a day in the life

[Crinkle]

The amazing things you see on the trail. Its one of the things that keeps your coming back, besides the fun exercise. Well I was riding Apex yesterday evening, coming down Enchanted from the top. Jeff and I were coming up the first climb, which has a great view to the left (north) of the gulch and across to Apex trail. We were hearing this awful noise that I can only describe as an animal wail, when we see an austrailian shepard hauling ass up the trail and a few deer scattering. We continue climbing for a few seconds and hear the wail again and stop and look. Then we see the austrailian shepard closing in on a baby fawn. We saw the fawn on our climb up, about 10 ft off the trail with its mother off apex trail. Well, baby fawn is about to be a doggie trophy. They were both ripping across an open grassy hill side and then the dog was on the fawn, took it down. I couldn't believe I had just witnessed this.

Just as the fawn gets taken down, my eye is drawn up the hill, there are two full grown female deer TRUCKING full speed, straight down the hill for the dog. This was probably 1 second after it took the fawn down, now the dog looks up and sees trouble coming and points it downhill leaving the fawn free to get up and take off. Doggie has big trouble now, well the one female deer peels off and goes with the fawn as the second continues the pursuit for another 70 yards or so. Towards the bottom of the hill, the brush got a bit thicker and the dog who was about to be caught, got his lucky break and the deer pulled off.

Jeff and I just looked at each other in amazement of what we had just witnessed, but that was some National Geographic shit fo' sho'.

that was the fun part, now for the pain


Continued on our ride down, climbed up Sluice box to descend pick'n sledge. Comind down pick'n sledge on a high speed left hander, I hit a rock weird, it turned the bars the opposite way I was trying to get them to go and my right hand slipped off the bars, that instant I knew I was in deep doo doo. I guess my front wheel was off the ground for split second, when it made contact with the dirt again, it instantly twisted to the right (downhill off trail) and it was over johnny. I was soaring over the bars, heading towards an awfully dangerous looking bush, some how I cleared the bush and landed behind it on my face, both my arms were underneath me. I think I might have flipped over. Lets just say Helmets are worth it. I took a pretty big hit to the side of the face, but I think the helmet took the brunt of it. I feel a bit like "tommy boy" after getting hit with a 2x4. Generally roughed up, but it is probably the nastiest, high speed fall i have ever taken, there is another I can't forget, but this was more violent due to the speed. Wear your helmets, I was thankful I walked/limped away from that one.

[Tap]

damn crink. cool story about the deer and rough break on the fall.

i'm headed for a ride today. alls i'll see are some chipmunks. they always seem to get a lucky break and scoot!

[bedtime4bonzos]

That would have been crazy to watch.

Here's my National Geographic moment:

Last year I was riding Matthews/Winters in that field that connects Dakota Ridge to Red Rocks and there were 10 or so elk hanging out in the field. They didn't seem to care about me much so I stopped to watch for a bit and rode off toward RR. I was just about to the road when I heard all of them start tearing off out of the field. I couldn't tell at all why they were in such a damn hurry, but it was sweet to watch. They ran out of the field and started heading away from me along the road. Then this pomeranian comes hauling ass out of the field after them. It's yipping its ass off. Easily the funniest thing I've ever seen on my bike.

For reference, this is a pomeranian:


And this is an elk:


No way in hell this dog was going to take down an elk (not even the little ones). If they hadn't just been annoyed, that little yapper probably would have gotten punted.

[truth]

I bet it was the fawn that put the rock you hit there, it was pissed cuz you didn't try to call off the dog.

[Buzzworthy]

Glad the melon is ok. Helmets=Gud.

[BushwackerinPA]

Ok my national geographic moment...involving he human species.

Riding at Schenelany Park in Pittsburgh, in an area known as "Fruit Loop", during a 12 person group ride. We were looping some damn good single track down there and came out around a corner to witness a little tiny guy givin it to some girl up the ass. the group ride leader starts to laugh so hard he fall off his bike causing a chain reaction stop. Everyone just stares at the little guy keeps going. In what seemed like forever we watch as bob the leader got up. We all left laughing our asses off.

[cowdog]

Heh, that would have been fun to watch. Having been chased my a mom moose while junior cheered, I have a good idea what things were going through that Ozzie's mind.

My worst "wildlife" moment riding was because of human fear of wildlife rather than wildlife. I was hauling butt down a trail and poof, I am in an orange fog of bear pepper spray. I crashed hard and the agony in the lungs, eyes, mouth, nose was hell. Turns out some backpackers were taking a break next to the trail and one decided to test his pepper spray. I doubt they heard me coming, as it was windy. That same wind made for perfect timing -- cowdog meet pepper spray. Fortunately it was a bit diluted. I can't imagine a full power hit. If I was a grizzly bear, I think I would have eaten them after that. They were apologetic, but that didn't really make me feel any better. That was around 1991 when pepper spray was a newer thing on the market.

[Pedro]

Dude, It would have been so cool if you saw a cheetah....then you could have been like, dude I saw a cheetah.

[Alpine Dreams]

Crink, glad you walked away from that. Be careful!

[uncle crud]

Great story, Crinkle. Just the dog/deer part would have been good. The crash part made it a pretty full ride, eh?

Those stopper/wheel twister rock situations make for gnarly diggers. The bike just stops unexpectedly, pitching you to the ground. Depending on the angle of your body and the bike's angle, sometimes you go right to the ground with a harsh landing... sometimes you fly a ways, like you did. My crash last Saturday was a similar sort.

If you got any road rash, I'll say again that TegaDerm is the shit. My road rash on my left forearm was the worst I've ever had, embedded pebbles, deep gashes from rock... and one week later after cleaning it out, one day with gauze + neosporin while it weeped, and then using TegaDerm for 5 days -- I swear it's almost like the road rash never happened. Amazing stuff.

[zion zig zag]

Those stopper/wheel twister rock situations make for gnarly diggers. The bike just stops unexpectedly, pitching you to the ground. Depending on the angle of your body and the bike's angle, sometimes you go right to the ground with a harsh landing... sometimes you fly a ways, like you did. My crash last Saturday was a similar sort.

I just did one of these the other day. Took all of the force of the crash on my kneecap, when i looked down all I saw was ivory white bone. I was pretty certain the bone wasn't broken since I could grab the patella and move it around but I was worried. X-rays confirmed no fracture thank goodness, I just needed about 8 stitches to close it up. My whole knee is purple and swollen but its getting better fast.

[lph]

Wow, that is a crazy story crinkle.

Something pretty similar happened to me earlier this week. Riding near my home with my two lab mixes, the little one goes sprinting into the woods and bags her first chipmunk. Whips it around, kills it and leaves it for the other dog to sniff and then right back to running along the trail. It was kinda nutty. Mother Nature in all her glory.

She is a vicious little beasty.

[TurxSki]

Just as the fawn gets taken down, my eye is drawn up the hill, there are two full grown female deer TRUCKING full speed, straight down the hill for the dog

Yeah! for Violent Vegetarians

...that was the fun part, now for the pain...

Sorry to hear the last part Heal Up Mang!
Synchronicity eh?
I guess you and the fawn are feeling about the same today...

[Crinkle]

yeah lph, looks of a killer for sure.

just a few scrapes and a bruised wrist. Which didn't stop me from doing an epic this weekend. Wrist is still sore, but I am busy for a week, hopefully, it'll heal up. should be a TR around here sooner or later