Day 1- Queenstown to Thomas River. The start at the Queenstown Airfield runs onto gravel roads, unfortunately at this stage no jeep track or single track for the first 45km. After the Hylton Church, the route turns off onto an old road, jeep track for the most part, with some technical climbs for the next 15km, where you turn off the road onto Jeep track and single-track to the highest point of the day. Beyond this you will cross the tar road for some lekker cattle tracks and jeep track down hills with some hard climbing, over the Hogsback Road, to the Happy Valley road. After the Happy Valley road you will be riding along an old stock gang, which the farmers in the early part of the 1900's used to trek their stock to the coast for the winter months, and back again for the summer. You will be encountering these gangs every now and again on the Trek. At the top of the hill, you descend into the Thomas River valley, through some farmsteads, and head along the gravel road to the Old Thomas River Station, or the Tavern, as the locals know it, which is the camp for the night. Here you will be entertained by the local farmers, beware of their hospitality, it could make day 2 heavy going.
