Another day in life completed.
Black Mtn > Turkey Pen > 22 jumps > Bradley Creek > Pea Gap > Bradley Creek > 1206 > Laurel Mtn. > Pilot Rock > 1206 > 276 > 475B > Seniard (now road) > 225 > 475B > 475 > 276 > Black Mtn.
44.57 miles/7750 feet elevation/8 or so hours
Loss or gain? Happy column? Sad column? Good? Bad? Half full? Half Empty?
Big fish, little fish swimming in the water............
Disgusted with my current profession, i sit and profess to you, electronic shiterature voyeur, about half full/half empty:
- What a great day in the woods. That's a beautiful new subdivision.
- A 9 hour journey in Pisgah is an appetizer. If we get the STARZ pack, we'll have 9 more HD options.
- We climbed more hours than not. Is there an elevator to the mezzanine?
- My empty stomach after four hours of riding made me feel lighter and faster. Yes. Up size combo 4 please.
- My cell phone doesn't work. My cell phone doesn't work.
- My girlfriend is so sweaty. My girlfriend is so sweaty.
- I smell like a day in the woods. I smell like a day in the woods.
- Did that huge tree witness Indians on this trail? Christopher Columbus discovered America.
Was this day a success? In which column does it fall? Is there an anti-me for every me--someone living the opposite side of my equation real-time?
It was an excellent day. Cissy and I started out from the Black Mountain trail head after a long conversation with Peter, the ultra-endurance event connoisseur. Congrats to Peter for completing so many 100's this year. Keep it up.
We grinded up Black Mountain in regular painful format. It's always a quick warm up when you go up black - like starting out a long track work out by doing 4 or 5 full effort 200's. Our goal was to keep moving all day. We set out for a "book em Dano" but missed the arrest. Even though we had a great day @ 44.57 miles, the deep, dark, doubt catalyst in the back of my mind was energized by not hitting 50.
The early fall splendor of Turkey Pen is amazing. Few leaves on the trail, crisp air cooling your skin via sweat soaked clothes, wind in the leaves harmonizing with subdued mental screams durring the chilling descents and the equally brutal hike-a-bikes. All of these items add up to one great day. After the normal grunts and groans we descended the stairs into the Mr. Kuntz driveway extension known as Turkey Pen road, much to the surprise of two horses who looked as if they've never seen two ripping mountain bikers bomb a set of stairs from sheltered woods into an open parking lot. Gosh? We made pleasantries with the horses (and their riders) then proceeded down 22 jumps, now much more cautionary than prior since a horse greeting was fresh in our mind.
We went right on Bradley Creek, missed the turn to Pea Gap, crossed the river 1 too many times and realized our mistake. We backtracked up Pea Gap then bombed the lush single track to continue up the Bradley Creek trail. The air was perfect. It felt like a high altitude Colorado day in the dark green depths of Pisgah. Our final Bradley Creek crossing rendered us in the lush feed plots towards the confluence of Bradley Creek, Laurel Creek and 5015 (the road of long conversation). I couldn't recall ever riding up Bradley Creek to 1206 so I jumped at the chance to see which route to Laurel Mtn. trail head was faster...5015 or Bradley Creek? Ms. Bi-Lo headed up 5015 and I hit Bradley Creek. The creek was beautiful and I added about 50 of those "i should come back here on foot" kind of notes. There were at least 4 or 5 good swimming holes and I was surprised there were no skinny dippers taking advantage of the crisp water and the warm rocks. As to which route was quicker, we now know the answer and you, the extremely bored reader, must offer pleasurable gifts to be in the know.
Ms. Bi-Lo was ready for more so up Laurel we proceeded. No bees, not many other riders, 1 bear (not beer), a few long pushes, 3 weary riders and 1 extremely bewildered lost dude on foot. We arrived at the cut through to Pilot Rock. It was a great place to catch a quick bite to eat and ingest some caffeinated gel to heighten my senses for the dragons back downhill immediately in our sights. As we ate, I casually inspected my bike and noticed two pencil size blobs protruding through the thread bearing design know as my rear tire sidewall. Much to my dismay, Park Tool sidewall sleeves loose their adhesive properties after 16 months of storage in a sweat stricken, crusty Camelbak pocket. How bout that? They still worked with a little coercion.
Off to the races. Grocery Mama went first. I followed her shiny cart right down the center aisle of Pilot. Watching her chosen line. Sometimes following it and sometimes busting my self on things she was gliding over. Enough of follow the leader. There's a sale on aisle nine and I gotta roll. Past Grocery Mama and off to the first of many gnarly switchbacks. I didn't quite have the finesse of a perfect day but it was close. Occasionally, I'd steal a peak of the great 1206 valley below thinking "we are way up here" and quickly focusing back on the trail so i didn't end up "way down there" quicker than i cared for. I stopped a few times to watch C take a few switchbacks. It's always crazy trying to judge an others comfort level. She rode most of the ones i thought she'd skip and dabbed one or two of the ones i thought she'd fly over. Superb balance and perty teeth too! What a package deal.
We re-grouped at the bottom near 1206, mixed some iodine cocktails and headed for 475B. 1206 always seems like a never ending road, especially when traveled west to east. Out to the pavement and south towards Taco Bell (yes i was hungry). A quick stop at the Pink Beds water fountain to replenish our iodine cocktails then on our way to the entrance of 475B from 276. I pray the transition from smooth downhill sailing onto the immediately slightly uphill gravel is the closest I'll ever come to experiencing a run away truck ramp. A little climb here, left turn, right turn then on to what is now Seniard Road. It had been quite a while since being on this trail. I remembered it as an easy flowing jaunt along the contour and now it's like a driveway to some disgustingly wealthy McCain flavoured corporation CEO's seldom visited mountain home. We pushed on, despite our political dilemmas. Although freshly cut trees and widened corridors seldom offer immediate satisfaction to riders, the new views of Looking Glass were phenomenal! I highly recommend checking them out.
The new road dropped us off on 225 and we mozied towards the fish hatchery on 475B to 475 proper then to 276 and back to the Ho, Tahoe that is.
8+ hours later, Peter's car was still there.
Biking with my special grocery gal is red velvet cake wrapped in a layer of chocolate hidden in the middle of an Oreo crusted cheesecake...but much less fattening.
bike.sofa.
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