Old Ghost Road Winter Ride
 

Words, Video & Illustrations: Damian Stones

Riders:

• Damian Stones
• Zack Stones
• Morgan Calas

Day One – The Lazy Cow

You can't beat breathing in the fresh mountain air on an overnight winter mish. The weather can be a little more unpredictable, but that only adds to the adventure. It’s also a good excuse to rug up in all your layers and eat lots of food to stay warm.

So, earlier last year Morgs suggested an August trip on the Old Ghost Road. I didn't need much convincing and neither did Zack, who was in between kayak missions.

The plan was to ride the trail over two days, staying one night at Ghost Lake Hut. The weather looked mint for the chosen weekend – crisp and clear – and the trail was reported to be in excellent condition.

To make a chilled out start to the weekend we stayed Friday night in Murchison at The Lazy Cow. Zack and I arrived to Morgs cooking up a mean curry. “Yeah boy!” Saturday morning we cranked into the day with pancakes. From Murchison it’s only about half an hour’s drive to the start of the Old Ghost Road at Lyell.

Lyell is a former gold mining town located in the Upper Buller Gorge, top west side of the South Island. In the late 1800s it was home to about 2,000 people, five pubs, some shops and had its own newspaper. You wouldn’t know it now – the buildings are long gone and the West Coast bush has mostly reclaimed the site of the town, apart from the grass terraces that house the campground, toilet, carpark and sandfly shelter for trail users starting the OGR.

As the OGR is an ‘A to B’ trail we used Buller Adventures for the car relocation – you just leave your key in the box at Lyell and they shift your vehicle over to Seddonville at the north end. Super handy, because driving back around via Westport and up the Buller Gorge takes at least a couple of hours.

The first day took us across the swing bridge straight into the beech forest and one of the biggest climbs in the country: around 1200 metres up to the Ghost Lake Hut. My plan for this climb was to start slow and try to leave something in the tank for the end of the day. As a rule of thumb, I try to drink at most of the stream crossings on the climb, adding in some regular electrolyte blocks to keep things balanced. On long days like these I always like to keep the fluids up, especially when you get out into those higher alpine mountain environments where you can feel more dehydrated.

Lunch was at Lyell Saddle Hut – coffee, soup and freeze-dried scrambled eggs – great for getting a boost of protein and energy for the last section of the climb. From there we carried on up through the Dr Zeus-style Dracophyllum traversii into the alpine tussock-covered landscape.

On the edge of the bushline there is a weather shelter, perfect for a hot chocolate stop in winter with great views of the Lyell Range. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. I’ve been through here before in August with axle-deep snow. Today was not one of those days. This next section is epic with stunning vistas, the track narrow and exposed traversing underneath the Rocky Tor.

Still buzzing after the descent from Heaven’s Door lookout, we rolled into Ghost Lake Hut to find the fire already cranking. Straight into a few cups of tea and then dinner, catching up on stories from the day with another group, a runner and a couple of bikers. It was a peaceful way to finish up, watching the sunset light fade over Kahurangi National Park. Exactly what I needed – a winter’s night out in a mountain hut.

Day 2 – Ghost Lake Hutt

What a place to wake up – I always look forward to sun rise across Kahurangi National Park with the obligatory morning fog filling the valleys.

Once we’d dragged ourselves away from the view, we set off for the first descent down Stern Ridge.

When you leave the hut, there’s no warm-up, it’s straight into a very tight left-hand corner which goes into some mountain beech and boardwalk, and then into some chunky rocky trail. Setting the scene for the day, you’re like “Oh yeah, I’m warmed up and focused now”.

After heading down to Ghost Lake, it’s a short climb to an incredible vista looking over Kahurangi National Park, with the trail disappearing into the distance along Stern Ridge.

This is where the iconic switchbacks of the Old Ghost Road start. Hand-built by volunteers, adding to the excitement for the first few corners were some very solid ice sheets. Spicy.

Dropping down to a saddle, you’ve got a short nuggety climb to the Stern Ridge. Stern Ridge is surreal. The trail navigates its way through boulders and alpine vegetation, with a backdrop of stacked mountains, into a short series of exposed switchbacks.

Previously, at the end of this technical section was a set of stairs. They are still there, but the Trust has closed them off and opened up a new section of machine-built single track connecting to the lower Stern Valley. Over the years this section of track keeps getting better and better as the trail gets ridden more and more. It continues descending deep into the Stern Valley next to the bouldery Stern Creek. Our morning tea stop was at Stern Valley Hut for a much needed coffee and bite to eat.

From Stern Valley Hut the trail heads up a valley to the iconic Boneyard, formed by the 1929 Murchison earthquake. It’s an impressive section of climbing trail – the trail builders had to navigate their way through a massive boulder field. It really highlights what the OGR Trust has accomplished over the years with building and maintaining this trail. From what I could see on this trip, there were a number of crew working at various locations over the winter. The trail conditions are a credit to the Trust who keep on top of the maintenance, not an easy task for 85km.

The descent out to Seddonville is a rewarding one. You feel like single track is limitless.

There are such distinct areas of landscape along the OGR. The last section is no exception where the trail traverses the valley wall of the mighty Mokihinui River – perched on a cliff edge with significant exposure, all connected by swing bridges.

We decided to have lunch early – I always carry a cooker. It gives me a bit more flexibility of where I can stop – have something warm to eat or a hot drink anywhere you want. You can maintain a flow to the day, and energy levels at a more constant level rather than “I need to get to this hut.” I feel like I can pace myself better that way.

As you descend through the Mokihinui River valley, you get this building up of warm air. You can smell it, you can feel it on your face and you’re like, “Oh yeah, the West Coast”. It’s such a good feeling. The Coast has this relaxed vibe like nowhere else in NZ…

Our destination at the end of the trail was the car park near the Rough and Tumble Lodge, run by the Trust that operates the OGR. And there in the car park, my trustee Toyota Hilux relocated by Buller Adventures.

After a few high-fives we headed off to Westport. It’s about an hour’s drive to dinner, and then we drove back up the Buller Gorge to Lyell to drop Morgs off at his vehicle. We weren’t trying to break any records for the weekend. It’s good to end a trip reenergised from time in the mountains and catching up with mates for a few yarns.