Today i rode the 2nd part of the Snake Creek gap Pinoti trail section, the harder of the halves. Finished temp was 91 degrees. Saw a guy and girl team on the trail and that was it. Too nasty for GA riders? Babyheads sharp edged granite obscured by grown up poison ivy. Deep tree cover. I rode the most of the previous 4 rides. Rocky technical, there are some smooth sections but what the take away is: rocks. I rode baby chain ring and 2nd on rear that allowed me to ease my way over the edges. The trail length is 16 miles. By the end I was sweat soaked. My gloves and hands were so slick I had difficulty twisting the grip shifters. Trail is notorious for rattlers and copperheads. Shane said word of wisdom is: Ride. I adhered to his word until The Wall which climbs up over lots more rocks w/ a few slick moves. The trail breached a confederate stone fence. My engine started misfiring so i put it into walk and scrambled over the rocks. Trail ends @ a high point then a descent down a double track to the highway. Screamer on the gravel. Trail officially ends @ the pavement right @ Dug Gap. I rode the road back to the TH. A courageous 38mph descent from the gap. Then anaerobic pavement climbs. 3 hour ride. No snakes but maybe a golden eagle on the ground b4 taking off.
I hung @ the TH for a shower. The 2 riders I met rode into the parking lot. They are riding and out and back. The road was over 6 miles which was good enough for me, it is not in me to ride it out and back. The guy said the trail rides better coming than going.
Yesterday I tried the Pigeon Mtn trail from Estelle camping area. The map that was posted located me however, the trails showed were not on the ground. I rode a dirt road climb to an overgrown skidder road thru grownup poison ivy. Nary a sign of use since last rain. A nice size stick lodged itself between my derailleur hanger and cluster. Stuck pretty good, took some wiggling to free it then inspect damage. Appears that I stopped b4 incurring damage. Another high 80 degree ride. I studied the map some more for the bike TH which wasn’t far away. I made the turn off the st highway to a paved narrow county road that soon turned to rough dirt. I passed the last house where a boy looking right out of deliverance stood in the front yard w/ his arm raised in greeting. Road dead ended into an old farm w/ no present occupants. I took a shower in their parking lot. No trail from this location either.
Clean but still sweating I drove to Dalton and Bear Creek bikes where I remember its location. Store is empty. Failed business? I goggled them on my convenient Android and learned of their new address. Shane is still in business and doing well. Another bike shop still in business amid the sea of vacant commercial buildings. I hung in the shop enjoying the AC. Shane invited me on his Monday ride up to Tanasi in TN.
I drove up & over Dug gap seeking camping spot in the USFS. I picked a road in good gravel condition driving to the end b4 I found a level spot. In the deep shade but no internet or mosquitoes, just 3 horseflies. I set my chair up then set to read. To my surprise a cnty sheriff’s car drove by then turned around. I passed scrutiny as I think he was after something bigger than me.
Way hot at night even w/ the door and window screened and opened. Lay still and still sweat. Temp drops into mid 60s.
I slept in today. I made scratch pancakes even including some store bought blueberries.
Sat I met the BUMP group out @ 5 points TH. Grace joined us later. 5 Points is a newly constructed trail, mostly machine cut that has aged a season. Impressive how many miles of trail can be carved into a small area. Well marked and mapped. Maybe 300 feet of tech. Machine cut. Hot and sweaty.
Earlier at the Ingles grocery store I saw this young fit attractive woman. i didn’t say Hi nor did she. Later @ the TH she drove up to do some reader board stuff. Into my web she drove. We conversed. She is doing what she needs to do to work in outdoor education. She arrived in GA w/o a place to live. For the last 3 weeks she had been living in her tent until she found a house 2 days prior. She knows Sam and Jordan of The Hub in Brevard where I will be by weekend.
Thursday after completing my wash i drove to Chattanooga to ride Raccoon mtn. trail is on a plateau above the city and the Tennessee river. Some old machine cut that is weathering into a less noticeable machine cut. Saw a group of 4 riders. Thing about my lifestyle is I ride when most mtn bikers are working. I rode all the stuff I previously walked.
Parking lot solar shower. Drove down to town. I checked out Suck Creek bike shop, nothing to hold me there. I found a cool place for dinner down town. I sat at the bar beside a young woman who is a lawyer based out of NYC doing consulting work for domestic violence cases.
After dinner I headed towards Trenton and 5 Points ride. Trenton is the last town before climbing up and over the mountain. I found an industrial park and an out of business parking lot for the night.
last 2 rides were thru almost waist high poison ivy plants. Today i saw leaves that looked like poison oak, I wonder. I wear knee socks. I have been washing off w/ lye soap a considerable time after exposure. To date no blisters. The chigger bites still itch although fewer each day.
drove out of the mtns for internet. The geography is valleys bordered by mtn ridge on each side then somewhere there is a road that climbs thru a gap and down to the next valley to be repeated. Today my high point was 2500′
SO, tomorrow I will ride w/ Shane. Tues I will ride some Pinhoti outside of Mulberry Gap. Wed I might catch Jackrabbit @ the TN / NC border as I head to Brevard. Pisgah coming up.