I arrived reasonably early but missed sunrise. 7am was when I started the climb with a Timmy's XL DD in hand.
Once the coffee was finished (near Hoots) I decided that today was a day for some real pedaling up the hill. So I dropped the hammer and pedaled at the best pace I could up to the top. Now I will be the first to admit that my pace is not impressive, but I don't stop. I took the not so traveled route up and climbed up Stovetop. It is trails like Stovetop that make the quest for pristine single track so rewarding. Stovetop is such a sweet gem of a trail. You can climb the whole thing in the wet or dry on a silky ribbon of gold dirt. Nice narrow pedalable singletrack is an utter rarity for me and today I loved it.
As I mentioned earlier, I brought my camera with me. When riding on the climb from Stovetop to the top of Giant Killer I noticed a small stump with some mushrooms sprouting from all directions. On most well traveled trails this forest of fungi would have been destroyed even before they planted their roots, but on this peaceful path, it has flourished.
An Artsy Fartsy Photo - Click to ENLARGE PhotoSo once at the skidder road I continued to pedal my way up. Today I realized my appreciation for the hidden singletrack that you can use to climb up The Woodlot rather than the skidder. Bouncing all over on baby head rocks really sucks in comparison.
Once at the top my original plan was to ride to Karpenter then back up to Tsuga, Snakes (build) then Shotgun. BUT..............................................................I remembered someone mentioning a wheel of fortune at the powerlines; so I turned around and there it was. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of this wickedly cool contraption. So I just HAD to spin it and the trails that came up on it for me to ride were: The Gate, Tsuga, Snakes and Ladders. I honestly could not have asked for a better route.
Once at the top my original plan was to ride to Karpenter then back up to Tsuga, Snakes (build) then Shotgun. BUT..............................................................I remembered someone mentioning a wheel of fortune at the powerlines; so I turned around and there it was. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of this wickedly cool contraption. So I just HAD to spin it and the trails that came up on it for me to ride were: The Gate, Tsuga, Snakes and Ladders. I honestly could not have asked for a better route.
Wheel of Trail Fortune
Wheel of Trail Fortune - Closer up (click for a larger picture)
As you can tell from the pictures above and the video, I thought this thing was really frikin cool.
Well I geared up where I was and made my way over to The Gate. Personally I have never loved The Gate. I always ride it conservatively. It is a cool trail and all with some interesting skinnies, but it has never been on my list of trails that I Must Ride.
So then it was over to Tsuga after The Gate and what a fun rip it was on the hardtail. Tsuga is always a nice flowy ride that I enjoy every time I ride it.
Snakes and Ladders was in great shape and flowed really well today. No real issues anywhere on the trail and I bombed down it with a reckless abandon I have not had in a while.
I decided today to capture myself riding the teeter totter on the log ride section on Snakes. I have always loved teeters and I must say that Tim and Rob did a spectacular job on this teeter. 100% all cedar and it works so damn well. It also has a cool squeak to it when it lowers.
Then it was on down to the area of the extension. Tim had been up there earlier this week and done a bunch of work. He did a lot of work on the last corner and cleared most of the straight away. At first when I arrived I was not sure about what I should do, so I rode the corner a few times; gaining speed each time.
The line of the corner was perfect so I decided to dive right in and really get to work on backing the berm of the corner. I found 2 large logs and dragged them into place, buried them and started the back filling. Rock then dirt. It took shape MUCH faster than expected. It really needs to be rained on to settle the dirt and compact it, but the shape is there and it is a solid start. I even had a bit of fun hiding while building.......11 people rode right past me while I worked away. I cannot wait for Tim, Rob and I to open up this line.
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