It takes a lot of time to record things, especially when you have lots of pictures. I'm more likely to transfer pictures to computer then take time to write stories about them. So: I'm going to try to integrate them more and caption my pictures to tell the story, then embed the slideshow. I'll probably end up writing more too if this becomes a habit, but then I don't have to walk through them twice. Capiche? K. Here goes...
(much better viewed on Google albums, imo.... http://picasaweb.google.com/zactlymyself/070531BergenPeak) stay here if you're lazy...
So... I made it up and down Bergen Peak with my bike. I see this mountain every day on my way to and from work, and it was just too tempting. I knew this one would be above my abilities, but I wanted to do it in order to have a reference point for the end of the summer to see how I'd improved (then my bike got stolen, so that plan is shot... oh well, more likely to live through the summer this way).
Rode some of the way up... walked my bike a LOT more of the way up... it was really steep and technical (technical means lots and lots of fairly large rocks in the trail, dropoffs, roots, gullies, etc). 4 miles up I think, and 4 miles down... the down went a lot faster, strangely enough. Rode most of the way down, made a few but not too many of the switchbacks, fell once (going about 0 mph, not enough momentum), walked over a few patches, but I successfully rode over things I saw and didn't think I'd get over on the way up. Woo! Scary, but lots of fun... I wish I still had my bike :(. Hiking is more ecologically sensitive though, you can get to more amazing places, and you get more of a chance to look around... just a lot less adrenaline.
The probable highlight came at the bottom of the mountain - a huge loop around the meadow that was entirely downhill... It started raining right as we got out of the trees, cold and soaking... but the trail was even and beautiful, going exactly the right really fast speed without pedaling - it felt like flying. After the tough climb and tense descent, the freedom was amazing.
This is the first hike/bike I took my camera on - the weekend before I biked up Waterton Canyon to the Colorado Trail, but no pictures. Not as many pictures to take while biking either... no free hands.
(Summary of Waterton Canyon) Very flat 6 mile bike ride on a gravel road between Front Range hills, got interesting when it started up the sides of the canyon. First mountain biking here... pretty intense to get started. I gave up a little ways in, but talking to people at the bottom convinced me to keep trying. It's hard to be anything beyond completely cautious starting out... I climbed about 800 feet in a mile, lots and lots of switchbacks, beautiful mountain biking trail - fairly few rocks, pine needle trail. Would go back again especially with gear to go camping on the trail.)
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