Good morning, mountain biking?

September 8, 2012
9:30 am
*phone rings*
Me: *Groggy morning voice* Hello? 
Eric: Hey what ya doing?
Me: ....laying in bed (I was talking through my pillow)
E: well dad said you like to mountain bike, so you wanna come?
Me: When you going?

E: Now



I couldn't ask for a better wake up call, and I don't recall any other time that I got out of bed, got ready and out the door in less then 5 minutes. But you know what, my brother never invites me to go do stuff with him so I was pretty excited! Unfortunately I don't own a mountain bike, so we worked it out that Eric would run back home to pick up his wife's bike that she let me borrow. Thanks Lisa! So he ran back home to get it for me while I got ready and headed to the parents to meet up.

View from the top of Clark's trail

I've only been mountain biking in Moab, and that's only been twice. So I'm really not experienced and I've been scared to try out the Wasatch; rock solid ground, dry heat, and sand verse soft dirt, roots, gravel and plants seem to be two extreme differences to me.  Even now that we are done I stand firm by my statement, Moab biking and Wasatch biking are not the same thing.


For one, falling is impossible to avoid in the mountains... However I'm pretty clumsy so that may not have been a beginner thing but rather just a me thing.  I had 4 very close calls to flying off the side of the mountain, flipping my bike on a sharp corner, or gracefully smashing into boulders/trees/whatever else is on that trail. That was only the close calls, there were many other slight skids, bumps, and occasional cuss words that weren't close calls but still got my heart racing and promoted colorful language. I am such a lady while in nature! My parents would be proud.


I legitimately fell twice, the first fall was at the very last corner of the Ann's trail. Sheesh, I thought I was home free, until:

My mind thought process (or possibly said out loud, I'm not sure)

OH dang this is Sharp....

okay brake, slowly, slowly *screeching brake*

oh Shoot a root *bike wheel tweaks sideways*

I got this *over correct*

Crap!

*bike tips*

Oh man *one foot down.* AH! *no balance*

Some sort of unintelligible noise *other foot down*

 ooohh *to low to the ground*

Umph *butt on dirt*

-Words are cleaned up for younger audiences-

After this uncomfortably slow process of falling I look over and my brother is watching me and says, "yeah I was gonna warn you about that; Matt fell right here a couple weeks ago too.".. Thanks for the warning :p

The second fall was on the connecting trail that takes us from the where the Ann trail ends, back to our car. This connecting trail was so much worse then the long trail. It was gravel and sand, steep and very narrow. Can't say I enjoyed it much. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, and we needed to get back to the car. So this fall came quickly and it didn't have much of a thought process. Here's how it happened:

Come around a corner thinking "Gosh this trail sucks"

Lose control of the bike, hit side of trail

"SHOOT"

Head first into a sage brush bush

The final result; I'm in the bush still

Just seconds later a team of riders come around the corner so I have to scramble up to get my bike off the path. One of the more embarrassing moments of my life; Picking weeds out of my hair covered in dirt PICTURE OF BEAUTY! They were all nice and all 6 of them asked "Are you alright? Do you need any help", I just said I'm fine, but I wanted to add "Would feel better if you hadn't seen this". Again I'm hoping this is a beginner thing and not just a me thing.

Second reason it's different then Moab Biking- The scenery!  Now this isn't really a bad thing, but it is definitely different. We are riding in the fall so the leaves are all sorts of colors and that makes for some really pretty pictures. I love sunflowers, even though they are actually a weed, I still think they're pretty. So I was very pleased to find them during the ride. Find is probably the wrong word, because you don't have to look for them, they are covering the sides of the trail. Literally impossible to miss, they are everywhere!



There are more then just plants on this trail; Eric is a bird watcher and spotted a Steelers Jay. I honestly had no idea what that bird looked like so I had to look up a picture on google. This is what I found... I think that's pretty cool he can name the type of bird he sees while mountain biking. I wouldn't be able to do that if I was sitting on a lawn chair in my front yard. -Oh you see that bird? yeah it's.... uh.... blue.- Not very impressive.

Also there was a squished bunny on the trail. That was less then comforting. I can't imagine how fast you have to be going to hit and kill a grown animal. Poor Thumper, Bambi is going to be so upset. Also, Eric had mentioned that him and our older brother Chris had been riding this same trail a few weeks earlier and Chris had seen a Mountain Lion. That would be pretty awesome to see, though I'd probably be on my way pretty quick. I don't care to be attacked by a wild cat. For the less dramatic side of nature there were a bunch of squirrels and little critters too, that were not dangerous or run over...

You can get some great shots of the valley
Including the temple

All in all it was a fun ride. The last climb up Clarks trail is a little tough, once I started to feel light headed I decided to jump of the bike a walk a few steps. Be careful when choosing to stop to walk; Once your off that bike on a hill it is kinda hard to get back on it and ride again. Definitely stop at a few places and check out the scenery. The look out views can make great photos, but would be best on a clear day or maybe during the sunrise. Be sure to plan the trail your going to take because, as Eric had mentioned to me, the trails in the canyons are like spider webs. There isn't just one trail to take, the variations are endless.

Location: Clark's trail /Ann's trail

Directions: found on this cite http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/draper-rim.htm
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate?
Company: Eric Smith (Brother)
Music: Brand New
Date: Sept 8, 2012
Length: 10 miles?
Snacks:  White Peach- Ate it after the ride

We did the red trail starting at Coyote Hollow

Put the Hike on hold; We be climbing

Planned on going on a hike today but Sierra invited me to join her and Kara for rock climbing instead. Hey, why not? My shoes and harness have been picking up dust in the corner of my room while they wait patiently for me to decide to pick up that hobby again.

I'm a spider! or felt like one at least

 I picked up climbing last winter in my efforts to stay out of the snow but still stay active. It became an obsession really, so I did the normal thing you do when you pick up a new hobby... Buy the gear! I only got shoes and a harness because it was all I needed for the indoor gym.

Then summer hit and I was outdoors again. SUN GLORIOUS SUN! Summer is so wonderful, it's got the long days, boating, road trips, and the many hobbies that are so easily picked up, and cheap.

Out door climbing was brand new to me this summer, but I was lucky enough to have Sierra West as a roommate who just so happens to love it. She also introduced me to some friends of hers who climb as well. Gotta say I feel kinda silly when I go out adventuring with them. Everyone is so advanced and experienced I feel like such an outcast. So while everyone else finds the best climbs to do and sets the gear up I just sit around awkwardly...

"oh Hey there; Yeah it's obvious I have no clue what I'm doing, it's cool....I'll just be sitting over here if you need me."

Well it's a great thing that these girls know what they are doing, because they decided we were going to start with a repel. Well that's something new for me. I had gotten somewhat use to the outdoor climbing on the mountain thing, but having to climb over the edge of a cliff is completely freaky! I was a totally baby about, and honestly there are usually enough people on these trips that I can weasel my way out of it.  I've been very successful at avoiding repels, until now.

I only had my right hand glove
it's a good look

Well it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, its just the initial climbing over that gets me spooked but after that it felt just like coming down from a climb, only I have control over the rope rather then my belayer. Now that my first repel is over I won't be so scared for the next time. (I hope, being a wuss was slightly embarrassing)

It was a pretty popular spot of climbing, but since we weren't getting there until the evening most people were packing up and getting ready to head home. We were all able to repel, and Sierra and I were able to get our climbs in before the sun went down. Again, its good these two girls come prepared; Kara was able to do the final climb in the sunset/dark with the help of her nifty head lamp. And there's me thinking to myself, "oh, flash light, yeah... that would be helpful to bring with me for when it's dark".

Sierra and Kara are so hard core
Climbing in the dark :)

The climb wasn't to difficult but gave me a bit of a challenge when I reached the over hang; I felt more accomplished finishing the climb because of that obstacle. Also the rock is deceiving, it looks like there are so many hand grips to choose from but a lot of them are really slick which eliminates some of the options. I'd recommend it for people who are just starting to get into the outdoors climbing. It is fun, not to easy, but still achievable. Just be sure to go with at least one person who is experienced for safety.

Location: DogWood Crag- Big Cottonwood Heights
Directions (Via rockclimbing.com) From parking lot, 1.11 mi up Big Cottonwood, go to east end of the lot follow the trail down towards the creek; stay to the left. The routes will be on your right side, and there's a walk-around up behind the wall, just follow the original trail to the right instead of the left.
We parked on the side of the road and followed the path down to the river. The water wasn't real high so we were able to hop rocks to get over.
More info about this site:
 http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Utah/Salt_Lake_-_Utah_Counties/Big_Cottonwood_Canyon/Dogwood_Crag/

Date: Sept 4, 2012

Company: Sierra West and Kara Downs

Snacks: Cheddar bunnies, provided by Sierra.

La-de-da
Sierra off in her own little world

We left while is was dark
The river was tricky crossing

Friends with fun hobbies are just providers to my hobby hopping addiction..... 

but hey I ain't complaining.