E Bishop: North Fork Mountain Trail

I'm trying to catch up with the responsibilities that I shirked last week in favor of a whole lot of fun. I don't want to condense the week into one story, so over the next few days I'm going to retro-blog from each adventure.

Here's looking back on Wednesday.

Kip wanted to venture out to West Virginia to hit the North Fork Mountain Trail, an epic ridge ride with spectacular overlooks and an out-there classic feel. I don't know when I became included in the plan, usually I plan an alternative route when the pro riders tackle an epic - seriously, they are in another league - but I was happy to be included as if it were only natural, and I was VERY excited about the adventure ahead of me.

The crew rallied at Tim's house for the 9 a.m. roll-out and we caravaned over Shenandoah Mountain into WVA. On the way, I spotted a bald eagle that was perched in a sycamore tree. He must have been three feet tall, and was majestic as he looked out across the wide meadow.

We parked along the river inside a canyon. Our route began with a climb that left the pavement after a few steep miles, and snaked up the mountain on gravel to the North Fork access. Most of us were over dressed, since there was frost at the bottom. We warmed up quickly and shed most of our extra layers by the top. At the trail head, Tim and Sue pointed me in the right direction and told me to lead the way. The trail was completely blanketed in leaves but I figured it out and forged ahead.

We were treated to spectacular views along the ridge line. We stopped for a few flat tires and one broken derailleur. Most of us saved our lunches for the best overlook, where we lingered in the warm sun a little too long. From there, we followed a sweet re-route around a peregrine falcon nesting site, and on to the downhill. The very top of the descent was tricky and scattered with big rocks that were perfectly placed to cause trouble for chainrings and derailleurs. By the bottom of this techy section, the trail opened up and became smooth and swooping all the way to the bottom.

We regrouped at the end of the trail and began our 10-mile road ride back to the cars. I was motivated to keep moving, and so was Chris, so we boogied up the road. We were met with a super steep switchback almost immediately. The cows in the adjacent pasture heckled us with knowing moos. I was totally spent by the time we saw the crest, and I heard Jeremiah yell from behind me, "GO, Erin! Here he comes!" I knew Jeremiah had been climbing with 'The Wo,' and the urgency in JB's shouts could mean one thing - The Wo was probably surging up the road to claim a glorious victory in a mountain top sprint. I'm competitive, and all it took was Jeremiah's urging for me to pull everything I had left into a wildly unorganized sprint starting in the little ring I'd been spinning up the mountain. God knows how I pulled it off, with reckless shifting and little warning, but my front wheel was the first thing over that hill, and I wasn't slowed until I felt a pull from behind on my camelback. Sweet Jesus!

We continued riding as the sun dropped behind the hills and cold air sank down each mountain hollow. In the last mile or so, Thomas looked back from his bike and with a warm smile said "impressive ride, Erin."

I was proud of my accomplishment. I'd completed a big-ish ride with no mechanicals, no crashes, and not one complaint. If fact, I'd didn't even realize those things at the time, I was just so happy to have spent such a wonderful day in the mountains with great friends - old and new!

My next post will make you want to move to Harrisonburg and ride three times a day!
Erin

Labels: Adventures

posted by Erin # 9:42 AM

North Fork Mountain Trail

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