These cleats aren't made for walkin'

[smurfalicious]

Wow! What a day! I started the drive to the trailhead today with a premonition something just wasn't right. Not, a "gonna die today" feeling, but a definate "something is gonna happen. " Nonetheless I jumped on Pony and spun around the parking lot once to make sure things felt right. Then I get on the trail and take a wrong turn from the word go.

Back on the right trail, things were awful sandy, and climbed more than I like to warm up on, but it felt good to stretch my legs after a bad week at work. I had a headache and almost took a short loop, but figured I'd ride the trail I was on for a bit. Boy oh boy, there was some tough stuff. One uphill rock garden I gave up a few yards before I got there. It was beastly, but I stood there and looked at it trying to find the line. Took a second longer than I'd have if I actually rode through it, but I'm still learning to see those things.

Before I knew it I was trucking uphill, off camber my biggest fear, on a trail that was surrounded by tree stumps and had a fair number of roots. It gave me some hassle, and I tipped over once, but it was fun. Even more fun is that my efforts were rewarded with a sweet downhill, which was good because I was staring down my first bonk. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I was officially useless despite how hard I tried. And oh did I try. Twice charging at a log hop I know was too big for my skills, but fun to try, and funnier laying in the dirt laughing at myself.

Then, through my off the bike and on the bike trucking along, I came to a sign that stated that the trail head, was 3.25 miles back in the other direction, back towards the sign that said the trailhead was 3.25 miles to this sign. Clearly I must have missed a turn, though I saw no signage. My only other choice was two miles to a different trailhead, which sound like a plan. I could get there, and then take the road back.

That was when I saw the sign. The sign on trail that I had been grunting along the had a big, black, most difficult sign on it. I ride trails with green circles, and blue diamonds on them. Not big black things!!! I almost didn't take that route, then after summoning the last of my strength and courage I gave myself a pep talk. HillBill, you've been on this trail the whole way, thinking it was just a beginner trail and you were having a bad day. Clearly HillBilly, this is a harder trail than you've ever dreamed of tackling, and you're having a really good day. So I took the trail down the hill. I was a touch white knuckled, and there were parts I totally could have cleaned, that I decided not to risk being as that I was exhausted, and technically lost.

Once again the singletrack dissapeared, and I figured screw it and took the forest service road home. Gotta love being able to find your way around those. I think I ended up a good three or four miles away from my start. That's when I realized perhaps I *really* want a road bike. As I was pushing my big gear down a hill, hauling butt without worrying about hitting a tree. Then, as I stared at a big, sweeping uphill I started to hate my big fat tires. I gave up, I tried all my mental climbing tricks and hoofed it. Oooh the people on the way to the mountain must have found that amusing. Here they've past all these roadies, whizzing along, and then there's me, half dead hoofing a mountain bike. I just wanted to yell "No, I'm not a wuss, it's just my poor bike isn't mean't for this!" Oh, but on the flat, before the enormous hill that lead to the sno-park (which I was so happy to see) I shoved her into her big ring again and we flew! I actually managed to get my legs to stop flailing, and start contributing to going faster! It was crazy, I didn't know I had that in me! Oooooh, I NEED a road bike.

love and cookies
-smurf

[JanT]

Great adventure story! Sometimes getting a little lost can result in a bit of hike a bike, but that's what I love about mountain biking--you never know what's going to happen. That being said, I recently bought a road bike, and it's nice to have something predictable for those days you just want to cruise without any "adventure!"

[KSH]

Great adventure story! Sometimes getting a little lost can result in a bit of hike a bike, but that's what I love about mountain biking--you never know what's going to happen. That being said, I recently bought a road bike, and it's nice to have something predictable for those days you just want to cruise without any "adventure!"

Hey... there's "adventure" on a road bike...

Dodging cars... dodging potholes... trying not to get taken out by a dog... dodging runners/walkers/kids on bikes on a bike path... missing glass in the road... trying to cross a busy street without being killed... missing gravel on a turn... going over railroad tracks that are NOT smooth... being laughed at for wearing funny clothes... being OK with being laughed at...

Yep, that is all the adventure I need!