Blue Mountain Loop.

There's nothing like choosing the closest weekend to the shortest day for a nice overnight bike trip. Plan A had been the Avoca valley but the amount of remaining snow on the ground had caused Andrew to make enquiries about an alternative. We settled on the loop through Orari Gorge and back over from Blue Mountain Station via Bernard and Howards stream to the Andrews stream.
Andrew and Nathan had previously completed this ride in midsummer and had used the luxurious shearer's quarters at Blue Mountain Station. These were unavailable due to the pipes having been disconnected to prevent frost damage. The land owner had hesitated on the phone before offering use the use of the old hut below McLeods Spur, perhaps he was contemplating the hassle that removing three frozen city boys would give him.

A late 2:30pm start from the car would still give us plenty of time to cover the 15kms to the hut without resorting to headlights.This first section of the ride follows a pleasant 4WD track round severalspurs and over small climbs.What we didn't count on was the three punctures sustained over the first 30 minutes. Incredible, I seem to go for ages without a puncture on a mountain bike and suddenly there is batch of them. In fact when Andrew reported the third puncture I thought he was winding me up! Despite this we still rolled up to the hut as the light was starting to fade. The hut was situated in the only part of the terrain still heavily frosted but fortunately the wood shed was well stocked.

Andrew got the fire going in no time at all and Nathan and I tried to get most of the rodent poo off the bunks. This is definitely a hut with character, I think it's fair to say that because I am going soft in my old age I may take a sleeping mat next time to avoid using the rat's nests of foam mattresses.

Three dehydrated meals later and all was cosy unless you ventured more than a metre from the fire, the hut reading material was up to the usual standard, mostly magazines full of pictures of dead pigs. Andrew decided to sleep in front of the fire (Timaru boy) while Nathan and I retired to the north wing. Coccooned in a good bag AND duvet jacket I was actually very warm although I was a bit concerned about the amount of disintegrating mattress I was inhaling.

Daybreak brought a fine day as predicted by the Metservice. It was going to be tough to leave the fire behind. Unfortunately it was just after we had put the fire out that we realised that we had some cold related mechanical issues. The bikes had been inside overnight but all derailleurs and jockey wheels were frozen solid. Consequently we had to resort to the warm body fluids defrosting technique. Despite this we were still experiencing seizures as we rode through streams and colder patches of the morning air.

The patches of sunshine that were now appearing provided some welcome relief from the cold. A new road round to the Blue Mountain station enabled us to avoid a couple of river crossings which was quite a relief at this point. A quick detour to the farmstead enabled us to hand over some cash for the use of the hut.

The subsequent gentle climb up Bernard stream was very enjoyable and in my current state of fitness just the right gradient! Further up the hill Nathan disappeared off into the distance, at the time I thought he was just displaying the benefits of youth but he actually had no choice as his front derailleur was stuck on the middle ring. Impressive all the same.

The ride down the other side is very pleasant until the last kilometre or two before the Andrews stream where many stream crossings are necessary. This was just a case of forget about the numb feet and get on with it. Once at the Andrews it is a very good road all the way back to complete the loop.
I think the total distance was about 55kms and would be a very nice one day loop if you don't fancy the overnight experience. Permission is required from Orari and Blue Mountain stations.