Thursday, June 03, 2004

Up Slate, down Slide

I'll never do that again.... without a camera.

I have been saying for months now that we need to try and see if we could make it all the way up Slate Canyon and come down Slide Canyon by the Y. Today I did it.

The original plan was to start at 6 in the morning, but I didn't do a good job of informing others that today was the day. So at 6 AM I was the only one there. I decided to wait and see if anyone would go at the normal noon time ride.

We left at noon. Everyone else had to get back to work before too long but I figured I had come in early enough that I would try and do it. So after the hill that I now call Biting Fly Hill (see video link) I was on my own. I thought I had enough water but at 6.9 miles into the trip I ran out. The final pass was at 7.75 miles. By the time I got through the pass I was very thirsty, but I figured it was down hill from there so I would survive. After the springs at the top of Slate Canyon the trail turned into a nice single track. Then there was a section that was just too steep to ride up or down. It turns out that there is a similar section on the other side of the pass. However the there was a real nice section around the pass the solitude, the fresh air sented with pine, and the view was spectacular.

After rejoining the Y trail my rims got so hot that my front tire blew. While changing the tire I burned my arm and noticed the rubber lining inside the rim was melted.

Thoughts: Sometimes the best way to climb a hill is to push the bike, sometimes it is the only way. Sometimes a rock in the road will knock you off the best course, but if you keep trying you can still make it, it just may be more difficult and you may have to push a little.

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