adventures in pisgah

What is a race? Do you need prizes and a podium? Do you need an organized start and finish? What about time trials? Do those count as races?

When I think back to my first races I remember that they were indeed races but to me they were nothing like a race. I was out there to simply finish and most importantly survive. Ahead of me were a whole bunch of fast riders who were actually racing. But back in the middle and back of the pack with me were just a whole bunch of riders out there for the adventure or to test their personal limits or whatever else might motivate a ‘non-racer’ to do something like ORAMM.  Now I actually find myself racing from time to time though competition is a new thing to me and I am not very good to it.

Going into the Save the Trails Challenge I didn’t really know what to expect and decided to just treat it as a PMBAR training ride. My plan was to ride hard and fast and carry everything I needed without having to use any rest stops. Other than that I just wanted to have fun and enjoy riding my bike around Dupont. In the end it was a ton of fun and PAS did a GREAT job of marking the course so I never had to worry about navigation at all - I didn’t have a single doubt which way to go at any intersection.

After a whole lot of standing around in the cold waiting Van finally told us to go have fun and off we went. I was near the front in the pack of fast guys and the pace was very brisk to start. Zach and Dennis were leading the way and I heard one guy comment loudly “I’m not racing!” to which Zach asked “Why did you take off so fast then?”. These guys were hauling, jockeying for position and what not and after I saw more than a few questionable displays of bike handling I decided to drop off the front a little and let them fight it out. I reminded myself it wasn’t a race and tried to settle into a pace I could hold for 45 miles.

The first leg of the ride was pretty uneventfull but highlighted by the always welcome climb up Joanna. All the rain had turned the rocky old road bed into a creek and I was loving trying to clean it. After that it was a gravel spin where a couple of guys passed me and then we went around Reasonover and played in the Fawn lake area for awhile before we headed for the Little River Crossing on Corn Mill Shoals. I’ve never walked the crossing before and knew the river would be high but had decided to try it anyway. The worst that would happen was I would get wet but when I got there they had ropes strung up that made the approach impossible and even if I started riding it getting tangled in the ropes would be dangerous so I did the cautious thing and walked it. I understand why the ropes were there - for the inexperienced folks the crossing would have been tricky without them - but was a little disappointed. No big deal, I crossed it fast keeping my shoes on (why were people taking theirs off? everyone’s feet had to have already been wet) and passed the two guys who had passed me out on the road in the process.

From there it was around Burnt where I reminded myself it wasn’t a race and took it easy on the downhill and then up the mellow side of Cedar to Big Rock. When I got back down off the rock Beth whom I did Double Dare with two years ago was manning a rest stop and she told me I was 29 miles in and only Zach and Dennis were ahead of me. I was a little surprised to hear that. I had assumed that all the racer boys who had taken off so fast were doing the long ride but it turned out they were yellow and it was just me and my friends up front so I took off to catch them. I was yelling “hey, guys, wait for me” but nobody was waiting and I was feeling pretty good so I figured my best bet was just to sprint for the final 15 miles and that is what I did.

I gave it all I had, wasting no time, not racing, just trying to catch up with my friends. I ride Dupont with Dennis and Zach frequently and sort of had a hunch we got around the place fast and knew to catch either of them I’d have to go hard and not make any mistakes. 15 miles isn’t a small distance so I still played it smart but kept the big wheels turning as fast as I could. If you ride with someone enough you learn their smells and I smelled Dennis when I got to the top of the quarry so I knew he was close but would be hard to catch. So I just kept keeping on. I was close to bonking and cramping and low on water but wasn’t stopping.

Most of those last 15 miles are just a blur. Fast flowy Dupont singletrack. I was loving it. Eventually my water ran out and I was starting to wonder just when it would end as we did loops around Lake Imaging. Finally the orange flags pointed me up Ridgeline and I knew the end was near. By this point my quad was seconds away from a cramp and both legs were yelling at me to get off and walk but I wasn’t having any of that. And for the first time since Little River I saw other riders. This time they were yellow riders and were nearing the end of their long ride. I was reminded of my first big rides and reflected on how big of an adventure this ride must have been for them. And there I was climbing up Ridgeline, just a hair away from a bonk or cramp, literally yelling it pain every few pedal strokes.

And then amongst them I spotted Dennis. He was cramping and I pulled by him with ease. Yeah, I’m a shitty friend but he would have done the same thing himself. When I got back to the truck Zach was already packed up and gone.

Not a race but the Wednesday Night Drinking Club did pretty darn good!

So when the PAS Save the Trails Challenge was rescheduled due to rain I was faced with a puppy dog who was due for an adventure and got a call from Jonathon Friday night suggesting a big Jones Gap hike on Saturday morning. The forecast was grim but I had been prepared to ride my bike in the rain so a hike sounded like the perfect idea.

When I pulled into the park just after 9:30am Jonathon was pulling out and yelled to follow him. I asked if we were doing a shuttle and he said yes and said it would be fun. Before I had a chance to protest and suggest we do a modest loop he was gone and I was following him. When the extreme tomato says something is going to be fun that is usually an understatement and means big adventure is to be had. Together we have decided to do such things as push our bikes up Big Creek in a blizzard or most recently take the length of a frozen South Mills River trail during Stage Two of the Most Horrible Thing Ever (granted he came to his senses and turned around while I pushed on.)

After setting up the shuttle we headed up the steep and rugged Hospital Rock Trail at a fast clip in the driving rain. The forecast was calling for severe storms and dangerous hail so we weren’t wasting any time. Buddy and Shade are Duma’s best friends and all the dogs were having a blast as were their daddy’s.

We stopped for lunch at Hospital Rock and faced with near catastrophe and certain death decided we had better make a fire. After 15 minutes of futile piddling with wet leaves and sticks we had no fire so I dug out my knife and decided to do it right and had a fire going in minutes:

Once it was going good it was time to move on so we put it out and pushed up and on. From there it was a little more climbing followed by some ridge running. Eventually we made our way to a 100 foot waterfall and Duma was not interested in making this crossing:

After several minutes of trying to coax him I gave Jonathon my pack and tried to carry him. Carrying a 85 pound dog who doesn’t want to be carried isn’t easy and the best I could manage was to move his front paws six inches forward and then move the back six inches forward. Once we got past the initial rapids the water was a little calmer and Duma made an escape for the opposite bank. Easily the most nerve racking river crossing I have ever done.

It was all downhill from there and we made the car in no time and another day of playing in the woods was over. The dog was wet but tired which meant the mission was accomplished!

Save the Trails ride report to follow. I’m tired!

What have I done now?

After work I headed out for a quick little roadie and did my Davis Mtn. route backwards which puts most of the climbing at over a 20%  grade. Finley Cove hurt a lot more than it should have and I was a little worried I wouldn’t have the strength to turn the wheels up the steep backside of Davis Mtn. but when I got there everything  seemed to click and I didn’t even have to drop into my biggest cog.

When I got home my new brake pads were in the mail and I decided it was time for my annual bike maintenance. If you look carefully at the pic you’ll notice I knocked some of the dirt off my fork (I’m on the verge of actually washing the bike and repainting the fork!) but sort of forgot to clean the rest of the bike. Oh, well… New brake pads are installed, cables and housings to come. I fixed the missing dust cap on my pedal with a rubber stopper and decided as long as I had some grease out it would be a good idea to check my headset. All the bolts were rusted in place so it took more than a little Liquid Wrench to get the handle bar off but the headset seems to be turning fine so I think I’ll leave it as is. My hubs are screwed. I was at the LBS today and they said they wanted $8 to service them. Eight dollars isn’t much at all and I’ll probably do more damage than that doing it myself but that is what I plan on doing. I’ll just pay them more to fix what I fixed - which is good for the economy!

The only problem is tomorrow is Wednesday and now it is 10pm and here I am typing away at this silly little blog instead of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. They are calling for rain tomorrow and even though that is the last thing I need for work it would be the perfect excuse for missing the drinking club.

If it doesn’t rain I guess I’ll just throw the bike in the truck like it is and just finish what I started in the parking lot. “Hey guys, can y’all wait while I rebuild my bike?”

Friday Hike: A figure Eight Loop from Black Balsam: Art Loeb > Old Butt Knob > Ivestor Gap > Graveyard Ridge > Mountains to Sea.

Saturday Mountain Bike: Black Mountain > Buckwheat Knob > Bennett Gap > 477 > Clawhammer > Maxwell Cove > Black Mountain

Sunday Road Bike: Jump Off Rock Loop

There was talk of Yellow Gap on mtbr this week so when it was nice out on Tuesday after work I decided it was Duma’s lucky day and we headed out to Mills River to do our 5050 > Yellow Gap out and back. I’d been curious as to why they call it a loop and after a slight detour up 5051 to tack on some extra climbing (including the steepest gravel switchback in the forest) I was paying carefull attention on the way down Yellow Gap to the river. I spotted an old trail that lined up with the map and while Duma was swimming spotted what I think is other end of the old loop. It is overgrown to the point where not even I wanted to try and carry a bike through it but there is old flagging tape and signs of human activity.

Duma played a fun game where he would swim up the river and then float back down again. Silly dog!

On the climb back up we met a rider coming down and gave her directions back to her car on 1206. I was a little surpised to see another rider out there at 7 at night and after talking to her when we got back to the truck she said that she was tired of all the crowds at Bent Creek and looking for stuff to ride in the area. I gave her some pointers about the Trace Ridge area loops and told her she could do them without crossing the river but she didn’t seem to mind getting wet. I can’t imagine why she doesn’t like waiting in line to ride Bent Creek.

Yesterday I made the Drinking Club once again. We met at Corn Mill Shoals and I actually drove all the way there. While waiting for David George we did a quick little loop behind the parking lot. I was leading the descent down a rocky trail and flatted near the bottom. I knew my tire was low but didn’t take the time to add a little air and paid the price. The reward was another hysterical tire change with Jonathon ‘helping’. I fought with it forever but finally got it changed and rolled back down to the parking lot where Zach fixed my brake that I had mangled trying to force the wheel on without paying attention.

From there we went across the road and headed for the steep climb up Cedar Rock. It is tough and I had to get off and push a couple of times but was far enough ahead nobody could see me. Down Big Rock fast and off to Burnt. I went into the top part of the climb fast and hard and paid the price by blowing up short of the top and had to pull aside to let Zach by. At the top he told me if I wouldn’t jump so hard I would probably be faster but also said if he saw me jump that hard in a race he probably wouldn’t chase. I have a hard time slowly grinding on the single speed and just try and keep the wheels spinning. Too bad my heart can’t keep up.

Zach wanted to try and clean the steep Cedar Rock climb again so we broke off and headed up it once again. This time I hung back and tried to follow Zach’s patient lead, conserving energy when I could but once again when it got steep I jumped hard and couldn’t pull it off. By this time I was done and had to push more than I did on the first climb up it. I got my heartrate down and back on the bike and was right behing Zach when we got to the top. Down Big Rock fast once again and back to the parking lot!

Last weekend while hiking up Barnett Branch I was taking some compass bearings aimed at Mount Pisgah - my compass was reading that Mt. Pisgah was to the South which I knew was wrong so I decided I had better investigate further. After comparing it to another compass I have found that the North and South needles seem to be switched. That might explain why I have had a hard time using it!

It rained all weekend and I had family in town so for the first time in a long time there was no playing in Pisgah for me. I managed to get in a little road ride on Friday and another today and on Saturday went for my first run since I got my tendonitis. Coming down Laurel Park hwy from Jump Off Rock this afternoon I ran over a squirrel. That sucked.

Dupont on a Wednesday. Is there anything better?

It wasn’t too long after I moved here that some guy known as The Extreme Tomato posted on mtbr about a Wednesday after work group ride. I had just gotten my big wheeled bike and thought it sounded fun. We rode for what seemed like all night at what seemed like break neck speed and although I got my ass kicked it was a ton of fun. There were well over ten of us that night and after it was over I asked the rotten tomato guy if it was a regular thing. He said it was and I showed up again the next week and then again and again. They were cool guys and I just sort of latched on. Now they are true friends and the Wednesday night ride is often the highlight of my week.

Sadly I’ve been having a hard time making it recently and when I do make it I usually park at Lake Imaging and ride across the forest to Fawn Lake. It is rather lame to do it that way and cuts down on the fun of standing around the parking lot drinking beer after the ride but maximizes ride time.

Last night was no different and since I skipped out of work a little early I was at Lake Imaging with plenty of time to ride around before the appointed meeting time. For the first time ever I didn’t go the wrong way after climbing Airstrip and made it to the parking lot right on time. I quickly downed an energy drink and then Jonathon gave me another. With absolutely no time to waste telling lame jokes we had a quick safety meeting and went on our way.

It was a bigger group than usual and we took off fast down Reasonver. After that I can’t say what we rode. Dennis and Zach were FLYING and I tried my best to hold their wheels. We splashed around some creeks and I noticed Zach has started riding them. I’m so proud. But my hub started acting up again and my brakes were dragging and eventually I was tired. Jonathon proved once again that his leadership skills are not to be questioned with a most excellent route choice. I was truly sad when it was time for me to break off back to my truck. His directions back were spot on as well!

In other news, Duma managed to break another window today. This time the big four foot by five foot plate glass picture window in my living room. This brings his total window count up to five - three house, two truck. Not bad for just over one year!

Here is a picture of everyone from the Wednesday ride. Notice how Zach is so fast all you can see is a stick he kicked up! The images have been intentionally blurred to protect the participants’ identities.

I’m tired. Something to do with changing the clocks around yesterday or something. I can’t figure out what else it could be…

Yesterday when I was putting on my hiking shoes I noticed they were very muddy but couldn’t figure out how or where they got that muddy. Later in the day as I was refilling my water after our hike I remembered that I had taken Duma out for a quick stroll Thursday after work. We parked at the Parkway gate just off 191 and walked up the parkway for a few miles and then took a sharp random right off the road and bushwhacked our way up to the Shut In trail and took it back down to the truck.

Friday I had thought about taking the road bike around Ceaser’s Head but at the last minute bailed and ended up riding up the Parkway from 191 to Graveyard Fields and back down again. The Parkway was closed and there were several confused motorists down at the gate who couldn’t figure out why the road would be closed when it was seventy degrees outside. The road was clear, for the most part, until after I crossed 276 and then it just kept getting worse and worse and I decided 50 miles was enough and turned around.

Saturday brought even warmer weather and with Yellow Gap Rd. closed I finally did a route I’d been wanting to try for awhile. I started from the bridge at Fisherman’s and went up 1206 for a little bit and then took a right on Rocky Fork Rd. From there my plan was to ride to the top of 5051 and then bushwhack my way over to Laurel Mtn. I have been up 5051 before and thought I knew where it ended but when I got to where the gravel ends I realized it was not the end of the road:

According to the map that ridge should not have been in front of me so I pushed on through the very tight thicket of an old road bed. Eventually it ended and matched up with the map and the bushwhacking began (or continued, depending on how you look at it). I had a very steep push up to the top of the ridge. Probably 100 vertical feet and it took a solid hard 30 minutes. When I gained the ridge I was greated by, surprise, a trail! Complete with recent work, blazes and flagging tape. My fears of getting lost were erased as I realized this trail must start at Yellow Gap and end at Rich Gap. I took a right on it and had a nice walk in the sunshine, soaking in the views and adventure of it all. Before I knew it there was Rich Gap in front of me:

From there it was on up Laurel. Although the road is closed I know people are still riding up it and was surprised when I got freshies on the climb up Laurel:

The descent down to Big Creek was killer, as always. Other than having to stop a few times to shake the speed out of my hands I think I cleaned it. Somewhere on the bottom stretch of Big Creek that goes on way too long my bike broke. I don’t know what. Maybe a hub or something and though I tried to ignore it eventually I relented and bailed tacking on Middle Fork > Fletcher Creek. I took the only logical way back to the truck: North Mills River. Though it was warm outside the river was still cold and the crossings very, very deep.

Sunday Funday. Duma, Terri, and myself all loaded up and went for a hike. Our route: Pink Beds > Barnett Branch (out and back to just below Black) > Pink Beds (the other half). The weather was still kicking ass and when we got to the creek just below the intersection with Black Mtn. trail on Barnett I was having crazy thoughts that we should bushwhack our way back down. Terri, being the trooper that she is, was willing to go along and the dog is dumb enough to follow me anywhere. But I decided to spare all of us the muddy mess that it woul have been and we just turned around.

They have finally burned the bombs:

And what is this all about? I’ve seen one other tree in the forest marked with this tape (the other on Funnel Top Mtn. Rd.). Killer Tree?

To round out the first full March weekend in the mountains I fired up the grill and we played yard games as the sunset over us. Nothing could be finer.

Today since the time changed I just couldn’t resist but take the road bike out for an after work spin. Jump Off Rock was the call of the day and coming back down off of it I was racing the sun home.

And now I’m tired and can’t figure out why.

I’m not sure how but I made it through an entire weekend without touching a bike. It couldn’t be that I am lazy so I’m blaming it on the weather.

Saturday morning I got dressed to take the road bike out but the light drizzle scared me away at the last minute and I took the dog for a walk instead. After that I headed up to Black Mountain (the town, not the trail) to watch runners as the finished the Black Mountain Challenge - a 40 mile trail run up to the top of Mt. Mitchell and back down. The last day in February and it was cold and rainy and people were running up the tallest mountain on the east coast. I can’t even begin to imagine what the conditions were like up top. Crazy.

Sunday morning I played the same indecision game and in the end opted to take Duma for a quick hike before any sort of bicycle fun. It was still raining and calling for snow flurries so I decided it was a good time to scratch Perry Cove off the list. Me and Duma made fast work of the climb and as we worked our way up I watched as the rain slowly changed into snow. We hung a right on Bennet and headed up Satan’s Staircase to the view:

Not much of a view but Looking Glass is out there in the snow.

On the descent I watched as the snow worked its way back into rain as we dropped elevation. By the time we were at the truck it was pouring rain again and I was glad to be headed home. Driving back through Mills River the rain turned back to snow once again and started really dumping. The flurries they were calling for turned into an all out snow storm and resulted in a nice and long weekend.