Kannah Creek trail is a gnarly trail. Most people don't enjoy it at all. When conditions are at their best, well....they really aren't the best. I've often described it as a trail that is fun in a "rip your derailleur off kind of way." But with 6000ft of elevation loss its hard to go wrong....unless it rains!
The shuttle for this ride is long. So long, that I only do it once a year. In 2008 we ended this ride in the dark, which was really bad. This year we started earlier, but there was still a chance that a few mechanical problems could leave us in the dark. So to test that possibility, not far down the trail, Keith ripped his derailleur off!
(Noah shows off his Cindy Crawford mud mole)
The rain came and with it our tires clogged to the point that they would not roll. Due to the massive amounts of mud stuck to them the bikes were also impossible to carry.
I had also broken a time honored rule. I had met a guy at the bike shop who wanted to do a "big downhill shuttle." NEVER NEVER BRING A NEWBY ALONG ON AN EPIC RIDE! I know this, but his contribution to the shuttle gas money seemed like a good trade, and how bad could it be? Poor guy ended up lost in the woods screaming for help. I'm still not sure how he found a nearly invisible trail leading off the well worn main trail. To his credit he pulled through and only hates me a little bit.
After dragging and pushing our bikes downhill for miles the trail finally started to dry out and we got to ride...kind of... we finished with the last of the Suns light in the sky. It was one of those rides where I focused on the beauty around me, being alive, and still being able to ride a bike, healthy and happy. In a few years we won't even remember how bad it was...right?
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