Cheers Rob!

Here is a copy of the blog, on our web page http://makarapeak.org/northface?mode=Po ... bmi=380772

School Holiday Pixie Work : banks and berms!

Icy sunshine started the day where we had a plan to introduce a small curve where the track was straight and downhill, (to better swing around a small tree), with the aid of a berm - and to make the short uphill flow much more betterer. What could possibly go wrong?

A pixie:



Such a change from the many days recently spent fighting mud!

An attempt to oil my chain before leaving home failed, as the oil (left outside) had fruz into a blue waxy immovable object. Out on the higher reaches of North face however it was pretty warm in the sun, and we set about making a small berm (really a rock armored edge) and packed it down, and packed it down some more. Then we packed it down again. And did it again.

We then built a rocky area at the bottom of the downslope which should drain well, then moved along.



and then:



Ruts were removed between the Manukas, and a little further along plans were hatched to dig the existing track down, and to swerve it more naturally around the trees.

Non rutness:



Worried about creating more dirt than we could use today, rocks were found and hammered into the surface of the corner on the sharp ridge which was close by. Dirt was added. And packed down, then some more packing etc.You get the idea. Then we packed it some more.

A decent drain was also dug to avoid the sudden cold bath effect, then we headed back to the swervery.



Hopefully this will provide a margin for error on the exit this corner which is located on impressively steep terrain. Or, allow you to ride it with more speed: your pick!

Back to the trees and the bank was dug and we started to shape the turn, however we will be back later in the week to finish this off.

It is a mess at the moment We started to dig the upper bank on the right hand side...



The plan is to lower and widen the track to the left, (using tonnes of rocks harvested from just beyond the ridge) distancing it from a tree, then have it gently rise to cross over the existing mess into a nice gentle left hander which then runs to the sharp ridge. Various rocks were hammered flat (sledge hammers are fun things) into the corner to help avoid ruts and other evilness.

Not quite as rough and rocky:



Many thanks to Jono and Rob, and also Jonty and Martin (Happy birthday Martin!!) who interrupted their ride to help out.

Quite a few riders were tackling the trail today, which is what it is for

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks.

On Thursday more work was done- here is a copy of the blog on our website
http://makarapeak.org/northface?mode=Po ... bmi=383581

Comparing the pictures is interesting

Two days, 72 metres.

Today we completed a rework of what turned out to be 72m of North Face, starting after the rocky area just past the cabbage tree by the Manuka forest area.

Much of the track under the trees had been drained and armored last weekend, so the surface was dry and hard enough to raise it here, lower it and move it over there and widen it in most places. We were continuing on from where we left off last Monday where a swoop down a hill was widened and small berm made, and a rocky drain created.

Plenty of rocks were rolled down from the hill above the track, and they were used (with tonnes of compacted quality dirt) to both widen much of this area and to produce a nice strong edge. The track was swung further around the trees, and made more curvy.

The track now also rises and falls more to assist with drainage and add to the thrill and happiness factor.

The aim of all of this was to make the trail wider and way solid, while bending more naturally around the trees leaving plenty of elbow room. You may not realize it, but there are now rocks the size of Mars under the side of this trail.

This was all important to do, as much of this area will be graveled shortly, so we did need to have the track in pretty much its final shape before then. The edge of the trail in particular is now far more solid as it has a well-packed foundation made of rocks. Plus, it is now more fun to ride for the quiet and extreeem riders alike.

Jono, as test rider, blasted down the section at increasing speeds: this part of the trail can be ridden at uber velocities by people with the will and the ability J. More sedate riders can just enjoy the experience..

Cheers to Jono and Rob who will be very stiff and sore puppies tomorrow after a tough day!

Some pictures for your examination:










































That ought to about do it


Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks !!

A smashing success !

Today we were beavering away on North Face, further armoring it against the evils of endless water.

Many thanks to Hugh, Don, Jono, Ian and Rob

I do apologise for not posting notice of this dig on the web, I can only blame me, as I did not do it

Anyhow heaps of the track was armored, including nearly all of the rollers after the second switchback. Epic drainage and under-track pipage was devised to cure a particularly soggy area. Don’s next project will be the new Hoover Dam.

And further down, gigatonnes of rock was chipped from the sharp ridge corner, and smashed into about 50m of trail. This has armored the surface, guarded against ruts, and made that corner much wider with far better site lines. A win win kind of thing.

Over the next few weeks the WCC will be delivering some special gravel to the summit, and will be spreading this on the track where it needs it. This is a very good thing, and once done a slimy surface along the top 200m should be a rarity.

Hopefully next winter we can sit at home drinking Milo pondering riding in the rain, rather than being out on the track fixing slime. This will be an all weather track, and I am looking forward to it.

Next Sunday is a big event for the North Face: the very first planting work party

If you have helped to create this trail (or have not yet made it up the hill to help out) you might like to come along and help plant some natives: this will be a whole lot easier than ripping stumps out of the ground, or crushing rocks..

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks!

Hey Robbie, i rode Northface and Smokin early this morning and noticed a big tree down across the track near where Smokin meets Ridgeline Extension. The tree looked like it had been cut with a saw. There was no way you could ride around it, i left it in its place as it looked a bit big too move and im wasnt sure if it was supposed to be there?

Hi
I advised the WCC Ranger of this one.

The tree it seems was a gorse bush cut down when the end of the trail was cleared, however it had been blown back onto the track.
So you are right, it should not have been there

Cheers

Definately not gorse, definately tree.

A gorse tree?

Hmmmm it didnt have those spiky things i often spend weeks removing from my body. It did have the green and brown leafy things though. I guess it could have been a rabbit

Seeing these pics makes me even more trail sick

dented wrote:A gorse tree?

Yep.
Words straight from the guy who cut it down, when we were clearing the trail.

Some parts of North Face and Smokin have gorse and barberry that has grown into solid trees many metres high. I sometimes climbed them to see where we were during the piloting and bush bashing missions !

The end of Smokin looked like this before we started:

The errant tree was in fact a barberry, it was sliced, diced and relocated

North Face : come along and armour the track!!

We need to armour the soft bits of this trail ( that have not yet had this work done) to provide a nice solid foundation for gravelling.

We will be leaving the St Alban's garage at 10am and heading up to the start of the trail from there.
Tools, lunch, drinks and friendly hilarious behaviour all provided.

Drop in for a little while or all day, your help will be greatly appreciated as we are all volunteers

See you there !

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks !!

It says on makarapeak.org that northface is being gravelled over this week. Doesn't that mean it'll be too late to armour it? Or is the gravelling taking place over a number of weeks?

Hiya
1. Yes, but only the soggy parts, probably less than 200m. The PD group, our Ranger and D McL. are working there this week. They started yesterday.

2. We can still look at any other areas that we think could benefit from gravelling, I would not expect them to have covered all the bases. Apparently it is packing down very well, the effects of earlier armoring (or not) will be interesting to see.

3. The main gravel delivery work will be this week, the rest will be on weekend workparties by volunteers, if they have left any gravel by the trail head

This means that the work we do on Sunday will be dependent on what they have done during the week. Sounds like a great excuse for a ride !