Many thanks to chasers on the two Glen Dene Summits today - Isthmus Peak ZL3/OT-348 and Glen Dene Ridge ZL3/OT-337. The two activations netted 16 and 11 QSOs respectively including a couple of park-to-parks and a S2S with ZL3GA on ZL1/GI-115. 60m and 40 performed well locally, and for a change 20m gave some good signals into VK. DX of the trip was (come on, you can guess) Christian, @F4WBN.
A brief report follows for anyone following in my footsteps.
Isthmus Peak is a 1000m climb from the road up the very popular Isthmus Peak Track. This is well formed trail following old farm vehicle tracks for all but it’s lower 200m, and is nominally MTB accessible (grade 5). The climb is suited for anyone fit enough to handle the 1000m climb, and can be very busy with tourists in summer.
The shortest public access to Glen Dene is a 1100 vertical meter climb up the untracked spur from the end of the Craig Burn Access Track. This is a route only suited to those comfortable with navigating off track and steep scrambles.
Given the 2100m total combined ascent for the two peaks, and their measly 4 points each, the temptation is to activate both together in a day via the easier Isthmus Peak track, to save the double climb and off track scrambling. And, given a 4WD track along the ‘rolling’ 10km ridgeline between the two, and the 30km total round trip distance (making for a long day on foot), taking the mountainbike seemed like a good idea.
Isthmus Peak, with MTB
For those stupid enough to try to follow in my footsteps, taking the pushbike up the hill was not the way to go. In fact it is in contention to count as one of my dumbest SOTA ideas yet. It served little purpose and contributed much weight and effort.
Issue one was failure to look closely enough at the contours on the maps. Traversing the ridgeline between the two summits adds 500m vertical each way, or 1000m ascent for the return trip between the summits, on top of the 1000m ascent you’ve already done from the road to Isthmus Peak.
Issue two was the fact that the apparently flat-topped mostly-rideable ridgeline not only contains the 3 prominent bumps shown on the map, but is in fact a continuous 10km twisting series of ascents and descents over minor bumps and through minor notches. There’s not a single kilometer of flat enough track to ride both directions.
Glen Dene Range from ZL3/OT-337. Isthmus Peak mid-centre
Effectively I pushed a pushbike up 2000 unrideably-steep vertical meters, for the privilege of clinging on for dear life as I rode it back down those same 2000 vertical meters.
The end conclusion I came to is either:
- Activate the two peaks separately from their respective roadends.
- Use an additional vehicle and walk them as a 25km through trip between the two roadends
- Accept that it’s a 30km walk and 2000m of elevation gain, and walk them both from the Isthmus Peak track
- Get permission off Glen Dene Station to take a motorbike!
But whatever you do, do not take a pushbike with you
Lake Hawea from near ZL3/OT-337
Lake Wanaka from ZL3/OT-337