Youtube stuff from some of the punters
Brad's View of the hcr
Left Parkdale 1.30pm Thursday arriving at Abbeyard just before 6pm. Was surprised to see so many other people were up there. Set up the tent pronto as it was well on the way to dark and after getting sorted went and visited a few camp sites with a beer in hand to say hello.
Friday watched the shed roof go on and check rode the Saturday loop with Paul and Tim. Covered the 190K's in 7hours after a long break at Harrietville, 10am to 5pm with some minor offs, one on Paddy's Hill, at this stage the route was damp and in great nick.
After a shower set up the bar and was open for business about 6.30pm with many of the folks having arrived festivities were under way, until the rain started sending people to bed.
It rained from late Friday night until Saturday evening and the offer to go out to the assigned check point one in a 4WD rather than on a bike was to good to pass up. Climbing aboard with Leon in his trusty Toyota with Dennis and Micheal in the second Toyota we headed off about 7.30 taking the actual rider route, making one stop to clear a tree for the 4WD's.
Set up the check point, got a fire going, trap up for cover, bollards in place and roped off Paddy's Hill for an alternate go around. Dennis put on the kettle and we had a hot drink just before the riders started coming through, where we did our best to explain to alternate route, how it rejoined the course via a map and verbal instructions. Some people wanted to go up Paddy's Hill however when we explained the issues they all took the alternate route which we later understood to have its own challenges.
After 11am got a UHF call from Frank of two broken bikes 4.5km and 10km past CP1, Leon and I went in his 4WD to investigate and found Reece with a dead KTM at the first location. We towed him back to CP1 in a ski boat sort of way with me as the observer no issues and were discussing what to do about the second bike when Pat arrived with his UTE. Leon and Pat would go after the second bike together we had no idea how this would change the day and turn of events. They never found the second bike which we later learned was a KTM with a stripped front sprocket which he got going via a loan sprocket from a fellow rider. There was apparently confusion on the alternate route with Nolan Tk which the guys negotiated to later find Rob Lomas shivering on the side of a track with Rowen for company. Rob had broken his elbow so the guys put him in Leons 4WD and took him to the Ambulance which had been called, drugs administered and Rob in a happy state he held back from proposing to Leon who continued with Pat onto Harrietville to drop off Rob's recovered Berg putting it on a trailer.
Meanwhile back at CP1 we had no idea of all of these events as we attempted to call the guys on the radio. By 3pm we talked about options as the final sweep group had gone through hours ago whom we passed our final check sheets onto. Dennis took the 4WD to check the road and make a radio call from higher ground without success. The rain bucked down and tried to kill the fire a couple of times during heavy downpours and then floods of runoff which Michael abated via his drainage and damming skills, still anywhere you stood bought up a centimeter of ground water.
Then before 4.30pm the Sun came out and we heard the guys on the radio, packed up loaded the KTM on Pats UTE, Reece in Leons car and headed back via the same route. Apart from the water the skills of the three four wheel drivers and their vehicles managed the tracks with ease. Then we arrived at Camp Creek which was well up and flowing. After some discussion Leon gave it a crack with Reece and I for company, all went well until mid river when the current picked up the big Toyota killing the traction, Leon fought it for a few goes and then we started to fill with water, in good time he hit reverse and got us back to the original bank albeit downstream of the entrance, after multiple attempts it was clear we couldn't get out on our own and the water was lapping the bottom of the dashboard. Dennis hooked up a snatch but couldn't get us out, so they hooked Pat to Dennis and the two pulled the Toyota out one hour later. We drained the trusty Toyota which never missed a beat, called camp and advised we had no option but to go via Bright.
On the way out the Fog was thick and the tracks were pretty muddy, making the drive intense you couldn't see the tracks, corners or over wash away's and on a very steep section of Buffalo Range Tk Pat's 4WD stopped. Being low on fuel after a long day it couldn't suck up the fuel from the tank on the incline, we tried winching Pat up and getting fuel out of Leon's 4WD without success although Reece and I were burping diesel from the attempt the rest of the night.
Leaving Pats UTE with Reece's bike we loaded Pat into Dennis's 4WD and made it to Porepunkah thinking our luck had changed and headed to Bright for fuel and food. What we found was a breathalyser, all servos closed and the Pizza shop still open, thank god on this occasion one out of three was OK. They brought us our Pizza's as we were pumping up the tyres, thinking this is service and then noticed they we now closed.
Headed to Myrtleford and fortunately they had a 24hr auto fuel bowser so we all tanked and filled a jerry to recover Pats car in the morning. Reached Abbeyard after midnight the lights were out and the place was quiet, fell into bed.
Sunday was a foggy morning but no rain, the day was superb for riding, and the HCR did a ride out to Cobler Lake. It was one of the most enjoyable rides I have been on in the High Country covering about 70km.
Monday came and packed up early as I was heading to Sydney the next morning and needed to be up at 4.30am. Arrived home about 3pm, cleaned the bike and unpacked the car what an weekend. Thanks to the all the guys for the company and adventure.
Postscript:
Believe Rob was picked up from Wangaratta Hospital on Sunday by Rowen after his they fixed his elbow. All the best Rob, wish you a good recovery.
Apparently Peter Ross and bikes went through Camp Creek an hour before we got there, at this stage the water was up to his waist and by the time the last bike (10 plus) was across it was up to his chest.
After putting to 20L in Pats 4WD the next morning he drove it up and out with no issues.
