The Ride
It?s been an glorious summer so far. Last day we went on a mtn bike ride through the Sequoias. It was an glorious trip, but began with the exhausting drive. I had my mtn bike on the back of the car and equipment all packed up the night before. I left work early Thursday and started the drive alone. I was on a race against time as I was supposed to meet my buddies at the top of the mountain road, marked by a picnic table, at 8pm. I had to make the timing just right otherwise I would not meet them. After that time, they were to expect that I got held up and would try again at the same spot at 10am the next day. This means if I was too late, I would end up sleeping in my car alone that night.
Turns out I made it through traffic and up the hill in time to unhook my bike, crack open a beer and ride up and down a couple of little hills before dark and before my buddies would arrive. The air was crisp and I was excited to be away from the city. The bike was in perfect shape and ready to hit some trails.
We began our ride the next morning, each if us carrying 40lb packs ensuring enough food and water to last at least 12hrs of long hard riding. The first hill was killer and was a rude awakening to a very long mtn bike ride. The crew cranked slowly up for about 2hrs. It was a remarkable feeling to finally make it to the top. We took a break and sipped some water from our stainless steel water bottles.
The next 8hrs was spent jamming up and down hills, over fallen logs, off huge hits and hucking over big rocks. A couple of breaks were in order throughout the day where we drank a bit of booze and shared treats we had packed away. The dirt was just right. Not too dry as to cause any dust and not too wet that our wheels would get stuck. It was nice to see just a bit of snow left on the ground in certain spots.