Eric's Ride Log

Mike B, Ben P, and I went on a killer ride today. We knocked out the classic Big Creek loop in about 4.5 hours and with a pretty serious mechanical.

Yes, we hiked from Little Bald Mountain all the way to the Pisgah Inn...

We got started at NMRC at just before 11AM. Perfect start time for a Saturday. The pace up to Yellow Gap wasn't super fast, but quick, none-the-less. We made it to Yellow Gap in 27 minutes and when we got there no-one had been killing themselves. I even mentioned that a few years ago a 27 minute pace would have made me hyperventilate, need a few moments to stretch, and need to eat a gel, but not today. Next was the climb up Laurel Mountain. Mike B was setting the pace but Ben had the skills to clean a surprising number of the tech sections.

Here's a shot of Ben making a pass, standing and hammering through the rocks:

We took a break at the meeting log but didn't rest again until Pilot Rock trail. I felt pretty good and the pace was 'Spirited'. I was even able to keep within a few yards of Ben for most of the climb... well, until the steep stuff after Johnson Gap. After that the guys were having to wait for me at the gaps but would continue on as soon as I got there. We knocked out Laurel in good time, just under two hours from NMRC to the connector. Here's Ben and Mike arriving at Turkey Spring Gap:

Left on the connector, Right on Pilot and hike-a-bike all the way to the parkway boundary where... the hike-a-bike continued all the way to the Pisgah Inn. Mike did try to ride a bit of Pilot Rock but ended up getting gnomed and crashed pretty hard. What the hell happened? Musta' been a gnome... In the process he tore off his rear der. hanger.... damn! It took a little while to fix but after 20 minutes or so of tinkering he was able to continue on in single speed mode. There were a few great views along the way to the Pisgah Inn. Here's Asheville from the very top of Pilot:

We stopped by the Pisgah Inn employee housing and I refilled my camelbak. I forgot to mention that about 20 minutes into climbing Laurel the hose popped off my water bladder. My drinking water ended up all over my back and not in my pack at all! Oh well, luckily we were prepared for such an emergency, I was carrying a water filter. An employee let us use their sink though, and that was much easier than filtering water from the creek. Next was the parkway to Little Pisgah Ridge:

Along the way there are spectacular views of Mount Pisgah and of the ridge Laurel Mountain trail climbs:

After the parkway was the walk in on Little Pisgah Ridge to the Big Creek trailsign. That is a beautiful place to be. Not because of any great views or anything like that, but because what is next has got to be some of the finest mountain biking on the planet. Big Creek is that good folks. It has a downhill that drops 1800' in less than two miles. Holy Crap. If you can handle it, Big Creek can be the fastest backwoods experience you've ever had. Mike, Ben and I were all feeling the groove and seriously hauled ass down the hill. Ben led out first, followed by Mike, then me. Mike got a little squirley and let me around so I set my sights on Ben. It took quite a bit of effort but a caught him and as he messed up one of the HUGE sweeping switchbacks I made a pass. I was really having a good time on the downhill, the White Bros. fork is awesome. I was scaring myself pretty good at this point, rocketing into rocky sections with no regard for personal safety and the death grip I had on the bars was finally getting to my hands. Along with that Ben was right back on my tail so I let both him an Mike around for the final bit of descending to the creek running section of Big Creek Trail. We checked up for just a moment then continued on. The rest of Big Creek is relatively flat but slightly down hill. The trail crosses the creek a bunch of times and since the water was high, we got our feet wet. Burrrrrrrrr! I was hoping for dry feet but oh well, the downhill was worth it.

Here's Ben and Mike crossing the big log on Big Creek trail:

The trail ends at the Hendersonville Reservoir and I figured it was a good time to take a photo...

Introducing build 2.0, a.k.a. The Most Comfortable Bike in the World:

It was all gravel road back to the cars from there, so not much more to say. Great ride guys! Thanks for coming out!