How far do you think you can push a bike through knee deep snow for?
Add in a steep climb of around 600ft and drifts over low areas waist deep in places?
You would imagine quite far?.
I discovered today not as far as i thought i could and nearly got caught out...
After 3 days rain id had enough of grey dreary skys and Saturday morning dawned with a snow covered Lammermuir hills, ideal for an escape from the grey sky...
I didnt get away until after 1pm as doing other stuff and wasnt riding until 2pm which i thought was ok as i drove up to Garvald village to park. Just a quick couple of hours play in the snow...
As soon as i rode through the woods i found the snow was wet and useless to ride on. I imagine a normal bike would have cut into the mud underneath and been really hard work, The pugsley just wheel spun and steered everywhere except in a straight line.. I had to push up the short climb to stonypath and could hardly get grip walking. Glad i put on my lightwieght montane paclites as water poured over me on the road off the spray of the pugsleys big tyres. I think the rear rack needs to go back on the pugsley again as a mudgaurd for stopping this.
Riding on i thought the snow should be firmer up in the hills anyway...
Past the farmyard and i had to get off again and push up the track towards Deuchrie Edge and i wasnt even on the climb yet!...
Still the views were nice. I love it up here on a summer evening...
The climb up onto Deuchrie Edge (368m) is ridable in summer with a fresh pair of legs though i usually walk it to save the energy for later if its a big day out.
Today the snow got drier but deeper as i pushed up.
3/4 of the way up it got knee deep and with both hands on the bars sometimes the front wheel would dig in and stop so i walked the bike with a hand on the saddle with made it alot easier and was happy to stop for a breather as i took pics at the top of the steep section of the hill...
Once the climb levels out a bit theres still a good 1/4 mile to go over the top but it was harder going with drifts in the bitter cold east wind.
At least had my clothing choice right as wasn`t sweating much. The snow covered sunken track was waist deep if you walked over them! so i was walking on the banks either side. Sometimes wind swept there were only a few inches deep. I found in deep stuff where the matt grass showed through it was easier to push than on the heather where the snow didnt seem to have packed down as much...
Over the top and the view over Dunbar Commom to Crystal Rig windfarm ahead...
Heres some film i did on the Canon camera around this point to let you see the fun i was having!, click on the thumbnail to watch...
Now on the flat and level of Dunbar Common when i reached the fence line alongside the track somewhere beneath me it was still knee deep. I thought once at the windfarm the maintainence track will be cleared and rideable..
Note the old mileage stone here...
Leaving the route of the track and over a fence i made a bee line for the nearest turbine to get onto a maintainence track. Check the size of these turbines...
A lot of folk dont like windfarms. I can happily sit watching them whirring away, except for today as i didn`t want to be up here in the dark.
After about an hour pushing it was nice to get cycling again...
Though not for long as i ground to a halt in a drift past a turbine awaiting assembly. These things are big when up close...
The snow was just too deep to ride through on the track so again more pushing.
The ridges either side being higher were nearly clear but the problem was the ditches at the sides were hollow under neath and walking over them i sunk up to my armpits!.
So i devised a way of crossing using the pugsley, throw the bike on its side then just walk over the bike!
The framebag probably helped here, the ridges were covered with stumps and branches from the previous spruce woods here so i just walked the bike, i was really tierd now after all the pushing.
I decided to take a short cut to the pylon maintainence track uphill on the rerouted `Herring Road` once an old trade route from the coast to the borders.
It was a bit of a mistake as although only about a half mile it was really hard going and i was often knee deep at the miminum and lots of shredded branches and heather which often stopped the front wheel turning.
Then it started to happen... I knew i was tired and felt a bit sleepy and dreamy then i got that sick feeling in my stomach and a strange taste in my mouth and i felt like just falling over to rest...
I was starting to `bonk` or `hit the wall` as its often described...
This hasn`t happened to me for years, but i knew the symtoms. I ate all the food i had and drunk all my water. there is also plenty more ahead in the streams...
I wondered if i should just get the survival bag out the frame bag and get in for a wee sleep but after a 5 minuite rest and food and water i felt alot better.
Pushing on i eventually reached the track under the pylons.=, my route down to tarmac and home...
Good to get cycling for a bit...
Only a mile to the road downhill too but the snow was deep and again i ground to a halt. This descent is a blast normally...
The road... so near yet so far...
Check out the conical hub!...
The sun was starting to set as i neared the road...
I got rolling again off the track down through the heather then had to walk it to the road the last 100 yards, my legs now felt like jelly... i could of kissed the tarmac when i reached it...
If the road hadn`t been ploughed i think i would have spent the night there in a feedshed without question...
It was still 5 miles of road down to Garvald village with 2 small climbs but i didn`t even notice them as i was thinking of what to eat first once home!
The streetlights just came on as i rolled up to the car in Garvald, food was all that was on my mind...
As it turned out i had about half a jar of strawberry jam with a spoon before i got any spread on the bread...
I did approx 12 miles with about a 3 hour bike-a-hike in deep snow for about 5 miles with a 35lbs bike.
Did i enjoy it?, well yes because i wanted to see some scenery after 3 days horrible weather and it was lovely out in the snow, and again we may not see a winter like this again for years.
It was also a wee warning to me to always be properly prepared for any outcome no matter how far or close to a road out.
I hadn`t eaten enough the night before, had a late night and was up early and had only a cereal and toast...
FOOD IS FUEL...lesson learned...eat more before..carry more food than you need...
I nearly got caught out but luckily got away with it.
Still was another great Pugsley adventure!...
