Work on the pilot trail for JFK proceeded
today with Rob, Ian and Bryan
machining their way through the scrub.
We had three main objectives: the first was
to decide where the left-hand corner at the end of North Face (this being the
start of JFK) should be. The second was to pilot our way the 70-odd metres to
the next ridge at the correct gradient, and the third was to assess whether the
track would continue around the ridge and beyond, or be switched back along the
face of the valley again.
A bit of clambering about and measuring
angles etc placed the first switchback right next to the road, and this will one
day sweep around a flax bush. There seems to be ample dirt& rocks to about
build a decent exit berm. From there we set sail below the last part of North
Face, dropping as we did so towards the next ridge.
To aid visibility (there are some bloody
tall gorse trees about, try 2.5 metres) Bryan was "volunteered" to walk 30 metres
back along the last straight part of North Face, and clamber down the side of the hill through
the prickles, trees and scrub until he was in line with the right gradient. The
advice was to turn right and try not to bleed. Once in position he started
clearing the gorse+ barberry down to knee height towards the start of the trail,
so we worked towards each other successfully even when visibility at ground
level was um non-existent by selecting objects high in the distance to aim for.
A break for lunch and quite a few riders
were finishing North Face, so we pointed them down to Smokin which is not yet
on any official maps and watched proceedings from above. Some people liked it
so much they climbed back up the road and had a second shot at it. Great stuff :-)
After lunch, with not much barberry in the
way it was basically a gorse clearing mission to the ridge (which is below the
last right hander on North Face) however the barbery struck back with a
vengeance from there.
A short hike along North Face and measuring
of side slopes etc revealed that we could indeed wander past the ridge and have
just 1 switchback in a relatively mellow valley- well below the Valley Of The Switchbacks. In this way we avoid
planning maybe 3 more switchbacks (if we were to just zig zag down the hill)
making for a much more flowy trail, which will also be far easier to build and
maintain.
From above, looking down from North Face the
area looked like a cliff, but then again so does most of North Face! Side
slopes were confirmed and we hacked our way along until we had piloted about 120m.
A good day! This is in addition to the 245m
piloted at the bottom of the trail (200m of which has already been cleared),
and the two huge 180 degree sweeping bends. This means about 420m of 600 or so
has been accounted for.
We were sheltered from the high winds, and
only had a little light hail now and then, however we could see high about Ridgeline
where the summit Tower was howling, and gusts of wind were sending sheets of
rain sideways.
A quick trot up to the Switchbacks on North
Face to measure more angles and sight the valley, and we wandered off at 4:45
just as evil heavy cold rain set in. It was a balmy 4 degrees at that point.
All three objectives were met, and with a
bit of care and cunning the rest of the trail will map out into a critter with
quite a different personality to both North Face above, and Smokin which is
below.
Here is a map showing the existing pilot
trail and the likely path of the remainder:
Our deadline is to have the whole track
piloted before October.
This is the magical month when daylight saving starts,
along with our hugely popular Tuesday night track builds. Give yourselves a
Christmas present and help out then, and we will all have a new trail as part of the North Face Project. In time
for Santa :-)
See you on the side of the hill,
Cheers,
Rob
Makara Peak Tracks!!