Dr Doolittle

That's how I felt the other day on my return to the dirt, like a friend to the animals as I had never seen so much wildlife out at Smiths Gully. I made the decision to hit the trails out at Smiths Gully. It had been a while since I was on a MTB, the last time being on the SS 29er at the first Chase the Sun. It had been months since I had ventured out on the geared Karate Monkey, it had not turn a wheel since the Marathon Champs in April. I was feeling rusty and needed to get back amoungst the dirt!
So I kitted up and threw the rig on the roof and got out to the General Store, which I noted is up for sale. Shame as Ross has been a driving force behind some of the trail advocacy in the area. Plus he cooks a awesome burger!
Some of the trail had run into trouble a few months back when some land changed hands. The new land owner didn't want the trail running across their back property boundary. I note that the trail had been bedded in in a new direction and followed it, typically Smiths trail.....steep and deep!
There were some areas of pooled water in the gullies, which I haven't seen in many winters and the ground was often soft and squishy off the trail. I guess we have had a lot of rain over recent months and finally area I once thought of being dry have now soaked up all the water on offer. Needless to say there were some water crossings.... more than expected. Once I was sure I was going to need a snorkel.
Now it is not uncommon to come across the usual kanagroo's out on a loop of the trails. But it is rare to see a deer. I know they are out there and have maybe passed a few without seeing them, Wednesday was different. I came pretty much head on with a deer as I was climbing the single track up to Rob Roy. Basically the deer took a look at me and decided it should high tail it down the escapement , honking as it went. At first it scared the shit out of me, as I heard it honking before I saw it.
The list of animals spotted out on my loop were;
Kanagroo's not always fun when hammering down descents!
Wallaby
Wombat
Samba Deer
Plenty of bird life
A bloody awesome few hours of fun in the dirt, kept me honest and woke me up a bit about my fitness and how fast you loose your MTB abilities. Smiths is a fun place that I am sure I will continue to visit. Already planning my next ride out there!
Happy trails!