Beautiful morning to be out early. Parked up Evans Pass and on the fat bike with Jet poached in on the (closed) Godley track. One or 2 mucky spots but the fat tires do no damage and leave little trace of having been through. And I walked on several of the mucky bits (as well as some of the techy bits) anyway. A good run down to Livingstone, only a bit splecky on the Teddington Schipt bit, with smooth fun sailing, no puddles or muck the rest of the way down. Jet struggled with the cattlestop, and a runner helped me out with the little doggy gate, and then we headed up and over to Breeze - again, no mucky bits, tho I was cautious on that last paddock ruttsville zone before the final cattlestop, not to mention the cattlestop itself.
Next, it was across to the stile and onto the Breeze Bay walking track. Jet seemed to know we were going that way and led the way to the stile, over it, and off up the track, without any direction from me. Nice to ride in this way, mostly climbing, and the gravel is starting to be grown into by the surrounding grass, so the trail is getting a better feel. Still way less tech than it used to be, ie, none now. Over the stile at the end, and I stopped to take a couple of pics.
(in the glare behind the Kaikoura Mountains were in their full glory...)
From here, treadled across to the bunker on the hill, then headed up towards the trig, zigging and zagging a couple times. Over the fence, across to the higher bunker and up to the trig where I was tempted to take more pics. View up Lyttelton Harbour and over Chch to the mountains and out to see spectacular all around. A runner grunted up here and past, stopping to take in the view but completely not engaging with me... I headed off down the fenceline for a start, then had a second thought and went back over the fence and back up the hill, then over down, where sheepshit flew off my tires and onto my face. Nice and fresh it was, all over my lips, nose and mustache, nearly in my mouth - eeewwwcchhhh.. Took a bit of wiping to make me not smell it any more. Continued down and met with our usual wee tight narrow singletrack above the road back towards Breeze Col. This was fun. And tricky. And quite slow.
Through Breeze Col and off up the road, then decided to ride a sheep trail below the road (above the Anaconda), and along this to the first corner which when I rounded, decided too many sheep to not freak them out with Jet, so climbed back up to the road. Stayed on this, around past Livingstone, up past the Para's launching spit, and around above Scarborough to the usual gate (now moved) to head back up to the Godley Track.
Climbed up and crossed over this and continued up the 'landing strip', all the way to the top, nice long climb, and joined the 360 trail up here, ready for the descent to Evans. Excellent downhill this - couple of rocky tech sections that were too much for me on the fatty, but fun bits in between and in no time I was back on the rock part of the trail, then I continued with the walking track section above the entrance, and dropped down to the final stile (dog gate for Jet) and back to the car.
Very happy dog, and me well satisfied with my micro-adventure. A 13kms round trip, climbing around 520m.
From here, treadled across to the bunker on the hill, then headed up towards the trig, zigging and zagging a couple times. Over the fence, across to the higher bunker and up to the trig where I was tempted to take more pics. View up Lyttelton Harbour and over Chch to the mountains and out to see spectacular all around. A runner grunted up here and past, stopping to take in the view but completely not engaging with me... I headed off down the fenceline for a start, then had a second thought and went back over the fence and back up the hill, then over down, where sheepshit flew off my tires and onto my face. Nice and fresh it was, all over my lips, nose and mustache, nearly in my mouth - eeewwwcchhhh.. Took a bit of wiping to make me not smell it any more. Continued down and met with our usual wee tight narrow singletrack above the road back towards Breeze Col. This was fun. And tricky. And quite slow.
Through Breeze Col and off up the road, then decided to ride a sheep trail below the road (above the Anaconda), and along this to the first corner which when I rounded, decided too many sheep to not freak them out with Jet, so climbed back up to the road. Stayed on this, around past Livingstone, up past the Para's launching spit, and around above Scarborough to the usual gate (now moved) to head back up to the Godley Track.
Climbed up and crossed over this and continued up the 'landing strip', all the way to the top, nice long climb, and joined the 360 trail up here, ready for the descent to Evans. Excellent downhill this - couple of rocky tech sections that were too much for me on the fatty, but fun bits in between and in no time I was back on the rock part of the trail, then I continued with the walking track section above the entrance, and dropped down to the final stile (dog gate for Jet) and back to the car.
Very happy dog, and me well satisfied with my micro-adventure. A 13kms round trip, climbing around 520m.
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