onebob
Forum Member
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 257
- Location
- Gippsland, South Eastern Australia
- Car Year
- 2010
- Car Model
- Forester
- Transmission
- auto
It's been a week but the memory just keeps replaying in my head ..... on the weekend of October 17 and 18 i rode as part of a convoy of 4wds along the iconic Deddick Trail in the Snowy Mountains Ranges of South Eastern Australia. Land Rover and other clubs did it under the auspices of 4WD Victoria accompanied by Parks Victoria Rangers. With the trail still under seasonal closure our purpose was the clearing the track prior to the end of winter opening scheduled for the first week of November. Eleven Mountain and Alpine Ash trees were encountered across the track and duly dealt with with chainsaw and vehicle winches but the highlight was the descent from Mt Joan to McKillops Bridge down the famed "Staircase". The staircase is a straightline 4km downhill descent via a series of ledges with spoon drains that are cut into the mountainside. The incline averaged 20 deg except when going 'over the edge' and descending to the next step when at that point it approached 30 deg.....exhillarating stuff ... not to mention the views! and apart from hot air ballooning it's the best fun i've had with my pants on :ebiggrin:. However because of the "staircase" the Deddick track north of Mt Joan is not Forester friendly country, ample ramp over clearance is essential and because of the steep, loose shale, and gravely surface, low, low 1st gear for engine braking or hill descent control essential. But there are many other Forester friendly tracks in the park - get out there.........
onebob
"old enough to know better - young enough to do it again"
onebob
"old enough to know better - young enough to do it again"