Tuesday evening Packing the Horse

Nelson and me de-wheeled our bikes to make room in the car and picked up Craig, cramming his retro classic fluoro rigid '91 Marin Muirwoods in with ours, and we ventured forth over the Dyers Pass and around the bays and up to Gebbies Pass.  Parked, reassembled our steeds, and headed up the gravel road.  Not long to get puffing, then into the singletrack with the rigidity slowing Craig down a bit, Nelson and me blasting down into the trees ahead and through, then the wee climb up to the stile and out into the paddock where the two others dropped me.  Gasping for breath I caught them at the next stile, then it was a wee blast down before heading into the sweet dark Douglas Fir forest, around and through the wetspot and up the zigzags, Nelson cleaning them all.  Next section across and up to the cool wee bach in there, and then more climbing.  I pretty much left them to it.  Craig yarning away the whole time, not slowing him one bit, I kept them in view for a while, but eventually lost sight of them and just plodded along left to my own devices.  Eventually, after much grunting and groaning I arrived at the end of the forest.  Great trail from here, interesting and not too grindy, around through the Dykes then onwards.  Craig toppling off soon after them on some rocks.  On around and up to the Hut.  Around an hour in.  Signed the book and Nelson took some pics and we headed back the way we'd come.

Nelson, then me, then Craig.  Soon left him behind, our 'modern' bikes so much smoother and the braking offering so much more control we flowed and cruised carefully back to the forest.  He wasn't far behind and had really enjoyed it.  Next bit, the drifty blasty goodness, nailing it down, swoopy swoopy, drifting round corners and nearly shoulder barging trees and all around having a great time.  No time flat and we were back to the bach and waited a second for Craig and he had a massive grin on his face.  First time for him on this track and he wondered why he'd never done it before.  Onwards down, meeting a couple of nice girls heading into the hut for the night, and on down dodging trees and into switchbacks and through the wetspot and douglas fir and blazing down, tucked right down and right on Nelson's tail.  Out to the end, climb began and my gears stalled and that made Craig stall and we walked a bit then ground on up.  over the stile, on up over the paddock hill and then blasted down down down to the next stile.  Back under the trees, along the barbedwire fence skimming at the elbows, finally to the last climb, grind grind grind, stall, walk walk, ride, walk riiiide out the top and over in the open, and back to the road and blast back to the car.  After 8, and the bikes a pain to unravel, so we headed home rather than Living Springs.

Noodle Canteen for dinner.  mmmmmm