schnauzers.ws

We start climbing up the fire road and I’m thinking that (1) this is
just a JAR ride with the starting climb and (2) this terrain doesn’t
look all that nasty.

OK, not bad. I’m doing my usual slow climb routine and trying to decide
how much energy and water I should ration. I never asked how far we
were going. We finally reach the singletrack and wow is it beautiful. A
little ducty, but so fast!

I am having a blast on these trails. They are very similar to trail
back home with swoopy fast turns between trees and a few babyheads here
and there.
We stop to let everyone catch up (wow, I never thought I’d be the one
saying that) and then head out on more singletrack. It just goes on
forever and what seems like all downhill. I guess when you start at the
top of 4000′, what other way could it go?

The landscape here is magnificent. It’s so nice to be in wide open land
without worrying or hearing the roar of cars on the highway next to
you.

We stop and a fork in the trail to decide on the extra credit loop. A
few of us opt in and at the campground I take the lead, smoking the
competition (actually Bill wanted me to since somehow he got it in his
mind that I am better at the technical sections).

Before heading out on the Noble Canyon trail, we stop at the refueling
station to make sure that the water is topped off. I don’t see many of
these on trails I ride (French Creek is the only one I can think of),
but pottable water is sure a great thing to have in the middle of a
ride.

One more thing to do before the Canyon. Bill has to show the
out-of-towner the vista. So we "walk" up the Pacific Coast Trail and
view this:

Then it’s onto the Noble Canyon trail which starts off smooth and fast:

I am rocking the trail and finding my lines. I think I may have been a
little over confident. We start heading down into tree cover and then a
nasty little rock garden presents itself.

Sure it looks so rollable from the picture and rom my angle it looks
like nothing. In reality is was steep and those stones which look flat
actually point up like tombstones. I pay no attention to the fact that
the person who has ridden this numerous times has walked his bike
through. So off I go and I get about 2/3 of the way through this and
pow! Over the bars and almost down the hill into the stream. I was
lucky to unclick fast enough to make a standing save of what should
have been a very painful fall.
I laugh it off, give a few "oh sh!s" and head on through a few water
crossings. At this point they feel very good as temperatures are now
above 100.

We stop to reflect on the death defying experiences the trail has
brought us so far and Bill notices a white band on my arm where my
watch used to be, It must have fallen off when I took my second spill
attempting something way above my ability (gotta learn sometime).
Although, I really liked the watch, the chances of finding it somewhere
on that trail are slim and none. I know, I know… You don’t need that
extra junk with you on the trail. Have a I learned my lesson? Probably,
not. So, now there is Trail Treasure to be found on the Noble Canyon
Trail. No, it’s not a Casio. I don’t want to really embarass myself too
much, so I’ll tell you it beigins and ends with a ‘T’. Good luck
finding it and there is no reward. Your conscience can be your reward,
or not.
Now we make the LONG technical climb out of the valley. There is some
exposure, but surprisingly I head right on through. It’s a tough rocky
climb and the temperature is boiling as far as I am concerned. I am
trying to stay hydrated but ration at the same time. My legs are fine,
but my head is beginning to spin. So I alternate between drink, ride,
and walk out of the canyon.

One downhill in all the uphill that we all cleared… on foot.

After reaching the top of the saddle, I am pretty much spent. Luckily it’s a long sandy downhill into town.

It was an incredible ride of about 27 or 28 miles. It kicked my ass
good and gave me a good wake-up call that I have a long way to go in
skill building. I can’t wait to return and try it again.
Bill and his buds were great people. I enjoyed the company and the
Mexican food (I leave off most of the stuff that makes it Mexican,
though). Lucky people to live in an area with such great nearby riding.