Fortune Favors the Bald... I Mean Bold

After being a friggin' pansy for a whole month, I took to the outer ridge trail at the Reservoir on the Haro. The previous outings, I had passed up that difficult (to me, at least) route in favor of some tame fire roads; still a good workout, but lacking in the technicality and satisfaction areas. What kept me from the outer ridge? It wasn't abject fear, though some steep, rocky descents and ledge drops perturbed me, and it wasn't time constraints, as the Reservoir is not far from my apartment and the summer months mean long, lit evenings... rather, my lack of familiarity with the route and the fatigue of a cold conspired to sap my will.

Yesterday, though, my determination was rewarded. After making it up to the ridge, I met a rider named Jim, who offered to show me more of the route. Since I had only done it once, I graciously accepted his offer. Jim was an older rider, pushing 50, and had been riding the Reservoir for near 25 years. He didn't take the same exact route my other "guide" had, the differences being that all we didn't hit all the swooping downhill stuff, and we entered the meadow from a different location. Still a very enjoyable ride, and although he had 20 years on me, I was pressed to keep up.

There was a bit of excitement during the last leg of the ride when Jim spotted a large male black bear in the trail up ahead. We lost sight of it and contemplated going back along the trail to pick an alternate route until two other riders showed up who shockingly displayed no reservations about running into a 200lb clawed powerhouse. Our confidence bolstered by numbers and their brashness, we pedaled through noisily with no troubles.

Prior to the ride, I discovered that I had left my beat up old helmet at home. Seizing the opportunity, I stopped by Central Wheel and picked up a new one with a sun visor. I was pleased with how easily the straps adjusted, and with how firmly the thing fit. My old one, well, even with patient strap adjustment and fiddling with the foam inserts, the fit left something to be desired; too often it would jostle during bumpy sections or drift backwards off my forehead.

After this ride, I feel more confident that I can ride the ridge trail alone and find my way through. Most of the tough drops and obstacles have an alternate route around them. I figure I'll give my legs a day to recover and then see about hitting it up tomorrow depending on what else I've got going on.