Fowlers Pass to Lake Guyon update

**countryguy** · 11th April 2010, 08:11

Rode to the top of fowlers pass again yesterday...stunning day with not a cloud in the sky. I spent the best part of 4 hours wandering around the tops hopeing to get photo's of Chamois without any luck. Anyway I decided to drop down into the valley floor and check out the portion of track from the bottom of the valley back up to the top of 'Fowlers' via the infamous 'zig zag' a portion of the track that zig zags its way up a steep shingle scree.
The track is very narrow and technical with some steep gravel sections and switchbacks. It also has some knarly wee creek crossings. I doubt very much if it could be done on a standard adventure bike. It would be a great challenge and ride for a small, light low geared trail bike. You literally have to be able to ride at a slow walking pace to negotiate some of the steep knarly sections and would I think need to be able to leap off very quickly and continue 'walking' your bike in places. I would love to have tried it years ago on the 'farm type' bikes I used to ride ie CT125's and the very low geared Xl185 that were so low geared you could walk faster than ride in 1st gear.
There is still a few k's of track to check out along the valley floor to the Stanleyvale hut and I will try and do that in the next few weeks.
So if anyones up for a challenge has an old farm/trail bike they could lend me I'd be keen to organise a day trip.
Cheers

**Skinny_Birdman** · 12th April 2010, 08:13

Originally Posted by countryguy

There is still a few k's of track to check out along the valley floor to the Stanleyvale hut and I will try and do that in the next few weeks.
So if anyones up for a challenge has an old farm/trail bike they could lend me I'd be keen to organise a day trip.
Cheers

Lugzy23 to the white courtesy phone.... no, the white phone.

It sounds like an awesome challenge, but I no longer have the equipment. If only I'd kept my SBC bike....

**alane** · 12th April 2010, 16:09

-------Who ever does it,will be "World Famouse" on this site.-------

**JATZ** · 12th April 2010, 17:34

If there is going to be a serious attempt made on this, I may just come along and bring the CT, thats if it's finished sulking down behind the shed

**Woodman** · 12th April 2010, 18:21

If you can't get up , is it possible to abort and head back from whenct you came?

**cruza** · 12th April 2010, 18:56

man this has got me interested, followed st james buy back with interest last year. Pulled out some topo maps last nite , to look at what ya talking about. Some mint country there. Nice chamois turf by looks of photo's countryguy, by reports local waro guys have already been thru , hardly surprising.

Now a nice xr200 would be nice to have back in the garage.....lol , think you did quite well getting the dr650 that far!

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 19:01

Originally Posted by Woodman

If you can't get up , is it possible to abort and head back from whenct you came?

Good question..If you try and do it from Fowlers Pass and get down the ZiZ Zag in one piece but find for some reason you can't get through it would require some effort to get back up. Having said that a couple of people pushing the bike in gear should do it. Its important to realise that the only way you would get back up the Zig Zag and the spur before it is if you can ride at or slower than a fast walking pace.

To be on the safe side it could be attempted from the Lake Guyon/Stanley Vale end that way you could return the same way if need be.

The track up from The Clarence Valley to the top of Fowlers Pass is a single track up a very steep face and about 3-4 k's in length. An off going up would need some serious work to get your bike back up onto the track which is carved through thick sub alpine scrub but is otherwise an easy ride.

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 19:05

Originally Posted by cruza

man this has got me interested, followed st james buy back with interest last year. Pulled out some topo maps last nite , to look at what ya talking about. Some mint country there. Nice chamois turf by looks of photo's countryguy, by reports local waro guys have already been thru , hardly surprising.

Now a nice xr200 would be nice to have back in the garage.....lol , think you did quite well getting the dr650 that far!

Waro guys?? the only 2 wheelers that have been through to date are mountainbikes.

Yep good Chamois country for sure!

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 19:09

In my humble opnion the ideal bike would be a farm type low geared bike where you can easily put your feet down. Having said that I'm not familiar with proper 'dirt bikes' are they low geared or just light and powerful. I imagine a geared down dirt bike under say 250cc would be ideal.

If it turned septic there are a couple of local choppers that could fly your bikes out LOL

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 19:15

Check out the pics in my album. The one with handlebars in the pic is the track comming back down Fowlers. Two are of Lake Guyon, the one with the fuel on the back is at the top of Malings Pass and the other one shows the bike at the top of Fowlers directly above the Zig Zag.

**alane** · 12th April 2010, 19:23

Originally Posted by countryguy

Waro guys?? the only 2 wheelers that have been through to date are mountainbikes.

Yep good Chamois country for sure!

What the heck are "waro guys" (pardon my ignorance)

is the zig zag scary

From our ("blue,s bros." & me) trip up the valley ,on the guyon side,I reackon it,d be a 95% chance you,d get a bike down once you hit the valley floor,i.e you,d be bloody unlucky not to.

Sounds like a job for a Super sherpa.

Al.

Wish I lived closer.

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 19:34

Originally Posted by alane

What the heck are "waro guys" (pardon my ignorance)

is the zig zag scary

From our ("blue,s bros." & me) trip up the valley ,on the guyon side,I reackon it,d be a 95% chance you,d get a bike down once you hit the valley floor,i.e you,d be bloody unlucky not to.

Sounds like a job for a Super sherpa.

Al.

Wish I lived closer.

Zig Zags ok, DOC have benched it in places so not as bad as it used to be at least until the next snowfall brings some more scree down

**cruza** · 12th April 2010, 19:58

Originally Posted by alane

What the heck are "waro guys" (pardon my ignorance)

Al.

Wish I lived closer.

wild animal recovery operators= waro

using a helicopter they shoot deer and anything else that pays , including live capture of chamois for safari parks. hamner area is base for a couple that have a bad repuatation.

**countryguy** · 12th April 2010, 20:20

Originally Posted by cruza

wild animal recovery operators= waro

using a helicopter they shoot deer and anything else that pays , including live capture of chamois for safari parks. hamner area is base for a couple that have a bad repuatation.

Yea fair comment...but there are still plenty of animals in the area. A mate shot a 13 point stag about 3 gullies away and heard another 3. Also seen a chamois and mob of hinds only last week.