Sunday's Mountain Ride First

Due to some scheduling conflicts I was unable to make the early train to Wilson on Saturday so I did some hasty planning and put together a Pisgah ride for Sunday. I called Aaron Kancamagus who recently bought my first generation I9 wheel set for his SS Misfit project. My wheels were not really for sale but he wanted them and made me a reasonable offer that paid for my new, so the deal was done on a handshake without a contract. More on the wheel deal to follow. Aaron called his buddy Dave "I'm gonna beat Team Dicky in 2010 on 26" wheels" Elliston from the great state of Michigan and they scooped me at 0700hrs in the Corolla. After consulting with the authorities I decided that we would park at 1206 and 5015 in North Mills and ride Laurel to Pilot, Down Pilot, across the inner connector for a push up to Pilot Cove, out Pilot Cove to Slate Rock then down the short steep back to 1206 and the car. We had a great ride, the trail and atmosphere conditions were both in our favor. I know people say that the weather was great but I found it too hot for late November in the Pisgah. Seriously, it was densely hot, heated by an abnormally powerful feeling sun on Sunday. Just 2 days before while driving to Virginia via Boone and Mountain City Tennessee I saw morning day time temps just below freezing with snow falling above 3,500ft. That story to follow tomorrow. The 3 of us pushed up the 2,000$ climb and started down Pilot. The descending was dry and not very leaf covered. Through the quad switch and down to the Humvee section that I cleaned a few weeks ago on the Mt. Zion fixed. Not this time free wheeling. I dabbed just before the exit and could not get back on until I was out of the chunder. Still, the huge boulders everywhere made for an incredible mountain scene. Once down and across the connector we pushed straight up again to the ridge that Slate Rock is on. Across Pilot Cove to the rock itself for a back pack lunch with a huge vista. The wind picked up a bit and the temp seemed to drop by 5 or 7 degrees in minutes. We took some pictures after we ate and then made our way down the steep shorter trail back to 1206 for the fire road descent and climb back to Yellow Gap.

I had a great time riding with these 2 guys that I had never ridden with before. Now on to the images and smart ass commentary. Notice that I am changing the way I identify the image from the words at the top of the picture to the words below the picture. I found out that since I started blogging that I was erroneously and against the blog standard describing the image from above. I have to get in line.

Kancamagus snapped this tiny shot of me up on Slate Rock.

leaning on the Corolla from left to right: My old I9 front, Dave's Dicky killer front and my new I9 front.

Dave taking the Laurel Climb at pace.

Aaron coming up through the woods in the tall trees on Laurel.

Here Aaron is describing how it feels to vomit up the tastes of three previous meals.

Now that his mouth is rinsed out he feels much better.

All smiles coming down into the quad on Pilot.

His boys back in Michigan will wish they were there.

Lunch on Slate.

Say, "Cheese".

Apple and Peanut Butter on Slate Rock

taste better vurping up into your mouth than 2 day old salmon does.