.  Into it we plummetted.  Mint descent, fast and raily, drops off steps and surprise corners and it was over way quicker than I remembered it.

Across the bridge and up some steps and up to the road, climbing a short distance up to Big Foot...  One that was shut down a few years back (2008 or so (last time I'd ridden it) for logging and apparently has been back in action for about a year.  Great to get into it again.  Sweet climb up, zigging and zagging for ages, up through Fir forest, coming out into the open now and then, where it used to be totally enclosed the whole way.  At the top we caught a young guy.  He took off while we rested for a bit, and then we hit it.  Entirely different to memory, because it used to be in tall tall forest, whereas now it's open and you can see it ahead all the way down.  But it's a great trail and rides really well.

Eventually out to the road, and a quick coast down this and into the Detox climb.  As ALWAYS, longer than memory would permit, and then we're into it and it's again different and yet the same.  After the 'chicken line' option (which we didn't take) we passed a guy fixing a flat, and then it was the steep rutty chute out to the end, where his mates were waiting.

Across into Mach 1 and climbing a bit but not as much as I thought and a few descents and tight corners.  Across Camp track and then up the Dog Stream track, then up Jolliffes road, the climbing really dragging me down here, and into Red Rocks.  Nelson was waiting for me at the top.  We did the short down and up and I stopped to put my glasses away, then continued on.  Quite greasy in places but fun nonetheless.  At Eeny Meeny we decided not to bother with the rest of Redrock and took that instead, which was cool.  Went where Red Rock used to finish, and into more forest and a couple of choices in there.

Then it was just down to Timberland, along and across the Park and then a quick climb to Torquay Terrace and a nice coast down here back to the car.  Went to go for a swim but the queue was so big we bailed and grabbed a bite to eat and then came back home, via me picking up the car in Amberly.  Home by 5.

Mapped.  Surprisingly only 568 m gained, felt like a lot more...

Saturday, Monday, Tuesday. Denniston and Hanmer

Family holiday away got me into the wilds of the west coast. allowed one opportunity to explore, saturday (25th) morning we drove up onto the Denniston plateau. It was a crisp frosty clear blueskied west coast morning. the museum was closed, but T said go for it anyway. i had chosen to do the Drill Track because it appeared to be short yet interesting enough, so off i treadled.

lots of ice around, with many of the techy descents made moreso by frozen streamwater glazing the rocks. trail was fun, climbs good and descents fun. singletrack bits were cool, and the landscape was super cool. got down to a bridge where Miner's Track peeled left, and started down it, but then decided to go for the Drill track instead. cruised up that and really enjoyed all the climbs and the descents were good too. less ice on that section. got to marker 4.3 and made a biiig mistake. because i'd left Drill Track map in the car, i had in my head that it was a little longer than i thought, so i turned right, when i should have turned left. Ended up riding Cedar Creek Road for about 5 kms til i got to a sign that said "No Admittance - Closed Area" and was a bit confused. txtd T and turned back, thinking all the way back that i'd missed a turn off, but not seeing it got all the way back and realised my mistake. so, last descent down to a bridge and there's our car, (thankfully T and the boys had driven down to Burnetts Face to meet me). so, what would have only been about a 40 minute ride had turned into 2 hours...

Next stop was Hanmer. more sun filled days, i got out Monday (27th) afternoon. left the bach we were staying at and headed up to Flax trail, cruised it through to where i climbed up and caught the lower C-Line, down to a muddy rutty Majuba. across to Timberlands, and up to Jolliffe saddle, where i climbed onto Red Rocks, enjoying it down into a mucky newly cleared bit (was being logged last time i was up) and out onto Pawsons, down to Camp Track, and then out onto the road to head for Threshold. through the Road Closed sign and up up up. hit Threshold, enjoyed the little blurb written at beginning, then struggled up the climb, granny all the way, it beat me and i walked maybe 10 metres... on past the lower entrance, and on up to top. looks like people have been riding down to there, but i didnt explore cos the sun was getting really low in the sky.

Threshold downhill, niiiiiice. weavy cruisy steep corners and flowy groovy singletrack through dark forest. sun set behind the peaks while i was descending. went on for ages. one corner beat me, and i nearly toppled when i bailed at the top of it. cleaned all the rest. contemplated riding back up and taking just the low line but decided i was pretty beat, so headed down. into a little single track i spotted off the road which took me into the back of the Forest Camp, where i found another track and rode up it (normally a downhill), then i grabbed Mack 1 up through, nice trail, onto McIntyre Rd, rode up that to bottom of Detox, but crossed Dog Stream and bombed down to Jolliffe Saddle Rd again, up to the saddle and down Timberlands and back through into town.

Next day, took O for a ride, him on his bike, through some of the flat forest trails. was fun, but not enough, so took off on another hilly ride, up Chatterton's Valley up the new (-to me) Link Track, down the Tank track (nice new top corners off Pawsons) and then down (for the first time in that direction) Flax trail. all good.

Hanmer and Cycle.

Awesome ride Saturday morning in Hanmer, with Al.

headed from his folk's, up Chattertons, up pylon steep grunty little bastard of a track, i walked the steepest bit, Al cleaned it. then my rear brake messed with my head, so muddled with it and it seemed to come right.

down Tank track the top of which is a bit messed up, but the rest still rocks, beautiful rooty goodness. then up onto one of the lower Conical hill trails round to Majuba, found one coming down, so we walked up it, found another going right up to the top with a munty rock garden built on it, so, walked up that too, to the top of Conical hill, second knoll... were told later by a local that that trail is called the Eagle's Nest. bombed down it, dabbing over the rockbridgegardenthing, then dabbed through the tight hairpins and bombed the last bit down onto the Majuba.

then through and up onto Joliffe's, upper Dogstream, all good climbs, most of which i always forget how long they are... then up onto Big Foot. beeeaauuuttiiiffuuulll... Nature, conect to Detox, loose and greasy down Detox, rutty and a little bit messy, tho nothing on what the Port Hills've got right now. then back up the road, and down Lower Dogstream up Joliffe's again, up RedRocks, through two lots of Track Closed for Logging tape, rode most of the way down and into the clearfell... R.I.P lower Red Rocks... then back into the village...

minty minty singletrack... love riding up there.