Francine and I are departing early in the morning to make the 6 hour drive from Richmond to Asheville and Brevard, where we'll ride a fast (and hopefully fun) loop of Squirrel Gap in the Pisgah NF (trail map), at the recommendation of one Jesse "I created the trail hardtail" Leadbetter. The original plan was to leave this morning, but as all things, responsibilities at the Studio took precedence. We're looking at the Bent Creek Lodge on Friday night, so we can roll the recommended trails in the morning, following a jaunt down to Dupont to rally those trails. Then a night-time return to RVA to get some quick rest before heading to Fooftown to stomp out a SS Pantani attempt. 'Attempt' is the word, definitely not 'ride'.
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| My last attempt at Pantani ended with this, then I "attempted" the walk to the car, with a gracious save from Ms. Rapp |
Weekend adventures like this are what fill my dreams, when it's not a dream about having a 15lb steel singlespeed with perfectly clashing anodized colors. After spending a week in Crested Butte, CO this summer, I realized that places and adventures like that are (for me) what make life worth living, no matter what other shit has gone down the rest of the year. One amazing and satisfying adventure can make tribulations like self-doubt, unhappiness, and stress feel like passing white clouds when one has to face the thunderhead of dilemmas like "should I ride the IMBA epic 401 trail or the locals' favorite RenoFlagBearDeadman." Let's stick to the big problems here people.
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| Problems like "pro-choice or no-choice at Pantani?" |
With a little luck and a little getting-up-when-the-alarm-goes-off, we'll be enjoying WNC and some new and exciting trails tomorrow.
Let's hope this whole blog thing is a habit I can get into.
Let's hope this whole blog thing is a habit I can get into.
