2006

We are stuck.

We’ve a nice single track trail going all the way along South B. Vista Road, ending just after a triple junction. With a steep descent, a drain to cross and a small hill to climb with not much place to cut a trail through.

With RenHao, Max, Ling, Chi, Alvin and 7 strong labour force, alot can be done today.

we get the material transport going, shuttling granite chips in one by one, bag by bag.

While 3 of them doing granite pathing on the external trail along the road, without much monitoring.

BAD BAD idea. We ended with a thick layer of granite, that can’t be ridden over.

Max, Alvin, and Moneru start to do recce and trail pathing so to get us across the obstacles, while Ren Hao mark the line for the long descent from the ‘triple junction’.

Ling and Me rode anti trail direction towards the ‘snake slope’ to finish the final drainage needed there. With barely enough material and just a mallet, we secure the place, rearrange fallen branches to line the waterline and trail.

With the cangkul and parang finally available, and Ren Hao free of task at the rear end of the trail, we are able to cut fallen trunks into the exact size for the drainage, and granite chips to fill the area.

This used to be a 6in-1ft deep mud pool. soggy and wet.

Well I got to leave early. while the rest managed to find the trail needed to complete the loop.

I got to see the result the week after. Indeed is simply awesome trail exit, big fallen trunk above head, crossing 2 drainage which looks like natural creek, green moss everywhere. Nice descent and dropoff just before the 3rd ‘river’ crossing.

The scene reminds me of the trees of Hurtgen Forest in ‘When Trumpet Fade‘

35 manhours – granite chips and material transportation

8 manhours – ‘snake slope’ last drainage

18 manhours – trail recce and clearing

A sweat draining day and indeed on drainage work the whole day.

With the granite chips available, and a full workforce supplying them, tons of granites are being delivered into the trail via wheelbarrow.

Max, Nik, KeeMeng, Alvin arrived early to get the remaining Bakau lining ready for the wheelbarrow.

With the first ponding in sight of the rock garden, Nik and KeeMeng got to work immediately with a log, granite chips drainage structure.

A big hole is dug up. After removing much mud and have around 5 fallen logs/branches sitted in nicely, the hole is then fill with granite chips, and the lined with recycled bakau wood, pounding in the side to sit the logs and granite nicely.

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water management is the order of the day.

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we moved on as the afternoon goes, digging up and securing a few more water catchment. Justin came by and help with the digging and draining.

We finish the day at the bottom of the snake slope.

With barely enough daylight and granite chips to go on, it’s easy to call stop then.

We are standing on top of 6in of mud, the worst section that badly need draining.

15 manhours – granite and material transport

12 manhours – 4 drains

6 manhours – bakau removal

the day started late

We are toying with GPS to map the area, ran into technical, ran into battery problem, not your usual double A battery stuff.

Justin pop by to help out. We work our way to the first crossing, objective is to build a bridge from existing material around the trail, fallen logs, small branches etc

armed with a 200m long Manila rope. and Nik’s parang. We cut out blocks of fallen trunks and branches, tie them up with Manila ropes cut into 4metres length, secure the footing of the bridge and form the bridge out of the material around us.

The bridge is left half done when the daylight gone out on us.

At the same time, while Justin taking up the width of the bridge to tie down pieces of crossbraces, I buried one of the log so to make the soon to be called ‘log slope 1‘ a ridable and manageable slope.

The whole work is done without much equipment, rocks to pound down branches to secure it, leg power to brake the broken branches further. Total make do.

6 manhour on bridge 1 (soon to be called roadie’s bridge)

1 manhour on log slope 1