Sunday Portering Lyndon from the Back

Tough ride today. Absolutely wrecked me. The altitude, the sun, the scree, all conspired to remove every vestige of energy from my body. At the time, it was hellish. But I'm glad I did it. 

Nelson picked me up from mine and we drove out to park at the lake. Just before 10 when we got going, cruising the main highway along the 3 kms to the Porter's access road. Once on the gravel we only met 2 vehicles and got to the trailhead meeting and chatting with a family that looked like they were about to embark on it (we never saw them again).  Down to cross the creek, dodging spaniards, and no good rocks to step on so feet wet from this start.  Singletrack meandered up the valley, mostly rideable.  Met a couple of walkers coming down.  Across the creek again, narrower this time, and I topped up water cos looked like we were leaving it and may not meet any more.  A few zigs and zags and we were at the Colleridge Saddle, what a view!

My derailleur had almost eaten a dracophyllum earlier, I thought I'd caught it, but had found granny tricky so had been avoiding it.  As we started at the saddle, I found granny was attempting to put it into my spokes, so a re-adjustment was made (and I discovered I'd left my toolkit at home).  From here we climbed up to the left.  I was starting to get a bit tired, and walked a bunch, but Nelson was off a bit too.  Then it meandered into a basin and short descent across a scree slope led to a long zig and zag section eventually topping out on the ridge.  Long and hard, and I was getting pretty stuffed and uncomfortable.   Here's Nelson miles ahead...

Once on the ridge there was about 3 or 4 peaks we had to traverse, with drops between.  Kinda lost the trail a few times, meandering around on the tops looking over the sides to see where connections were made.  It all worked out, and we seemed to find the main line each time.  My exhaustion expanded on each climb - symptoms probably akin to heat-stroke.  Muscles just so weak, and cramps sometimes when I'd pedal wrong, not that I pedalled much.  Lots of walking and every time I got on or off I was more tired.  Twice Nelson parked up and walked back to take my bike for me.  That was kind.  Even without the bike I was trudging like a zombie.  Finally, he got to the cairn marking the descent and we waited while two women walking approached.  (they were looking for an ice-axe lost during winter).

Into the descent and the joy returned.  We stayed on the bermy weavy flowy mainline pretty much all the way this time, and didn't take any straight-down-the-hill fall-lines.  The view while riding this was spectacular, with the lake seemingly directly below us (600m or so) and all the vehicles and boats/jetskis looking like toys.    Fantastic.  At the bottom we followed a couple of orange triangles and zigged and zagged out and back to the bottom.  

Final drudge around the lake was hard, but with the end in sight somehow I made it...  We then entered the lake and let the cold water do its thing.  So refreshing.

In the car on the way home I ate the 'lunch' I should have carried with me, and consumed my entire spare litre of water.

Monumental 24 kms and 1150 m climbed.

Saturday Mounting Mt Lyndon, and Looping The Luge and Dixon's

Biiiiig day.  Nelson got to mine about 7.30 or so and had a coffee then we were off.  Got out to Lake Lyndon after just after 9am and hit the trail.  Across the lake edge and into the the climb...  What a climb.  I carried from the get-go, but Nelson pushed his heaps.  I pushed a bit, but then carried more.  We carried for a good hour or more,
(zoom in, I'm down there pushing somewhere)

eventually riding bits of the ridge, and pushing a bit more towards the top.
(Nelsie riding the wrong way!!! overlooking the Castle Hill Basin)

Fantastic views off the top, 360 degree magnificence.  Gorgeous day, no wind at 1500m, calm as calm.
(Lake Coleridge, Rakaia River, and various icefields in the distance).

Then it was into the down...  Explored bits around the top a bit and found the trail, jumps, drops, weaving back and forth, steepness, looseness, sketchiness, fun, exposure...  all good.  Kinda not hard to lose your way, but kinda loads of options you wonder if you should have taken.  We stuck to the main route all the way but where we ended up we weren't 100% sure where to go next.  Took a slight wrong turn following our noses across to an exit track, but that was fine and a nice blast out.  Looking back up, we could see several options we could have chosen.  Oh well.

On the flat, and gravel road, back around the most of the kms back to the car.

Over 760m climbed, in less than 9 kms.

Then bikes back up on top of car, and off round the road to Broken River carpark.  Straight into the Sidle73, climb puffing me up as usually, then down around to the Craigieburn Rd and up this to the Anti-Luge, clambering on up this.  Nelson cleaned the whole damned thing, whereas I was so toasted I walked more than I've ever walked before.  I just had nothing left in the tank for the climbing...
(me looking stuffed)

Eventually we made the saddle.  Phew.  What a wreck.

Into the Luge, what a trip.  Awesome blast.  I held onto Nelson's tail most of the way, until that seat half-ish way down, and then he just vanished.  I tried to speed up but couldn't.  A slight moisture on the roots kept them bloody interesting.  Passed a girl, and then a guy, nearer to the bottom, and we blazed out the end and hung around til they arrived.  They'd bitten off more than she could chew, and so were heading back down to their car.

We headed off up the road, a slow grind for me, but not too bad.  Along above the Envt Ctr and then up around the new(ish) sidling trail climbing onto Bridge Hill and into the new Dixon's entrance.
(me looking stuff'der)

  Cool.

Awesome blast down this, jumping jumpies, or not, and then I lost my chain just before the one little uphilly bit, putting a bigger gap between us.  He'd stopped in the bush part for me to catch up, and from here we had an excellent run down to the finish, roosting and railing and wailing.  Singletrack along the fence to the 4wd climb track, and we hopped the gate and headed back along the road to the car...  Me?  Toasted.

Total 13.2 kms loop, with 490 m climbed.

Grand total, 1250 m climbed for the day.