schnauzers.ws

My first sign were the cars parked by the trailhead. I have never seen that before. When I drove by Kenosha, the only thought going through my mind was why? It was a mad house of cars and bikes. If I wanted to subject myself to that today, I would have ridden local trails. That’s why I drove the extra ten minutes to Boreas Pass. Yeah, and let me rant here but take it with a grain of salt. By crowded, I am talking about four hikers and six bikers.

Needless to say, this trail still takes my breath away. Not from a difficult point of view. Heck, I think there is one rock I can’t get over.

No. My breath is stolen by the solitude and unique sound of the tire rolling along the pine needles. I can’t explain it. It’s just a combination of the air in the tire, the knobbies, and the individual pine needles being run over by my wheel. I don’t even look around, I just listen.

All this melodic white noise. Then, I stop to take a picture, put my bike in the middle of the trail, and wham!

Whoa! I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to see anyone else here. Really, that’s what I said. Ignorant? Yeah, maybe but I have been trained to think that here. Why come here when there’s a perfectly good Kenosha just up the road? The bike doesn’t seem to mind, but in the back of my head I do. Selfish? Yes. But, I don’t get to partake in trail solitude all that often. I share, just like everyone else. Hello, Goodbye. Have a nice ride. A smile. That doesn’t change, but there’s a frown in the back of my head.

I ride on and forget again. Maybe, it’s just a figment of my imagination. People? Here? Nah. Let the distraction slip away, the mechanical sounds drown in the water, the reflection of metal disappear in the distance.

Weather is rolling in and I haven’t even made it to the best part. Decision time. I can’t pass up my favorite part. Maybe, I can squeak by.

Yes! I make it to the flume and mosey my way up (.8% grade – hardly up). I am purposely going slow as if to savor the moment. It’s like a "being in the zone" kind of thing. I’m not paying much attention to what’s in front of me until I come around a corner and nearly get run off the hill. More people? What the heck? They are not looking to stop either. Maybe, it’s hard to tell who is really going uphill, but trail etiquette should still be followed

This was the sign of the day, though I did run into some familiar people even though I didn’t immediately recognize them. I’m not good with faces and names, but I always seem to see people who know me. Nice seeing you Reven, George, and Todd. At least, I can remember a few hours later. That and the fact they passed my geared bike on their single speeds like I was standing still.

I found out from some other riders that the Gold Dust trail is part of the Breckenridge 100. That explains the people traffic, but also probably spells out the end of a little used trail.