Carinyah shelter: so where are all the other trail riders?

Sunday, December 26 2010 | 33 km | Munda Biddi total: 86 km

Yeah, it’s summer.

21°C, ie, already warm, when I emerged just after sunrise this morning, if you can emerge from a fully mesh Roadrunner.

It’s a revelation in accommodation, kinda shaped like one of the newer VWs but unlike the car it has a feeling of space inside. Pockets x 4, and a storage attic. Now I can find my glasses in the morning or the LED headlamp in the dark.

Not so many other riders today, just the two solitary, full suspension, mountain bikers zooming past, probably without spotting me, prior to 7am.

Good move to cycle, an early start in “the cool.” I tried it for a while but by 11am I had a long stop and a short sleep.

The extra set of folding tyres, the laptop, etc all starts to add up and the 5 litres of water was a reasonable estimate for the day’s fluid intake.

I’ve lobbed into the first of the free, 3 sided shelters, Carinyah, and despite the lack of companions on the trail have erected the new tent, make that the mesh fly screen.

There’s other companions, however. March flies have iridescent green eyes and deliver a sharp nip. Even with a good whack they seem to fly off unaffected.

The shelters have two picnic tables, under a substantial verandah, sleeping platforms for 20 to 30 people, a long drop toilet, (well maintained including the paper department), and two 5000 litre water tanks.

A total fire ban has been declared, not really a surprise there, so fortunately I have sufficient food not requiring lighting up. In any case who can be bothered eating with this heat?

A few degrees warmer tomorrow, then cooling a little, slowly, for the rest of the week.

Summer. Don’t you love it.