Bennett Gap Ride - 10.24.10

I decided to head back into Pisgah today, and try out a new trail, Bennett Gap.  Bennett is a seasonal trail, which means it is only open to bikes from Oct. 15 - Apr. 15.  This was a very fun trail, with the best views I've seen so far in Pisgah, because of the depth of the mountain ranges you can see.  I started out at the Ranger Station and took FS 477 toward the horse stables.  I stayed on 477 past the stables, and pedaled (mostly) up a loooooooooooong climb, to Bennett Gap.  I didn't see any signs for this trail, but when you see Buckwheat Knob Trail on the right side of 477, look directly to your left and go around the gate, and you're on Bennett Gap.  You'll start out on some pretty normal singletrack, then you go through a small field of thorn bushes (blueberry bushes maybe?), and then you start doing some ridge riding with some hike-a-bike sections and the amazing views.  After a downhill hike-a-bike with some big rocks, the trail generally points down and is rideable.  It ended with a screamin' downhill that I had to take breaks on just to let my hands rest a bit, from the rigid fork beating.  I think the downhill was a good 15-20 minutes.  All-in-all, it was a fun trail, but a killer climb to get to it.

Pics:

Slate Rock Hike - 10.16.10

It was another absolutely perfect day yesterday, so we decided to go for another hike, this time to a lookout that neither of us had been to, Slate Rock, in Pisgah. This is a relatively short hike, but it is pretty steep. We parked at the Pilot Cove trailhead and took Pilot Cove all the way up to the second intersection with the Pilot Cove Loop/Slate Rock trail.

This was an extra special hike because we took Kenda, our Jack Russell/Beagle mix, out on her first hike. She absolutely loved it, and did great. It was really nice to have her out there with us.

And........here are the pics:

Ready to Go!

The Forest was Glowing

Listen.........you smell that?

Just a Little Guy Catching Some Rays

This was a Really Nice Trail

More Color Higher Up

Checking the View with Dad

The View is Always Better with Mom

Posing

Whole Set:

Coming Soon to a Trail Near [Me]

I got an email last night from Brendan of Siren Bicycles, and it looks like John Henry will be coming to Brevard pretty soon.  It's going to powdercoat on Monday, so it should be here in a couple of weeks.

Here are the pics he sent me.

Bottom Bracket Junction

Dropout

Seat Stay Junction

Tacked and Ready to Weld

On another note, I rode in Pisgah today, but didn't take my camera. I rode from the Ranger Station, past the horse stables, up Clawhammer and Maxwell to Black Mountain. Down Black to Grassy Rd., to lower Sycamore to 276 and back to the Ranger Station. It was a fun ride, but I'm starting to think I might be moving to 2x10 this winter, instead of SS. I don't know; we'll see how it goes on the new frame with slightly easier gearing for a while.

DuPont Ride 10.10.10 - To Briery and Back

I did a loop today that I have done a few times since moving here.  It's a pretty fun one, with some decent mileage, and a good mix of terrain.  You start out at the Lake Imaging lot, and proceed from there.  The list of trails and roads that you connect is long, so I'll just post a link to the PAS directions, which is where I learned this route in the first place.  LINK  It was a perfect day, and the forest was crowded.  The touristy lots were overflowing onto the road, and there were quite a few horses on the trails, which made for loose conditions.  Overall, though, it was a great day to be on my bike in the woods.

Pics:

Fall Color

Slickrock Outcropping on Joanna Rd.

These Two Trails are a Blast

One of Two Crossings on Briery Fork

Sweet Singletrack

Grassy Creek Tr. - You Have to Carefully Pick Your Lines Down

I Have No Idea How This Happened

Old Family Cemetary

Cat Gap Loop and John Rock - 10.9.10

The forecast for today was perfect, so we decided to go for a nice hike.  Heather had never been up to John Rock, above the fish hatchery, so that was the destination.  I was a little worried that the trail would be packed, since it's a bit touristy, and I was even more worried when we pulled into the hatchery and the lot was pretty much full.  It turned out OK, though.  Yeah, we passed some people on the trail, and yeah, some of them were loud and annoying, but it was better than I thought it might be.

We decided to take Cat Gap Loop counterclockwise, with the John Rock detour.  According to my mapping software, this loop is only ~4.5 miles, but it felt longer.  It's pretty darn steep in spots, and very rooty.  Despite all that, we hoofed it and made good time.  We took plenty of breaks along the way to try and capture just how beautiful the forest is right now, with the leaves starting to change.  Hopefully, some of my pics do it justice.

Rushing Water

Waterfall along Cat Gap Loop

Natural Vignette around some Shrooms

GORGEOUS!!!

The Leaves are Changing

Some Sort of Bud Along the Way

Lots of Color

Looking Glass from John Rock

Afterwards, we stopped at the Hub, then Pescado's for burritos and tacos, and then  Brevard College to watch a bit of the soccer game. Unfortunately, they're not so good, with only one win so far this season, and only one all of last season.

College Football

They were losing 4-1 when we left early in the second half.

You can see the full set of pics HERE.

Tomorrow, I ride.

Dupont Ride 10.5.10

I spent a lot of time working on an appellate brief that I was able to finish up last night, so I decided that today would be a riding day, and that DuPont would be the place. I wanted some flowy trails, so I parked at Fawn Lake. From there, my route was Reasonover Tr.>Fawn Lake Rd>Conservation Rd>Airstrip Tr.>Shelter Rock Tr.>Corn Mill Shoals>Laurel Ridge Tr.>Mine Mtn Tr. and back to the car. I did a version of this loop as my first ride as a Brevardian, so I was a little anxious to see if my fitness has improved. Thankfully it has. I was able to ride quite a bit more of the climbs this time around.

It was a perfect day for a ride. The temp was around 60, and it was sunny. With the brisk breezes on the ridgelines, it was definitely arm warmer weather.

On to the pics:

Reasonover Crossing

After the Downhill on Reasonover

Bridge on Reasonover

Lake Julia

The Airstrip

Airstrip Trail

Corn Mill Shoals Gets Really Rocky, Really Steep, Really Fast

The Flow on Laurel Ridge Tr.