Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Thank you sir, may I have another?



Bacon

While winter inversions and the air pollution that comes
with them have been hanging around Salt Lake City for over a month, winter weather still hasn’t
arrived. While part of me is longing for
some snow so I can break out the skate skis, most of me is still happy to get
out on the local singletrack.





But I’ve noticed something about riding singletrack this
late in the year; when I descend I feel like I’m getting a hundred
lashings. I’m getting whipped across the
face, my arms have red tiger stripes after every ride and my legs are covered
with ugly welts. All from the same tree
branches that have been hanging over the trail all summer.







I have a few possible explanations for this phenomenon. Maybe I’m just more sensitive to getting whipped
when the mercury drops, or maybe it’s because the center of the trails these
days are a little muddy so I’m unconsciously riding on the trail
shoulders. Then again it might be that
the branches have been whipping me all season long but now that they’ve dropped
their leaves there’s nothing to soften the blow. A final theory is that I’m riding
lower-elevation trails now, where the dominant vegetation is scrub oak and
sage, whereas I was riding the high country among the pines and aspens all
summer.
 
I really don’t know what it is, but it’s getting bad enough
to make me consider hanging the mountain bike up until spring. I just wish it would snow so before I do
anything so severe.





1 comment:

  1. my guess is the elevation and most importantly, the lack of leaves...this is what I first thought and a Babers should know....

    ReplyDelete