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#1
04-24-2020, 03:36 PM
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Semi OT: 75, celebrated by walking!
I mean how primitive can you get! No way, the plan had always been simple, a big ride, or as big as I could. Traditions, gotta respect those, like riding my bike on my birthday. This time around was rallying with my son in Colorado, maybe go to Moab and ride some slickrock.
Came to a screeching corona virus halt. My riding options became anything I wanted as long as I didn't venture more than 1, like that's a one, bird kilometer from my house. Started riding my fat-tired road bike on trails I mountain biked 15-20 years ago near my house. A sweet circuit, long version 9,5 K in all, and never a K from the house. Bunch of technical riding to keep things interesting plus some short, brutal ramps for the pain fix. A good ride, but day after day! The psyche needed variety, started hiking. Hit the trails pretty much like I hit the roads on my bike, going longer and higher. My definition of a K from the house received some liberal interpretations, like a K becoming if I could see the house from somewhere, I was good. Which then became seeing where the house is, as opposed to the house itself. All of which worked since every hike I did went up. I've always liked getting high, even as a kid. Put a hill in front of me and I want to go to the top. Flipping 75 meant doing just that, getting high. On the mountain above my house, the summit over a thousand meters higher (3300 ft) with the upper half of that vertical a massive rock face. I once watched, with binocs, a team of climbers spend 3 days and 2 nights climbing it. That's how steep it is. There's a trail traversing the slopes at the base of that rock face. Some 20 years ago I did it with my mountain bike. Rode when I could, hike-a-biked when I couldn't. Between the super narrow trail, lack of uphill pedal clearance, and air on the downhill side, I did a lot of hike-a-bike. And never a repeat which is a statement since the trail and the views are exceptional. That trail is where I wanted to go on my birthday. Not all the way, just an exploratory trip, my legs weren't ready for the full distance. Up through the village to a steep, rough, sort of 4x4 track. One relatively smooth line obviously made by mountain bikes coming down. Incredible what people ride now with modern full-suspension mountain bikes. Over a small crest and the grade eased off then went flat for a long run across the slopes in a thick forest of deciduous trees. A symphony of bird songs filling the forest with from time to time somewhere in the background a cuckoo sounding off or the rapping of a woodpecker at work. Glorious trail, smooth, all but flat, and me thinking I could ride my StonerBike here. No problem, outside of getting to it! And outside of some sections where the slope was so steep and the trail so tight a rope to hold wouldn't have been entirely scorned. Got to a junction on a round ridge with a trail heading up the mountain, straight ahead the more used trail continuing to traverse the slopes. I headed up through a series of tight, round switchbacks. And apparently ridden by someone damned skilled on his or her bike. Got to a junction with another sort of 4x4 road with to the left an obvious mountain biking trail. The road looked familiar so took that. Somewhere up above I knew I'd eventually hit the trail traversing the mountain. Pressed on, higher and higher. Finally hit the junction with the trail, pretty much like I remembered, a relatively flat and wide trail contouring across the slopes. Turned left and I was off. After a bunch of walking and stopping to take in the views got to a tiny refuge. The trail I was following appeared to peter out beyond it but another angled up behind the hut. Wasn't what I remembered but followed it anyway. Turned out to be a mistake, which I realized before very long but out of silly curiosity kept going. Higher and higher and kind of across the mountain in the direction I knew I wanted. Got to a clearing in the trees and saw the trail I wanted well below me. Bushwhack time, working my way down towards the trail over rocks and stones carried down by avalanches over the years and only held in place by a forest of small, bent, broken pine trees. Had to down-climb a long section, facing into the mountain, holding onto branches and small trees and any rocks that seemed stable, hoping nothing moved. Kind of crazy but it all worked out and before long I was on the good trail. And completely stunned that I'd been there with my mountain bike. The slopes were so steep that a fall off a bike on the downhill side would have been air time before finally hitting the dirt. And then rolling and tumbling for who knows how far. On the other hand there were some sections, usually short, that did look ridable. And even crazier there were mountain bike tracks on the trail. Hats off to anyone who had done that. Turn around time, my legs weren't good for the full loop. Maybe if I hadn't done that silly detour but probably not. Not that it mattered. I was high on the mountain like I wanted to be, the day was gorgeous, and this was the first day of year 76. I was happy. Sat down, ate half my sandwich while looking down at the village where I live. And I could clearly see where the house is. With a pair of binocs, I could have seen the house. In other words I was good. Headed back down the trail and soon realized it was the one I'd been on at the hut that I'd thought petered out. I also knew my legs had no interest in walking all the way back to that hut then down all I'd come up. Decided when I got onto a rounded ridge of grasses and low bushes not far away I'd bushwhack straight down to the trail below. Or maybe there'd even be some sort of track heading down the ridge, something worn into the grasses by others who'd had the same thought. Got to the ridge and voilà, a trail, a beautiful single-track obviously built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers plunging down through round switchbacks and traverses. I was stunned. I mean this was a work of beauty way the hell and gone up on this mountain and the only way to it was ride up the mountain. Has to be a blast to ride, though guaranteed way out of my league at this point in my life. Made fast time heading down and soon hit the trail I'd walked out on. My legs were screaming from the descent. That's the bummer with hiking as opposed to riding, no descents with gravity ripping you down the mountain. Afoot the descents are as physical as the going up, and sometimes more so. Then I was on the long, all but flat section through the woods and swinging my legs in smooth, distance grabbing strides totally enjoying myself and thinking I really need to do more hiking. I mean it's just so simple, put on some shoes, go. No equipment to worry about, nothing to break, and nothing to push. Plus go to beautiful places that there's no way I can get to with a bike. Awesome, a new year kicked off in style, gotta love it. So like I said, a semi-OT post, semi because riding a bike was so much in my head during the hike and writing about it, plus I was there on a bike long ago. Besides, I know a lot of you like to hike also. Cheers and stay healthy. 
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#4
04-24-2020, 04:44 PM
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Thank you for the lovely post and inspiring photos. Happy birthday!
I'm hoping that soon you'll be able to post reports of new cycling adventures. 
__________________
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi. --Peter Schickele
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#7
04-24-2020, 05:22 PM
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I went wow more than once.
__________________
chasing waddy
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#10
04-25-2020, 12:55 AM
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Quote:
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#13
04-25-2020, 06:18 AM
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Happy birthday Hank and yes, walking/hiking, even 'jogging' are under rated..Stop watching your front wheel and start looking at the beauty around you, where you actually CAN 'smell the roses'..
Stay safe 
__________________
Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo
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