MtB Weekend

As a present to myself I escaped for the weekend with some friends to ride bikes and soak in the end of summer/beginning of fall without kids.  Next weekend I will be going on a family canoe camping trip so don't think I'm letting them get soft.

We headed to the Green Mountain National Forest and camped at Silver Lake.  The setting couldn't be beat.

My buddy Josh and I arrived late Friday night to set up camp, but first we loaded up an old trek bike trailer with all of our gear and hiked it over half a mile down a steep hiking trail and drank half a flask of whiskey (whiskey before hike but after packing.)  We then were offered firewood and political opinions by a libertarian camper near us, and we accepted neither.

We woke up a little blurry eyed but the view helped.  We then went to meet Chaim at the parking lot and found that there was  a road we could have come down with our gear rather than the hike.  We then set out to ride the Chandler Ridge/Leicester Hollow trails,  over 8.5 miles of single track.  We had a blast, the weather was perfect and we had the whole place to our selves.

The trail was perfectly laid out with great switchbacks, wonderful views, and good flow.

However, there was a great deal of roots and rock to deal with which as we all commented forced us all (especially since we were all on 26" hardtails) to focus like lasers the whole time.  In fact after a scary fall early I was a little shaken and by the old school gnar of the trail which never really let you enjoy the flow and layout of the trail.  It seemed that every climb and tight turn or interesting rock feature was laden with expansive roots and rocks waiting to grab your front tire or release your rear.  I ended up hiking quite a few sections and I got more and more frustrated with each one.

The return on the Leicester Hollow trail was a mellow climb back to the lake very straight with little contour but it was a nice finish to the day.  The setting was a moss covered and Endor like, very different from the dry ridgeline.

That night our final friend Erik joined us and we ate like kings and drank like vikings.  It rained and because I was determined to sleep under the stars I was caught without my tent, but being resourceful I just slept under the picnic table.  No glamping here.

Oh by the way the crappers were divine.

Free Advice

It's the only kind I have to give.

I have someone close to me who is going through something and this something involves romantic relationships and potentially children and what one is responsible for and not responsible for and the difference between a parenting relationship and a romantic relationship.  I truly can't imagine having to go through something like this but I still want to give this person some perspective and advice.  I have been thinking through what I want to say and the main messages I want to get across and I imagine that this message would make everything o.k.  I truly wish that I can say just the right things and not only help this compadre not only feel good about the decisions they have to make but give them some insight to help them make those decisions.  I imagine that most people who give advice have the same desires when they pass those words of wisdom on.  In this case, as much as I hope that I say just the right things and these words somehow help this friend navigate the situation ahead towards the best possible scenario, I still don't trust what I have to say enough that I would ever charge for that service.  I wonder how therapists, councilors, and others who make a living can ever be confident enough in their opinion to demand payment for it.