Mount Binser.

The 14th of December had been in the diaries of everyone concerned for about two months. It is actually very impressive that a boys day out could be pulled off so close to Christmas, with all the usual activities that are on the go. What was even more impressive was that the weather forecast was very good.














This particular tramp was my idea as I'd looked at Mount Binser several years ago while biking up the Poulter river valley and thought the views from the summit must be superb. This could bring blame or praise depending on how the day panned out.
We left town at 0700, with myself Jason, Alistair and Richard, Alistair was so keen we found him halfway down Bowenvale Avenue before we got to his house. Just warming up. The pleasant 90 minute drive took us to just beyond Mt. White bridge and the DOC sign indicating the track to Binser Saddle (see map above). A quick sort out and application of DEET saw us under way. The weather was warm, still and overcast. Perfect tramping conditions.




















The walk to the saddle took 90 minutes at a steady pace, it was actually a bit steeper than I expected from looking at the map.




















From the saddle about 500m of bush bashing was required to emerge onto the open hillside. No route was obvious and the bush was very dense in places. There was actually a very nice clearing on the sadlle which would make a nice campsite with water available nearby.












The hillside above was really quite steep and after a lunch stop it was a fairly gruelling couple of hours up to the first peak at 1753m. Al was suffering a wee bit on this section (something about an overdose of Tiger beer two nights before) but kept going well. Richard as usual was bounding ahead untroubled by the gradient. Jason did a great job of providing moral support for Al.












A brief stop for food and water and we were off along the ridge towards the next peak at 1831m. The ridge looked very 'interesting' but proved to be fine. Steep drops to the West and fractured rock would make it unpleasant in a strong wind.




















This section was negotiated in about 45 minutes and was very reminiscent of Scotland.












From the top of the peak at 1831m we could see the summit of Mount Binser and also the car a long way below. maybe we should start talking in feet as Mount Binser is over 6000 feet.




















There were also a couple of remaining snow patches on the next section.




















Al may have been slightly hypoxic at this point as he started waving his arms around and making strange finger signals.




















One thing that is really great on a day trip is the small pack that you have to shoulder. The final grunt up to the summit of Mount Binser (1860m) really made my legs hurt. Richard refused to stop so I just managed to stay with him in a completely non competitive way.








The 360 degree views from this summit are amazing. I took some panaoramas which I will post on my Zenfolio site (http://petedawson.zenfolio.com/ ) as the blog format does not work with them.








Three handsome chaps!!!

The descent down the SW ridge looked straightforward but it is a continuous 1200m steep down. My quads were still sore on the following Thursday. As we started the descent I asked Jason and Richard to hurry so I could get a shot of Al without their upper bodies only in the shot.












Jason commented in his own way on my request that he get out of the photo. (_!_) to you too mate :-)












Arrival at the Mt. White road still left us with a 4km walk and jog along the road. That made it an 8.5 hour day. A beer and steak and chips in the Springfield pub rounded it off nicely.

The Molesworth Muster.

The Molesworth Muster is an annual 80km mountain bike event that starts at the Cobb Cottage on the Molesworth Station. The start is situated 80kms into the backcountry behind Hanmer Springs, home of the famous hot pools. To compete in the event it is necessary to travel in the night before and camp at the station. This is usually a very cold night. The route follows the original road used to muster the cattle from the station out to Hanmer Springs. The first 7km of the ride is undulating and windy gravel road, just enough to get you warmed up for the first climb, Wards Pass. You then descend off Wards Pass and take on 7km of flat riding across Isolated Flat which is exactly as its says – flat and isolated. At the end of this you begin the gradual climb up onto Isolated Saddle. From here on there is a superb combination of undulating and winding road, with moderate and small hill climbs and some flat sections. At this point you are riding beside the beautiful Acheron River. At approximately 56km, just past the historic Acheron Accommodation House the Acheron converges with the Clarence River, which is followed until the Jollies Pass turnoff. The final climb is 4kms up Jollies Pass followed by the steep descent and a short ride on the flat to the finish at the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp.
This year I had decided to take the soft option and act as support driver for the Blackwells Holden Team and another friend John 'I will never shave my legs' Phillips. My son Chris was coming along for the experience!
The rendezvous was at a rental house in Hanmer. Here we abandoned (lovingly said "Goodbye"!)the rest of our families, it did not bode well as it was tipping it down with snow. Fortunately this soon cleared up and we were under way. At this point I was alittle intimidated to be driving a van with a big trailer on rough roads when the van contained two car mechanics a parts expert and an ex power boat racer. Somehow it felt like a driving test.

The journey in passed without event and we were soon stuck into erecting our tents. All of us that is except John who was jumping up and down at the back of the trailer saying "****", "****", "****".

Hmm.....not good. Some very gentle interrogation revealed that John was in possesion of his wife Kathy's suitcase as opposed to his own. No tent, no sleeping bag, no cycling clothes but lots of ladies' stuff, even a hairdryer. The situation was actually far too serious for us to take the mickey at this point. In the absolute middle of nowhere we thought there was no chance of rectifying the situation. John and Mark went off to speak to the organisers. John had figured that if there was any possibility of contacting the girls in Hanmer it may just be possible to get his gear into an incoming vehicle.


Meanwhile the rest of us got on with erecting the tents. Barry was in possession of the biggest tent and was in danger of ending up with a hypothermic John in with him. Also, Kevin was harbouring a dirty little secret. Unbeknown to the rest of his team he had made a late chain replacement and was having some difficulty with the gear shifting on his bike. John returned looking slightly happier, it turned out that the St. John's ambulance crew were in possession of a satellite phone and contact had been made with the ladies wine drinking team in Hanmer. They were under orders (or maybe they had been pleaded with) to get the case into any car heading for Molesworth. They were up against it as the gate locking time was fast approaching.
Back at camp, the pasta was on and plans to get John through the night were hatched. It was also decided that he should if necessary ride in some of Kathy's gear from the suitcase. John was now actually smiling as there was a slim chance he may get his stuff. A couple of helicopters passed overhead and I could hear the cogs turning with thoughts of "How much?"!! When quizzed the next day John admitted that he had been seriously considering this possibility.
The evening meal was scoffed and the riders started last minute bike checks and attached race numbers. There was some obsession over tyre pressures. Chris was lapping it up and asking questions about all the different types of suspension. At 7pm Chris and I went down for the drivers briefing, all quite simple, be out of there by 7am or go the long way round via Blenheim. Ok, that's a 5 hour drive at least, no way we're missing that cut off time. At 8:30pm we went down to see if John's bag had arrived. Incredibly it had. We didn't meet the guys who brought it in but reports from Dee and Kathy implied that they had no trouble stopping a car. John was a happy bloke! We gave him some help with his tent. Actually we put his tent up for him after he asked "Why are there two parts to it?".

Meanwhile Kevin was testing his gears and saying nothing.

The night is always cold at Molesworth at this time of year so a few brews later and we were all tucked up our pits. I slept in as much gear as I last used at 21,000ft. in the Himalayas. No joke! Chris woke me at 5am and people were up and about. Up and thawing out is a better description. The gang were huddled round the gas stove keeping warm. Everyone was a bit nervous, even Kevin who has done every edition of the Muster. Being a driver is easy, bit of an adventure without the suffering, but also without the satisfaction in Hanmer. Chris was very impressed as all the tents were covered in frost. The time goes quickly at this point and before we knew it and after the horrors of the dreaded portaloos, Chris and I were on the road. For the record I have to state that on the way out I drove just like Sebastien Loeb or at least Sebastien Loeb in a Mazda van with a trailer. It must have been the lack of pressure or maybe the lack of 400kgs of guys and bikes? In two hours were drinking coffee back in the house in Hanmer. Actually we were being interrogated, "How did he react?", "Did he swear?" etc....

Race reports are a bit limited I'm afraid due to not actually being on a bike. However we were at the finish to see the first riders come in at around 2:30. That is 2.5 hours not 2:30pm, an incredible time. It took us 2.5 hours to drive in. Allright say no more......

John was the first of our guys to finish in 3:13, a real solid effort, this was good enough to get him third in the Vet 2 category. We are talking hardware now. My mobile rang shortly after that with a call from Mark who was sitting at the top of the final descent. He and John had worked together so Mark would have had the same time if he had been riding individually. The rules in the Molesworth Muster say that all members of a team must finish together. Barry joined Mark a bit later with the news that Kevin had been having bad problems with his chain and was possibly still some way away. Eventually Mark and Barry rode down to the finish as they were getting cold and fortunately Kevin arrived shortly thereafter. The team has achieved placings in other years but unfortunately it was not to be this year.
The really cool thing about this race is that it finishes in a town with thermal springs....and cafes, and shops, and mini golf, and pizza etc... In fact, an entry ticket to the pools is included in the race pack.
All that remained was the prizegiving and a relaxing evening in Hanmer. As usual talk turned to next year and the times that could be possible. I tried to convince John that shaving his legs is worth 15 minutes but I'm not sure that it worked. John received a nice medal for his efforts, everybody was pleased for him as the mental scars from 4th place in the six hour blast were still fresh. Another 4th would have been hard to take.

Mount Somers Track.

Winter is here. It has been more than six months since the Cass-Lagoon Saddle trip and once again the impetus for this jaunt has come from Alistair. The core cast remains the same but there are two new additions in the form of Jeff and Andrew. There is also increased complexity in the plot as both Jason and my self cannot complete the entire performance. Jason cannot do an overnighter due to some constraint imposed by one of his children’s birthday party. Meanwhile I cannot make the first act due to coaching duties in the intense cauldron of Mainland Football’s 11th grade Junior competition.

Due to my absence from the first part of the trip all words up until the rendezvous of the main party with myself form a work of fiction.











The main party left Jason’s house at approximately 0830. I can confirm this because of the cell phone call from Richard asking if I am definitely going to come. At the time I was pumping up footballs and deep in contemplation of the merits of 4-4-2 versus 4-3-3.
After the car shuttle, the team are all pent up and ready to go at Sharplin Falls car park. From the car park the route follows the track over the bridge and through beech forest to Duke Knob (739 m). This section is quite demanding, involving a steep climb. Reports from Andrew indicate that there were some very high steps required in muddy terrain. These were not his exact words. By all accounts at this point Jeff was happily dreaming about the contents of his pack. On from Duke Knob the track follows Bowyers Stream eventually crossing the bridge to the true right bank and on up to Pinnacles Hut.
Pinnacles Hut is named after the rock formations on the northern face of Mt Somers, formed by the cooling of very hot sticky lava flows some 90 million years ago. Unfortunately it was time to say goodbye to Jason who was making the return trip to Sharplin Falls car park. Onwards and upwards for the rest.
The track from the hut follows the markers through tussock and sub-alpine scrub up to Mt Somers saddle (1170 m). It is a steady climb to the saddle, which is about midway along the track. The views from the saddle are a superb vista of the Taylor and Old Man ranges.








Meanwhile back at Woolshed Creek after a tense 2-1 win over Woolston Technical and a hasty drive from Christchurch to Mount Somers I was busy trying to make my pack as heavy as possible. This wasn’t really intentional but I was feeling a bit guilty for taking the ‘soft’ option so had brought a fair amount of camera gear. I then discovered that I had my iPod in the glove box so I had to carry that too. The current rate of break ins in remote car parks is sad but real. The sign said 3hrs to Woolshed Creek hut. The intentions book said that a party of 14 scouts were ahead of me.

It’s a beautiful walk up the steep incline to the disused mine workings.


















The gusty NW wind makes taking photos tricky. It’s worth the effort as the light is quite nice.















Despite a lot of fiddling about with camera and tripod the walk to the hut is only 1.5 hours. There seems to be a bit of an error here on the signed 3hours, DOC times are normally quite realistic.
The hut is a serious palace.

Brand new, but looking a bit full with scouts everywhere. I grabbed a bunk then set off to meet the guys coming the other way. After crossing Woolshed Creek and Morgan Stream I came across a sign indicating a short side-trip down to the creek to view some interesting water carved rock features referred to as 'caves'. Twenty minutes later I spotted some people descending the valley from the saddle.
Meeting another group who have had a much tougher day than your self is quite odd. The boys didn’t seem too talkative and had clearly had a hard day. They were definitely happy to learn that the hut was only 20 minutes away but not so happy to hear that it was full of young lads!!

We managed to grab the whole of a top bunk to ourselves and began the serious task of feeding and rehydration. The group of scouts looked suitably impressed as Jeff pulled out four cans of Bourbon and Coke.

What really impressed them though was the second pack of four cans that he subsequently removed from his pack. Richard seemed to be carrying about 40kgs and proceeded to disgorge half the contents of a supermarket from his pack. Al had insisted on fresh produce only for the meal and Richard had obliged. The only slight snag was that the fresh chicken was frozen solid!! Al quite rightly pointed out that seeing that it was already dark (at 5:30pm) there wasn’t much else to do but cook for the next few hours. Fair point really.

A wee pasta starter was served by myself before Al and Richard got into the serious culinary effort.

Meanwhile Jeff and Andrew were re-hydrating and I was fiddling around with camera and flash.

Several cans of Carlsberg later the main course of satay chicken was served.

Bedtime came early at 9pm after all the beverages were consumed. Richard, Andrew and I ended up sleeping in the kitchen as the bunk rooms were incredibly hot.

Morning brought fine but cooler weather, Richard took the opportunity to wear a hat that he is not allowed to wear at home.














After several brews we took the time to back track and explore the water caves off the side of the main track.

It’s an interesting feature but not terribly spectacular.

The choice of routes back to the car was discussed and Jeff and Andrew were keen on the normal route via the miners track.

Richard, Al and myself were keen to take the Bus Stop Overhang route. This route crosses a great swing bridge then climbs steeply onto the shoulder of Mount Somers before traversing to the top of the Rhyolite Ridge track which descends steeply to the car park. This route took us about 2.5 hours, boggy in places but with superb views. Jeff and Andrew had not been waiting long. We finished off the weekend with a beer in the blue pub at Methven.