Day 1 of Mawson Trail - Ikara-Flinders Ranges
Wednesday 14 October
Distance: 67 km
Elevation gain: 834 metres
From the northern trail head at Blinman to Wilpena Pound
About 5 hrs elapsed from 8am to 1pm.
Before I could start riding today, I needed to get to the town of Blinman where the Mawson Trail starts (or ends). We left our accommodation at Wilpena Pound at 6.30am and drove north to Blinman. It was an early start and there was plenty of wildlife on the road - kangaroos, emus and bird life made for a white-knuckle drive hoping nothing ran out onto the road. We saw the sun rise and it produced an amazing light show on the canvas that was the Flinders Ranges. As we drove north the temperature dropped and wind picked up. By the time we arrived at Blinman it was a cool ‘feels like’ temperature of 3 degrees.
I quickly got the bike out of the car, packed my gear onto the bike and got moving. Mel then said goodbye and returned to Wilpena Pound to wait for my return. Because I was riding back to our accommodation at WIlpena Pound the bike was only lightly loaded. Thank-goodness. It was a tough initiation to the Mawson.
The ride today had 3 segments. The first 17km on bitumen was smooth(ish) and mostly downhill. Unfortunately it was more headwind than tailwind. I was wearing my trusty red and yellow wind jacket - it felt very familiar as my “uniform” during my NZ ride last year. At one stage there were about 20 eagles and other raptors flying overhead. It was impressive to see so many circling at one time and somewhat off-putting when a large shadow crosses your path. My instinct was to duck a magpie attack but these shadows were more like a light plane.
Distance: 67 km
Elevation gain: 834 metres
From the northern trail head at Blinman to Wilpena Pound
About 5 hrs elapsed from 8am to 1pm.
Before I could start riding today, I needed to get to the town of Blinman where the Mawson Trail starts (or ends). We left our accommodation at Wilpena Pound at 6.30am and drove north to Blinman. It was an early start and there was plenty of wildlife on the road - kangaroos, emus and bird life made for a white-knuckle drive hoping nothing ran out onto the road. We saw the sun rise and it produced an amazing light show on the canvas that was the Flinders Ranges. As we drove north the temperature dropped and wind picked up. By the time we arrived at Blinman it was a cool ‘feels like’ temperature of 3 degrees.
I quickly got the bike out of the car, packed my gear onto the bike and got moving. Mel then said goodbye and returned to Wilpena Pound to wait for my return. Because I was riding back to our accommodation at WIlpena Pound the bike was only lightly loaded. Thank-goodness. It was a tough initiation to the Mawson.
The ride today had 3 segments. The first 17km on bitumen was smooth(ish) and mostly downhill. Unfortunately it was more headwind than tailwind. I was wearing my trusty red and yellow wind jacket - it felt very familiar as my “uniform” during my NZ ride last year. At one stage there were about 20 eagles and other raptors flying overhead. It was impressive to see so many circling at one time and somewhat off-putting when a large shadow crosses your path. My instinct was to duck a magpie attack but these shadows were more like a light plane.
The remaining two segments were off-road. The second was a mix of up and down on dirt tracks - including single and double tracks, rock gardens, and sometimes dirt roads shared with cars. Amazing views from the famous Razorback Lookout and then a very steep descent to ride the Bunyeroo Road as it snakes through a gorge. This was basically riding the rocky creek bed with lots of rough water crossings.
The final segment was a 17km, 270m uphill grind on a rough track shared with the Hysen walking track. Due to recent rains the track was washed-out and combined with over 50 creek crossings was very slow going. Constant downhill to the creek and then climb up the other side. These were always rocky and there was no way to go fast with the constant track washouts. I walked quite a few crossings as they were unrideable. I even needed to carry the bike up one very steep creek crossing.
I took a few breaks along the way today and combined with the walking was a slow start to my Mawson Trail journey. It was a relief to roll into Wilpena around 1pm and have Mel waiting with cold water and lunch.
Thursday (tomorrow) is a short 20km hop to Rawnsley Park Station where we will spend the night. I’m looking forward to an easy day.
Today’s theme song is by Hunters and Collectors - Holy Grail
And those big black birds / They were circling in the sky
And you know what they say? / Yeah, nobody deserves to die
This song came to mind early today when the eagles were circling overhead. And it is somewhat relevant - as the lyrics say:
It’s a short song, but it’s a hell of a story
When you spend your lifetime trying to get your hands on the holy grail.
The final segment was a 17km, 270m uphill grind on a rough track shared with the Hysen walking track. Due to recent rains the track was washed-out and combined with over 50 creek crossings was very slow going. Constant downhill to the creek and then climb up the other side. These were always rocky and there was no way to go fast with the constant track washouts. I walked quite a few crossings as they were unrideable. I even needed to carry the bike up one very steep creek crossing.
I took a few breaks along the way today and combined with the walking was a slow start to my Mawson Trail journey. It was a relief to roll into Wilpena around 1pm and have Mel waiting with cold water and lunch.
Thursday (tomorrow) is a short 20km hop to Rawnsley Park Station where we will spend the night. I’m looking forward to an easy day.
Today’s theme song is by Hunters and Collectors - Holy Grail
And those big black birds / They were circling in the sky
And you know what they say? / Yeah, nobody deserves to die
This song came to mind early today when the eagles were circling overhead. And it is somewhat relevant - as the lyrics say:
It’s a short song, but it’s a hell of a story
When you spend your lifetime trying to get your hands on the holy grail.
What holy grail am I chasing on this ride? It gave me plenty to think about on the ride today.
The cold start in Blinman.
This trail marker will be my constant companion as I ride south on the Mawson Trail.
The trail today had some challenging rock-garden sections.
Amazing views today of the Flinders Ranges from the trail. The famous razorback is on the left of the picture. This section of the Flinders Ranges is very often used in promotional pictures. I know why. It was breath-taking.
A Cyprus Pine forest was unexpected. The picture shows one of the many wash-outs along the trail.
Thank you for this.KVIN
ReplyDelete