A stunning day here in the Pacific Northwest, I made the best of it by getting out on the Yeti for some mountain biking. Several weeks ago two teammates – Matt and Jason – introduced me to the Grand Ridge, an uphill, downhill, uphill, downhill route leading from Tiger Mountain near Issaquah to the Duthie Hill mountain bike park. I decided that this would be a great place to spend a sunny afternoon.
It was nice to be out by myself. When I last rode the route with Matt and Jason it was all I could do to just make them wait a little while at the top of each rise. It’s good to get out and push it with folks who are technically and physically superior, but it’s also good to get out and sharpen your skills without the guilt of knowing that you’re messing up someone else’s training session.
I don’t get out on the trails enough. Being out in the woods, either alone or with like-minded friends, gives me a kind of primeval recharge. We’re deep into the season of bullshit and it seems like I can’t even turn on the radio without hearing some sort of nonsense that’s even lower and filthier than what I heard the day before. Rick and Newt don’t exist in the woods. Out there it’s just you and what you can do: either you pedaled to the top of the hill or you pushed your bike, either way it’s you and what you did.
All told I only knocked off fourteen miles, but they were hard earned. I started my 2013 mileage tally on February 1; I now stand at 138.
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