Mid May, the temperature is consistently hitting around 100degrees farenheit these days. That's at least 40degrees Celcius to all you canucks still tuning in to the Mountain Man's posts. Its hot. I find myself hiding from the sun now to lessen the exposure as much as possible. Yesterday I set out on my bike for three hours into the hills of MacDonald Ranch in behind our community where much development was started and then stopped when the 'Big Crash' came. I entered through a construction site and climbed up over the dozer packed earth to a rocky outcrop which loomed above, begging to be explored. Up beyond the scars of development, the landscape remains relatively untouched, rocky and wild. The bike could no long function here so I wheeled it up to a spot where I figured I could make a good descending drop from. Then I climbed the rest of the way over the rocks, being very wary of rattlesnakes. The hilltop presented a most impressive panorama overlooking the city of Vegas, from the untamed mountain ranges to the developments on the edges, and the vast expanse of city in the desert bowl. I kicked myself once again for not having my camera to document the scene, but I don't even think my crappy ol' CanonA540 would be able to capture it for what its worth. I'll have to come back to get the shots anyway.
I could see the entire valley. I could also make out worn bike paths extending along the hillsides far across the way, and a closer path that descended in the opposite direction from where I'd just climbed to. I went back and heaved my bike over my shoulder and climbed up to the summit again. This was the path that would lead me down, I was sure of it. And so I trekked along the edge of its rocky peak, each vista presenting another picturesque moment. I descended down to where the rocks gave way to the sand-packed earth which brought me to a fork in the path. Left or right? I chose right. The left path led back down to the construction site, and I wanted to tackle the wildness not the scarred landscape of man. Down I went, descending an angled, narrow, shaled pathway. I was nervous, the rocks slipped from under my wheels in places and the sidehill I was descending got steeper, and the angle of the hillside got steeper. Then came the switchbacks. As confident as I am on a bike, I am no professional. How does one handle a downhill switchback on loose ground?? I dismounted for the first one, wondering whether I should go on. I tried the next one but lost it overcompensating to the uphill side. My confidence was low. I studied the curve and my positioning from off the bike, pushing it through and visualizing what needed to be done to negotiate it, but then I lost it on the next as well. Down and down over the course of the mountainside I rolled until suddenly, the trail disappeared over the edge of a cliff... the new development which was being built on the front of this mountain needed a road to get to it, and this is where the trail and the mountainside itself disappeared. Fuck!! I mounted back up and rode back up to the last switchback and decided not to climb anymore on wheels, but to carry the bike straight up over the side of the hill to the trail far above. And being the responsible rider I am, I decided to make a little monument at the mouth of the trail for future riders to know that this is a non-exit trail.
Another trail brought me down the other side of the hill down a path which came to an intense rockface-jump-off-descending trail over a small cliff.... the experts... those kids you see with full suspension bikes and disc brakes and riding armor and reckless abandon... dammit!! I'll never get that good because I don't have the balls for it. I started this life way too late for that and value my face and my body too much to attempt these things. So for the second time on the day I was thwarted by a path I could not follow. Back up the hill I went and found my own unmarked path back down to the construction site.
I wasn't beat, but my bike was showing the signs of abuse. I'd started the day with a flat back tire which I needed to continually check and pump during the day, and when I arrived home my front tire was pretty much flat along with the back one. It was a punishing day for the bike. Time to do some bike maintenance.
Thanks for reading.
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