Once upon a time MTBers spun their cranks the entire length of the vast Poulter Valley on the far eastern side of Arthur’s Pass National Park. DOC turned a blind eye to it because it was one of the few parts of this rugged national park conducive to MTBing. Then it got popular, forcing DOC to make some rules, and parts of this route are no longer open for riding; parts like this sublime section of single-track through beautiful beech forest.
I’ve enjoyed a couple of sweet rides in this stunning big valley but one stands out. Jim and I had planned a leisurely overnight ride up to Lake Minchin and the nearby Minchin Hut, and then my beloved Crusaders made yet another Super Rugby final. Postponing the trip would have proved difficult so we left Christchurch at about 5am with the goal of cutting out the ride in one day. We had to be back in front of the Springfield Pub big screen by 7.35pm.
In summer this wouldn’t have been an issue but in June we figured we had about nine hours on the go in just ten hours of daylight. With decent lights and survival blankets tucked away in our daypacks, we hopped on our bikes at about 7am just as the glow of a distant sunrise started to silhouette the peaks on the eastern side of the valley.
Lake Minchin is a stunning alpine lake formed when a giant slip blocked the Minchin Valley.
On the way back, riding along a bank above a braid of the Poulter River we spotted an old salmon just asking to be tickled out. Note the prudent choice of safety equipment, a helmet. Fish this big can turn nasty! ;-)
We loaded the bikes back on the car in the half-dark of the early evening and made it back to the pub in time for kick-off. Even the Crusaders’ loss could hardly take the gloss off a great day.
