Only light rain overnight, it gave way to another overcast morning. I was keen to take the McPhies Ridge track to get better views, but the start was overgrown and Andy wanted to take the lower Cluden Creek track so as to get home at a reasonable time. I deferred, as not my route and I’d not done Cluden Creek either.

A gentle start up the valley to begin, but my – it was humid for eight in the morning! After the gravel road ended, it was gates and farm track. Neither of us were feeling particularly energetic after the previous forty hours, but I was certainly pushing more – on the steep pinches, but unfortunately on mellower slopes too.

St Bathans Range peeking through.

I kept looking at the gentler ridge line above us longingly, but we’d probably have had two hundred metres of altitude to push through to get there. Out of the gorge into the basin, we soon found our route from the second day of last year’s trip and started following it backwards. Flatter riding was a nice change, as was a good water and food stop. We joined the McPhies Ridge Track after it dropped off the ridge (I should come back and combine the creek and ridge track as a loop someday) and continued past the fenced Pleasant Valley parking lot; only to find no vehicles would be using it after we came close to falling in a large, deep gap left by a washed out culvert.

Back to Lauder Conservation Area up on the Dunstan Range, as well as Dunstan Peak.

Heading for Goodger Rd. Andy’s pic.

What’s another twenty percent gradient push…? Andy’s pic.

By mid-morning we were halfway back to the cars and embarking on the pylon road to the highway on the other, northern, side of Lindis Pass. My memory of riding it in the other direction was far hazier than Andy’s, but I was surprised that, in the tired state I was in, it was mostly rideable. We were pleased for more fresh water – from our 2022 lunch spot no less. Plenty to look at too. Sometimes the power lines could be avoided, with a bit of effort, to get better shots.

We crossed back into Canterbury at a small pass and then diverged from last year’s route to take a more direct route – only to find it kept climbing! Oops. But that was soon over and we enjoyed the steep drop down to the highway, although the sheep did get in the way a bit. Right at the end of the offroad section, I managed to get a puncture from somewhere. A bit of air at the highway was enough to get me back to the car, phew.

That was quite the sub-48 hour trip – 6000+ metres climbed in 150 km, that’s double my definition of hilly! Considering the first evening, I was a little surprised I got round – the middle day was great and manageable, but exhausted for much of the last day. Unsure if I’m just too unfit to push such loads up very steep terrain or if something else is a bit wrong. Guess I might find out on the upcoming GSB (tracking here), which I’ve been in about a dozen different minds about doing – which is odd, as it’s the event I most look forward to. Maybe I’m over mass starts and much prefer these little trips into the hills – thanks Andy for another cracker; perversely, I can’t wait to get back in there (GSB should help with that).

Addendum: Andy’s video of the whole trip. Some reminds me of all the tough pushing, and other bits of the views and fun riding.