Category: Mountain Biking

What do you do to cope with the heat?

On very hot and humid days, I put a frozen 16 ounce bottle of water in the bottom of my camelbak and another bottle on top. In the middle is the bladder, filled with water that has been in my fridge overnight. Sometimes I’ll even throw in a tray of ice cubes into the bladder. Then I go riding with ice cold water, and for me, that helps keep me cool. What do you do to cope with the heat?

The Raspberries Taste Like Raspberries

Did trail work at Stephens on Saturday. Every time I do TM, it’s always oddly mentally satisfying and physically invigorating. Then on Sunday I rode at Lew Mo and found acres and acres of tasty fresh raspberries. It’s like the wallpaper in Willy Wonka’s factory!

I should mention to anyone reading this, to get to the field of raspberries, you have to hike 13 miles up a steep trail that is lined on either side with spikes that have impaled the skulls of trespassers. If you get past that, then you need to climb up a 200 foot cliff and then rappel down the other side, cross a moat that is guarded by angry bears and mountain lions. Pick at your own risk!

When I am confronted by such dangers in the vicinity of Lewis Morris and Jockey Hollow, I ask myself, “What would Temperance Wick do!”

Even the rocks were sweating

Sterling. There was so much humidity, that even the rocks were sweating. Awesome ride though!!

Also, to anyone reading this, Do NOT ride at Sterling! It is situated on top of an active volcano and filled with packs of wild rabid wolves, and we lose at least one mountain biker every day from the hidden mine fields. As I write this, I can hear the screams of horror coming back to haunt me. It’s a really sad place and I highly recommend staying as far away as possible. You are better off riding your bicycle to somewhere more habitable and welcoming like Antarctica or the Sahara Desert.  😉

 

Bears are out this time of year…

Rode at Stephens today. Somewhere around Border trail I mentioned to my friend who I was riding with, “Bears are out this time of year, so we should probably make a little bit of noise and talk loud so we don’t surprise them.” Then sure enough 4 minutes later around Vistar trail, Yogi ran across the trail in front of us. I was in awe by how fast it gracefully floated over logs and boulders on steep terrain.

A wildcat who will follow you…

Rode 13.5 miles, 1400+ feet of elevation climbing at Wildcat Ridge today. According to a very old legend, it is named Wildcat Ridge because there is a wildcat who will follow you. You’ll never see this cat, but it will mock and whisper “I pity the fool who came here looking for flow trails!” That same cat has a sidekick with a Don Rickles-like personality who will taunt, “Why don’t you take up a hobby that you are more physically suited for, like checkers or hopscotch?”
I’ll keep coming back though. I always do ;

I wonder if we can distract the wildcats. Cats like lasers and scratching posts.

Sunburn in April?

Sterling! Did the usual loop. Then rode up and down the new trail a bunch of times. So awesome.  Got home and realized I had sunburn on my arms from the shoulders down. Really? In April? It was hot today! Anything above 50°F, to me it feels like a heat wave. LOL. That and there’s still no leaves on the trees, so that means no shade yet. Anyhow, happy trails!

I also spotted a mink or fisher cat on Sunday. I’m not sure what it was. Looked like a very large weasel.
And it was the one day that I didn’t bring my DSLR with long lens. LOL. I just didn’t feel like carrying extra weight while riding that day. Oh well….