Up Up and Away

Boy you know when you’re sitting at the bottom of the switchbacks at Crystal Ridge and you look to the tippy most tip at the top of the hill and you’re thinking, ‘That’s what I came here for…….augh’. There is definitely a method to the hill. It’s not a straight shot up and the grade changes throughout each section of climbing. And when the switchbacks are done and you’re feeling a lttle maxed out you have to keep moving up as you curl around the side of the peak and then back to the front of the hill for one last steeply graded straight shot for the top. The Garmin says that before you get to the base of the switchbacks you’re sitting at 713 feet above sea level, even though we don’t have a sea. After you’ve been doing some work you crest the peak at 945 feet. A whopping 232 feet of climbing over roughly one half of a stinkin mile. Now that I’m home and I’m seeing 1/2 a mile and 232 feet??!! What, huh, where? Back there? It doesn’t seem all that bad on paper I guess. Sucks on pedals, good on paper. At least that’s my story for May.

I shot around the loop 3 times in roughly 5 mile loops. Trails are dry but the cap is pretty choppy. Overall a good day of sun and singletracks. I cut it short a little to meet with some stranger that I met online. I posted some bikewares on line and he was first to come through with the need and the cash. When we parted I said farewell to my ‘Orange One”. Farewell little buddy…….thanks for the memories (sniff, sniff). So in keeping with the sentimental moment you can CLICK HERE and open a new browser window so you can hear the soundtrack for my dearly departed.

“I can’t be too late to say that I was so wrong.”