Always Sunny

Saturday I headed to always sunny and warm South Carolina to get a hike in away from the cold rain and snow. Headed down 25 it was a winter wonderland:



But as soon as I hit the state line and made the turn onto Gap Creek the sun was shining and there was hardly any snow in sight:



I met up with Jonathon and Shade at Jones Gap and we headed for a trail we hadn't done yet:



A slight detour to peek at a waterfall:



It turns out that there is snow in South Carolina. A lot of it:



Bill Kimball was classic steep and technical Jones Gap terrain. This time it had the added thrill of being hidden under six inches of snow:





All I could think was if this is what South Carolina looks like imagine what it must be like in Pisgah. Jonathon lamented that he was worried that the Pisgah36 was not going to be hard enough this year.

The return trip came fast with the snow actually making it easier to move quickly down the mountain. All the snow and rain this year means the creeks and rivers are high and keeping your feet dry requires creative thinking:



But in the end feet get wet:



Sunday I headed out to Pisgah to test some top secret gear for the Pisgah36. I have a pulled back muscle and am trying my best to let it rest. So, I ate a big breakfast and lounged around for a little while before finally heading for the woods in the early afternoon. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and reminiscent of spring. But my goal was to ride on snow and ice so I decided I had better go to where there was likely to be snow left so I hit the North Slope as a warm up.

There was deep snow everywhere and I was walking before I even got to the amphitheater:



I knew the trail was not going to be rideable and thought about turning around right at the start and heading across the street for Sycamore Cove where the sunny South slope would mean less snow and perhaps the chance to actually ride my bike. I stuck it out and walked/hiked/ran my way around the trail:



I literally rode no more than 100 feet and the loop that normally takes 35 minutes took two and a half hours. 30 minutes of that was spent clearing dead fall, the rest was all good old fashioned mountain bike pushing!

The Alternative

I might as well just quit biking again. All this snow everywhere really isn't good for much more than ruining my new bike. With that in mind I took the dog and my running shoes to Pisgah today and did a quick little run that incorporated one of the few trails I'd never done before:



It is obviously very short but was very pleasant, even with six inches of slop covering it, but provided no answers. How is it an alternate to the Mtns to Sea? That trail goes nowhere near the bottom of Black. If it is an alternate route why isn't more of it marked? These questions don't matter. It is there and I like it so whenever I find myself on Black without a bike I'm sure I'll be taking it.

Over the years I've been slowly plugging away at hiking and biking all the trails in Pisgah. Now all I have left are a few small pieces of the Art Loeb (I really want to speed hike the whole thing one day soon. If anyone is interested let me know), a little stretch of the Mountains to Sea, Caney Bottom and Richland Balsam (I'm not sure it is technically in the Pisgah District but I want to 'finish' the 780 map on a high point so it is the last trail I will hike). All the hard stuff is done - Downhill from Here?

Waiting for the snow to fall

Once again it is snowing here in Western North Carolina. Four inches and it is still coming down. I knew it was coming, they told me so on the radio, and with the distinct possibility that I will not be able to drive all weekend I decided I'd better take the dog for a quick little mini adventure after work. We went to Jone's Gap State Park where I figured there was the least chance of getting stuck.

I had my pack packed but at the last moment decided I would only take a water bottle and would run instead of hike. I did what we call the Overlook Loop that I do frequently with Jonathon during the warmer months - Rim of the Gap to the #6 and 20 Connector and then take Pinnacle Pass back.. Inside my pack I left behind my 'emergency kit' that I always carry. It has everything I feel I would need if things ever go bad and I have to bivouac. Here is what is in it:



The big white thing in the upper right is a tyvek rain jacket and in the eye dropper is bleach for water purification. On a good day there is also a mini bottle of Jim Beam in there. The pack itself has a whistle on it. Other than the whiskey and fire starters I've never used any of it and really don't put myself in situations where I might need to. But it is always good to know I have it.

So, anyway today I left it behind because I was running and runners don't carry extra weight. Like I said I knew the snow was coming so I did take the extra precaution of actually signing in before taking off up the trail. We made somewhat quick work of the steep climb up to the ridge and then only paused briefly at the overlook where I could see the snow rolling in over the next ridge. We went straight back down and within a minute it was dumping snow on us. The technical rocky sections were covered ice and before I saw it I took a nasty spill. Then even after I knew it was icy I fell again. But I came to my senses and stopped running and walked the rest of the way back to the truck. I never needed my emergency kit but won't be leaving it behind again. Runners, lol.

Back on the Bottle

For the first time in seven weeks the Wednesday Night Drinking Club was up and running last night. I met Jonathon and Dennis at Corn Mill Shoals for Dennis's last ride ever. He is getting married Friday and will be trading in the bike for a lawnmower and shovel (congratulations Dennis!). We started the ride by doing loops on the rock and then Dennis headed for home to get a head start on his impending doom while Jonathon and myself played around for another couple of hours. It was colder than I expected and we could see and feel the ground freezing as we rode. Jonathon wanted to go back across Little River but for the second time recently I had to veto his plan as being too risky and foolish.

Along the way we encountered a downed tree on the bad side of a blind corner on Pine Tree and even though it was seriously pushing my saw's capabilities we had it cut in three minutes:





We rode until 9:30. Biggest WNDC in awhile:

Corn Mill Shoals > Longside > Twixt > Rock Quarry Rd. > Buck Ridge Rd. > Micajah > Wilkie > Corn Mill Shoals > Big Rock > Cedar Rock > Little River > Cedar Rock > Big Rock > Corn Mill Shoals > Longside > Pine Tree > Sheep Mtn. > Buck Forest Rd. > Jim Branch > Issac Heath > Locust > Lake Imaging Rd. Buck Forest Rd. > Sheep Mtn. > Pine Tree > Longside > Corn Mill Shoals

Midnight Rider

In case anyone hasn't heard there is a little race coming up, so when a Friday night ride was proposed on mtbr I figured it was the perfect opportunity to get some Pisgah night miles in. I met Jonathon and Broussard at Coontree three hours early so we could get in a warm up loop on Farlow.

Pilot Mtn. Rd. was a spongy mess and with all night left to ride I played it safe and walked the steep sections. Past the gate on the flat stretch to Farlow Gap the trail was covered in dead fall as well as knee deep snow drifts. If Farlow was like that it was going to be slow going.



Farlow was clear of snow and dead fall but was a muddy and very slippery and as much fun as ever to ride. We all fell many times but the night was clear and warm and we were having a blast in Pisgah. We made it to Daniel Ridge with plenty of time to meet the rest of the group but couldn't figure out what the best way to find them was. We knew they were riding Daniel but didn't know what direction. I stalled for time while Zach formulated his bail out plan and eventually we headed left of Daniel. We gave it all we could on the climb to the top and then blasted down the other side. We met the others near the bottom, turned around and went right back up again. I fell on one of the bridges as we tried to see who could run up the mountain the fastest.

From Daniel we headed up Cove Creek where an enormous party was taking place. As much fun as partying around a camp fire is I was having a blast playing in the woods and was happy to just be pedaling past. Cove Creek was cold and we could see the ground freezing as we rode.

By the time we hit Bennett Gap it was 1:30 am and I was tired and ready to be done:



Somewhere along the way the clear skies and bright stars gave way to a deep fog making it impossible to see past the beam of our lights. Seeing that far was even challenging:



I hadn't been on Bennett in awhile and it was too much fun. The dark and fog coupled with my exhausted state really gave the trail a different feeling. Our group had been reduced to three and we had Pisgah to ourselves and nothing could have been better. Nick on Bennett:



I was the training type I would have gotten up early on Saturday and gotten right back on the bike but I'm not so I slept in, ate a huge breakfast and lounged around. Later in the day on Saturday the best I could manage was to take the dog for a trail run on the Mountains to Sea. We went from the Arboretum to 26 and it was swell:

Jocassee Gorges Gravel Grinder

I met up with Jonathon yesterday afternoon for a gravel grinder in the Jocasse Gorges. I'd never been to the area and it was the perfect opportunity to test the new bike away from the snow and ice and gave me a chance to use my neglected 785 map:



Jonathon had been there before in his car and claimed to know his way around but there were still a couple of map checks:



The gravel was big, the size of a fist, and loose and the roads were steep. We would go straight up to the top of a gorge and then straight down to the bottom. And then back up again. It was hard to maintain traction on a singlespeed in the loose big gravel and I was glad when we finally reached the lookout we were headed for. We hung out for a few minutes and gazed out over three states as the sun burned out across the lake:



It is the middle of winter yet the sun had been burning bright and warm and I day dreamed of the warm weather to come and all the fun that could be had down on that lake.



The return trip was more of the same except the climbs seemed to be steeper and the gravel bigger and looser. The bike felt great and I gave it all I had on the climbs and ridge runs. By the time we made it back to the start I was tired and done. Four hours of hard gravel riding will do that to you. Jonathon was headed for home and a Mexican dinner and I was faced with a long drive home and no easy way to get there. I opted to go up 178 to Rosman instead of back across SC 11. By the time I got to Brevard I was starving and trying to think of what I could cook when I got home. I saw Pescados, slammed on the brakes and pulled into the parking lot. Fifteen minutes later I had an enormous burrito and PBR in me and felt much better.

I'd say our route looked something like this but that can't possibly be right. It HAD to have been more than 20 miles and 6000' vertical. Had to have been.



It is warm out and Pisgah is hopefully melting so today I'll dust off the road bike and tomorrow I'll break out the new trail running shoes.

On the Wagon

I had some stuff to do after work today so I couldn't make it to Dupont for the drinking club but with temperatures in the 40's for the first time in three weeks the trails were bound to be a mess anyway. I couldn't use that as an excuse not to ride so I took my bike with me to work and stopped off at the Black Mtn. trail head and did the Little M real fast before work. Early morning meant the trails were still frozen and there was still plenty of the white stuff. I'll admit it - I'm getting tired of the snow. Riding in it is a fun novelty at first but after almost a month it is getting old fast. Hopefully the warm temperatures and rain that is forecasted for this week will melt it all away but I doubt it. Above 3500' it probably won't get above freezing and the snow will still be here next month. I should have gotten studded tires on the new bike!

Grass Rd.: