For a while, I was convinced that I'm not a people person. Large crowds freak me out. I need plenty of alone time in my life to feel sane. A lot of people tend to sap my energy. In the extrovert/introvert scale of things, I've always pegged myself as an introvert. But to be honest, it's …
Bikepacking Rothrock State Forest & Big Valley.
Though I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like, every time I leave on a bicycle with everything I'll need to spend the night packed in my panniers, I just have this good feeling of excitement and adventure and utter peace all at once. A couple weekends ago, I went on my first …
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The oatmeal ride.
I sat in my car in the parking lot, tired, hungover. It was early, too early for how late I had gone to bed the night before. I felt more like snuggling in the warm covers than hopping on a mountain bike and pedaling through the snow for a couple hours. But I refused to …
Frozen Fat, Day 2: It’s about the comaraderie, not the competition.
When the alarm woke me Saturday morning at o-dark-thirty, I felt like I got hit by a train. My head was pounding, my stomach was queasy, and my muscles hurt. Coffee helped, as did the small amount of food I choked down because I knew I'd need to fuel up for the 30 miles of …
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Frozen Fat, Day 1: Fires and Fries.
January can be kind of gloomy. The holidays are over, there's not much going on, the days are short, and the temps are generally pretty frigid. Luckily, there's Frozen Fat, a winter fat-bike weekend full of camping, beer, bonfires, good people, and of course, plenty of riding bikes. This is the fourth year of the …
Tussey & John Wert.
For the past few weeks, I've been really stoked on this loop in Rothrock State Forest---up Tussey Mountain Trail and along the ridge, then back down to Thickhead Mountain Road and John Wert Path. It's about 11 miles, doable in 2-3 hours, and is full of stunning views and challenging rock gardens. And, only about …
Ride guide.
Yesterday, I did my first "ride guide" gig for Rothrock Outfitters. Though I've been riding mountain bikes regularly for a couple years now, I know most of the trails in the area, and I've done plenty of river guiding and have helped lead group rides a few times in the past, I was nervous. I …
Twenty (something) miles of Frozen Fat.
I awoke a little too soon after I'd gone to bed, to the sound of Dunk banging on the windows of the Subaru to ask Evan where the water was to make coffee. I extracted my arm from the warm down of my sleeping bag to reach for my phone and check the time. 7 …
One of those really great mountain bike rides.
It's been a little while since I've had a really great long mountain bike ride. The kind of ride that beats you up but makes you giddy with laughter, the kind that makes your legs burn but your body and soul feel alive, the kind that leaves you feeling exhausted yet truly satisfied and happy. Today …
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Returning to Coopers Gap.
The weather was perfect. One of those days that still carries the warmth of summer but hints at the crisp coolness of fall. The sun shone through the leaves, illuminating the hues of red and yellow that were just beginning to color the forest with the sure signs of an impending autumn. We pulled off …
