HHHusky
Pack Dog
Early Sunday morning MajorTom, SideTrack, HHHusky and FlyingDutchman got together for some serious thumper action in and around KwaMahlanga
We did much the same route in the middle of a very wet summer, and I was keen to see what this route was like in winter. We headed north past Cullinan, and last time we came this way SideTrack took on the navigation duties, and this happened
So this time I said leave the navigation to me, I know a better way. Three logs, a few sheets of rusted IBR - no problem
SideTrack looking a bit nervous â?? déjà vu?
Now that everyone was awake we headed further east along a secret little track, with lots of deep sand and jackal footprints
Then we came across a deep ditch in the road, and the girlies were all too scared too jump over. The options were either down a steep drop, sharp turn and steep climb on the other side â?? SideTrack shows us how
MajorTom however has no mud issues!
FlyingDutchman also chose the mud, but got a bit stuck
No problem FlyingDutchman, you can thank me later
Then over the hills in the direction KwaMahlanga, and the first bit of fun is the climb up to the watertower. It soon became clear that conditions were going to be challenging â?? dust and plenty loose stones do not for good traction make
Then came a tricky river crossings with a washed away exit point, and after watching SideTrack get stuck in a thornbush and MajorTom get stuck under his scoot, I went searching for a better spot to cross
Then MajorTom got clever, and the less said the better
From here we climbed deeper into the hills, until we got to the mother of all rock climbs. It is not too steep, but quite long, covered with millions of rocks of all sizes, several sharp changes in direction, a few really big ledges to get over, and plenty of biiiig rocks lurking in the grass waiting to bite you. Here is an example of the terrain â?? yes, that is the track
Even rock-rabbits like SideTrack had their hands full
Much sweating and mayhem later we all made it to the top, and after consuming every beverage we had on us the laws of physics dictated that what went up, must come down. Nothing like a steep slippery rocky downhill with sheer drop-off on the side to test the nerves, but we all made it safely to the bottom of this valley
Here is me sort of stuck on a bush, but I was just chilling and watching FlyingDutchman and MajorTom squirm. Reason being, at this stage you are stuck at the bottom of a valley, and the only way out seems to be an insanely steep and rocky climb up the next hill. So I did to them what Runner did to me the first time I arrived at this spot, shattered and totally gatvol of rocks â?? say nothing and let then sweat awhileot:
The truth is that from here there is an easy climb up to the waterfall, and we crossed at the spot where RedRider auditioned for the national diving team
Then through the marshy bit which was much easier in these dry conditions, but still some challenges to overcome â?? SideTrack apparently made a bit of a hash of this exit but recovered in time before MajorTom could catch him in the act
At this stage we were all pretty shattered, but after a few liters of cooldrink we headed north to another well-known track, exploring some great new riding along the way. What makes this track special is that it always brings out the worst in every rider, and I was soon witnessing FlyingDutchman doing powerslides through the corners (some planned, others less so), and flying over the whoops at speeds poorly correlated with his age. We all felt like Dakar heroes, and let it all hang out. Then a final splash too cool down
Thanks for a cool ride!
We did much the same route in the middle of a very wet summer, and I was keen to see what this route was like in winter. We headed north past Cullinan, and last time we came this way SideTrack took on the navigation duties, and this happened
So this time I said leave the navigation to me, I know a better way. Three logs, a few sheets of rusted IBR - no problem
SideTrack looking a bit nervous â?? déjà vu?
Now that everyone was awake we headed further east along a secret little track, with lots of deep sand and jackal footprints
Then we came across a deep ditch in the road, and the girlies were all too scared too jump over. The options were either down a steep drop, sharp turn and steep climb on the other side â?? SideTrack shows us how
MajorTom however has no mud issues!
FlyingDutchman also chose the mud, but got a bit stuck
No problem FlyingDutchman, you can thank me later
Then over the hills in the direction KwaMahlanga, and the first bit of fun is the climb up to the watertower. It soon became clear that conditions were going to be challenging â?? dust and plenty loose stones do not for good traction make
Then came a tricky river crossings with a washed away exit point, and after watching SideTrack get stuck in a thornbush and MajorTom get stuck under his scoot, I went searching for a better spot to cross
Then MajorTom got clever, and the less said the better
From here we climbed deeper into the hills, until we got to the mother of all rock climbs. It is not too steep, but quite long, covered with millions of rocks of all sizes, several sharp changes in direction, a few really big ledges to get over, and plenty of biiiig rocks lurking in the grass waiting to bite you. Here is an example of the terrain â?? yes, that is the track
Even rock-rabbits like SideTrack had their hands full
Much sweating and mayhem later we all made it to the top, and after consuming every beverage we had on us the laws of physics dictated that what went up, must come down. Nothing like a steep slippery rocky downhill with sheer drop-off on the side to test the nerves, but we all made it safely to the bottom of this valley
Here is me sort of stuck on a bush, but I was just chilling and watching FlyingDutchman and MajorTom squirm. Reason being, at this stage you are stuck at the bottom of a valley, and the only way out seems to be an insanely steep and rocky climb up the next hill. So I did to them what Runner did to me the first time I arrived at this spot, shattered and totally gatvol of rocks â?? say nothing and let then sweat awhile
ot:
The truth is that from here there is an easy climb up to the waterfall, and we crossed at the spot where RedRider auditioned for the national diving team
Then through the marshy bit which was much easier in these dry conditions, but still some challenges to overcome â?? SideTrack apparently made a bit of a hash of this exit but recovered in time before MajorTom could catch him in the act
At this stage we were all pretty shattered, but after a few liters of cooldrink we headed north to another well-known track, exploring some great new riding along the way. What makes this track special is that it always brings out the worst in every rider, and I was soon witnessing FlyingDutchman doing powerslides through the corners (some planned, others less so), and flying over the whoops at speeds poorly correlated with his age. We all felt like Dakar heroes, and let it all hang out. Then a final splash too cool down
Thanks for a cool ride!
