Video & Photo Epic: Matt Hunter Visits South Africa – Trail Hunter



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Video by Matt Miles, Sterling Lorence Photography


You hear them before you see them, their whistles, running through the forest like swirls of pure smoke from a steep South African breeze. One, two, three … only one wire of riders crossed the forest like one. They release their whistles as they move and move – kettles to flesh and blood whistling wildly on the earth's crust.

Fanie and Hylly always whistled when they rolled, they never really noticed how much until Matt mentions it, and now Matt does it too. Caught in the moment, he abandons himself to the state of flow – that part of him that says "yes" and "more" and "still".

The part of him that can not help but whistle.

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Dogs are not immune to it. With their bellies barely cleared by jumping and running, Syd and Miya (Hylly's co-trail builders and puppy mates), telegraph their joy not with a hissing, but with a glance. after watching a first cut of the film. "Everything is … gooey." There is a smile in his voice as he says it.

"When you ride with people who are so super happy," says Matt, "you do not have a choice – you're going to be at this level with them." They bring him to him.

There is a long pause before he adds wistfully.

"I'd like to whistle better, though."

Fanie will tell you that the quality of the whistle does not matter – it's the release that counts. A simple action with his own distinct voice. A voice that says: I am here. I am with you. We are together

The Whisperer Trail

Hylton "Hylly" Turvey is a man of few words. The conversations are punctuated by long breaks, and he seems to be as careful about answering a question as he is about building a track. There is a silent contemplation of the current situation, followed by a thoughtful answer.

"I want to create that feeling of what I want to feel on my bike," he explains, explaining his fundamental philosophy of trail building. This can be summed up in one word: Flow. "I appreciate the flow," says Hylly, "So I imagine the mountain and I coming down on my bike – and that's where the track will go."

Flow. It's this feeling that all mountain cyclists pursue. Found in this euphoric moment when the switch turns from the track to become one with it. And at that moment, there is nothing but you, the bike, the track and the earth. It is effortless.

Of course, Matt Hunter is not a stranger, but the paths that Hylly and his brother-in-law, Fanie Kok, share with him at Karkloof surprise him. These trails, built by Hylly throughout the Karkloof Valley, were intended to be the appetizer of the trip, meant to stimulate the appetite for the Drakensberg's main course. But something unexpected happened, and he felt so organic that they changed their point of view. Of course, they would still go to Drakensberg – the Berg itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the foothills are ripe with walkable trails – but it was only natural that their experience on the Hylly trails in Karkloof set the tone for this episode.

"I think the way he connected to the land allowed him to build a network of trails through a valley where he was born and loved," Matt says. "He really created something that did not exist before, I do not think many people do that – live in one place and change it a lot because they like it." [19459008Itwasalovebornofnecessityapbadioninflamedbythehillsandvalleysofhishouse

"I did not really think of being a trail builder," said Hylly. "But growing up where I live in Karkloof, […] we really had nothing to do, so whatever we wanted to roll we had to create." This was not a trajectory of An easy career for him either, is a doctor, lawyer, accountant, but he did not see any other choice for himself. "When I said I wanted to be a trail builder I had a lot of fun looks. I can not really explain it to people, you know? When something resonates with you, you can not really explain it, but it seems like it's what you're supposed to do. "

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"He builds because riding is also part of his expression. He becomes that complete picture where he does not build just so that others can enjoy it – he builds it because he also needs to express it so in his constituency. "
– Fanie Kok, Director of Soil Research and Stoke Provider.

The Construction of Trails – Is It Art, Crafts, A Little Bit of two?

"I would say it's both," says Hylly. "It's the expression. Some days it's not even about the track – some days it's just getting up and digging. When I've been to some of my darkest places, I head for the mountain and dig. This allows space, you know? It's almost therapeutic. "

Some people paint or play instruments to relax or express their feelings – Hylton Turvey picks up a shovel and sculpts the earth.

Sisonke

Like a high hose Pressure cutting wildly on a lawn, the trail turns and makes its way across the surface of a grbady hill.From it is a single vein of land on the earth, alive and thriving. a single word – the name of this path – carved into a piece of weathered wood and mounted on a stake Sisonke.C is the name Xhosa of Fanie.

Hylly built this track, teasing it from the cradle of the earth as a shine of an inch.Using the contours and natural shape of the hill, he scratched himself respectfully with shovels and picks until it was revealed to the world. [19659003] "For me," says Hylly, "it's [about] do not bother the earth too much around you and work with what is there, because ultimately, it gives you the best track. You can not recreate this natural current that the mountain has already. "

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The name, Sisonke-what does it mean? 19659003] "I sometimes think about the character of the track," he says. "And someone will come into my head." This trail, I was thinking of a name, and then it came to my mind and I knew it right away – it had to be because it definitely described it Fanie. "

This track describes Fanie? Wild and exuberant? "My name," says Fanie, explaining the word Xhosa, "means" we are together. "It's like when you say to someone," Are you good or are we good? ? & # 39; It basically means "OK, now everything is fine, everything is cool, we are on the same page." We are together. "

At this moment, these guys, this track-all is set up.

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They may have come to South Africa to ride Hylly's favorite trails, but what they found was the connection. to the homeland where Hylly grew up, but with each other.A path exists without a rider? Does a rider exist without a trail? These are questions? If a tree falls? in the woods, of course, but if Matt wants you to take something from this experience, it's this: It does not matter how you look at it – a fraternity a fraternity, a loving solidarity – every nowand then we should all take a step back and take a moment to recognize these unsung heroes who are drawing our attention. Those who are pbadionate about digging into the earth and creating a world-famous holiday for trail-trail builders like Hylly.

Or, in other words, when you have eaten well, thank you for thanking the chef.

[whistle]

Riders: Matt Hunter, Fanie Kok, Hylton Turvey
Director / Cinematographer: Matt Miles
Producer: Matt Hunter
Photographer: Sterling Lorence
Words: Janeen McCrae
Sound: Racket Sound
Music: Junius Meyvant

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