Trotters Gorge Working Bee
Sunday 30 September 2023
Five of us headed down to Trotters Gorge on Sunday the 30th of September to do a bit of a tidy up on a track we have down there called Dave’s track. Dave’s track is in memory of a past member that liked exploring the trotters gorge area and was build many years ago by club members. Early this year I had been up the track and in was starting to get a bit overgrown and was in need of a cut back and tidy up.
We headed up past the Otago University hut, crossing Trotter’s Creek several times till we came to the clearing where the valley splits up past the hut. We took a track to the right and crossed Trotters Creek and up towards the eucalyptus trees. Along the way on this track, we had a bit of a cut back of the gorse, but it wasn’t too bad up this track to the entrance of Dave’s track just under Arns peak.
We cut back the entrance a bit and climbed up a good track and around the base of Arns peak, having a bit of a cut back along the way. Morning tea was taken before we dropped back down into the wee bushy valley. The plan for the day was to have a wee cut back and put some new markers up and having time for a walk in the area after lunch, but we got carried away a bit and spend most of the day working our way up the valley, having a good cut back and putting up new markers.
At the head of the valley before you climb out, we had to re-route the track in places because there had been some small slips and the pigs had made a bit of a mess. It was about 2.30pm when we reached the forest road and instead of going up the road and back down passed Arns peak like we have done in the past, I decided that we would walk down the road to everyone’s joy to Horse range road which I hadn’t done before.
Well, it was a long 6km walk on a gravel road, so I know what it is like now and probably won’t go that way again, but I can say I have been down there now. We got back to the car about 4pm, so Dave’s track is now well cut back and marked and is all within the Trotters Gorge Reserve till you get to the forest road.
Thank for all your hard work and company for the day; – Bess, John, Maurice and Phyllis
Neville
