Trip leader: ‘Hillbilly’
Trip report: Paul Fenemor
　
So we get to write the trip report again!! On average we end up with the trip report responsibility 25% of the time we go on a trip.

Seventeen trucks left on Hillbilly’s Hira trip. Sixteen finished the day, the truck that broke down had the same driver that has broken down on the past three trips, we won’t embarrass the person by mentioning his name but Scotty lead the convoy just after the lunch break.

It was a bleak cold day! The wind was freezing and getting back in the truck after each stop to warm up was enjoyable! The planned route changed from the first intersection where a mountain bike event had closed the road we were going to take. We drove for ten minutes and stopped for twenty. This was the pattern for the rest of the day.

We explored firebreaks and forestry roads, one firebreak that the leading trucks ventured down proved to be extreme and impossible to turn back on, the messages we heard on the PRS were like "yep come on down…. Hang on wait….yea mite be ok….#*@+ hey this is getting steeper, it’s getting a bit rutty… glad I got my spare undies……". Well, the rest of us turned around and took the easy way to meet up again.
One of the last firebreaks was the trickiest bit we had come across all day, we all had a good look at Lloyd’s underbelly as he attempted to skirt around a deep culvert, and serious damage was in the "balance" for a few seconds.

There were only a couple of tow ropes out during the day and all things considered it was another successful "Hira trip", a great chance to see the back end of Nelson!