gotham
06-27-2006, 12:39 PM
So I decided to bite the bullet and stop waiting for someone to take me to Seymour again and instead I set off on my own..It was scorching hot out as I rode my bike across Vancouver to get to the Ironworkers Memorial bridge and I didn't realize how much uphill there was just to get to the bottom of Old Buck. Fortunately there are many amenities at the bottom of the road with which one can fill their tank and after a quick bite to eat at Subway I set off in search of the elusive Old Buck Trail.
I happened upon some fellow riders who were enjoying a picnic lunch in the OB parking lot and they were kind enough to warn me off some of the trails I had on the map I had brought with me. "Severed Dick might be OK but definately stay away from Boogieman," the nice man with the broken seatpost told me - evidently his day as done.
Having read a multitude of threads on this forum as to the easiest way up Seymour I decided to stick to the trail. As I ride I'll give you a little background on my riding history. I've ridden thousands of kilometres this year, as I ride everywhere. I've only ridden downhill once, a friend took me down CBC. It was a nice hike but my shoulder got some from carrying my bike so much...thus I was looking for something to break my teeth on.
As I rode up past the BP trail I considered cutting over to start riding back down but then decided that I may as well start at the top. That was before I saw the huge uphill you encounter when you reach the power lines. So I set out west along the power lines to search out a trail to ride. Eventually I found Pingu which was labelled as a blue/black run. I couldn't help but think of the NSMB for having such great signs and maps on the trails. Thanks guys! I set off down Pingu for my first run of the day. One of the advantages to being alone I thought was that if I wanted to work on a certain part of the trail, I could. It was pretty neat just hucking off (err...is a 1ft drop considered a huck? It's still pretty high for me) and then walking back up the trail and doing it again. The mountain seemed dead at 2pm as there was no one around to hear my handlebar bell ringing every time I bottomed out my front suspension. The downside to being alone was that there was no one to take note of my accomplishments, or to offer advice. Next time I go, I definately want someone there to push me a little more to take that jump right near the top of Pingu instead of going around it :( I definately think that Pingu is rated appropriately and as a beginner rider found it challenging, but not overbearing or scary.
After Pingu I hopped onto Pangor which I've heard a lot about. It was AWESOME! So many cool things to do and I really got to work my log riding skills - believe me, they could still use some work. How are you supposed to get your back tire onto the next log when you turn? I finally made some friends on Pangor as 2 guys passed me and then turned around and shouted back, "Are you OK??" I was perplexed as I was standing by the trail to let them pass and I was fine. Then from deep in the woods behind me I heard a voice cry out, "No! I just sacked myself!". The poor guy. He was riding a hardtail like me and evidently having as rough a go at it as I was. I rode with them down Pangor for a bit before I decided to work on some of the various features while continued on. Finally I reached the Bridal Path loop and made my way back down to the Safeway for some refreshments. Pangor was a blast and definately one that I'll check out again the next time I ride Seymour. Total ascent time to the power lines was about 35mins, and I took my time coming down evidently as my descent time was over an hour.
As I made my way back from the store, I noticed 3 guys in motorcycle suits standing by the side of the road trying to hitchhike up the mountain...I decided I'd try to get a ride up to the top too! It was about 4pm and the sun hadn't let up much, although there was a lot of shade on the road. After 10 minutes of standing around, the 3 guys got picked up and I didn't. I couldn't help but stare at them funny as they loaded their skateboards into the back of the car that picked them up. I didn't want to waste any more time so I began riding up the road. Having done the road and the path I definately think that the road was easier for me to do, but it took longer (50mins) and my neck got a bit sore from turning around every time I heard a car, hoping they'd pick me up. About 1km up the road I saw the 3 guys with skateboards hitchhiking again, Mom came and picked them up and whisked them to the top. They passed me coming down at full throttle, crouched down low on their decks and I couldn't help but wonder just how they stopped -hopefully not the hard way.
I finally reached the entrance to Corkscrew and things appeared to be a bit busier up top as 3 guys took off into the trail while I caught my breath and donned my leg armour. I decided to forego the double black Corkscrew in favour of the more straightforward, "unnamed?" path that goes straight down instead. Then I headed over to Ned's. By this time of the day my confidence was riding high as I was able to stay on my bike for almost the whole trail, only a couple of times did I have to walk down a feature, and that was mostly because I had bled off all of my speed for fear of going too fast. Ned's definately has a different flavour than Pangor as it was a motley collection of rocks and roots with some mud thrown in for good measure. Somehow I worked up the courage to ride down my first set of stairs at the bottom of Ned's on the BP trail again, but looking back I wish that I had tried the big A-ladder over that log about halfway down...maybe next time. Kudos to the guy who was riding Ned's for the first time with his friend who *did* do it, you made it look easy on a full-suspension.
The ride back down to Superstore seemed far too short, yet I was glad to be done. After 4 hours of riding my legs were sore, my fingers stiff and I had a dull ache in my shoulder from the superman, no seat grab, no hand, flying over yon handlebar manuever I had completed flawlessly up on Pingu at the start of the day. One of the poopy things about riding alone I also decided was that there needs to be someone to take pictures! I had the g/f snap this one when we got home. Seymour has definately left it's mark on me and I can't wait to go back.
Anyone want to come with?
After refu
I happened upon some fellow riders who were enjoying a picnic lunch in the OB parking lot and they were kind enough to warn me off some of the trails I had on the map I had brought with me. "Severed Dick might be OK but definately stay away from Boogieman," the nice man with the broken seatpost told me - evidently his day as done.
Having read a multitude of threads on this forum as to the easiest way up Seymour I decided to stick to the trail. As I ride I'll give you a little background on my riding history. I've ridden thousands of kilometres this year, as I ride everywhere. I've only ridden downhill once, a friend took me down CBC. It was a nice hike but my shoulder got some from carrying my bike so much...thus I was looking for something to break my teeth on.
As I rode up past the BP trail I considered cutting over to start riding back down but then decided that I may as well start at the top. That was before I saw the huge uphill you encounter when you reach the power lines. So I set out west along the power lines to search out a trail to ride. Eventually I found Pingu which was labelled as a blue/black run. I couldn't help but think of the NSMB for having such great signs and maps on the trails. Thanks guys! I set off down Pingu for my first run of the day. One of the advantages to being alone I thought was that if I wanted to work on a certain part of the trail, I could. It was pretty neat just hucking off (err...is a 1ft drop considered a huck? It's still pretty high for me) and then walking back up the trail and doing it again. The mountain seemed dead at 2pm as there was no one around to hear my handlebar bell ringing every time I bottomed out my front suspension. The downside to being alone was that there was no one to take note of my accomplishments, or to offer advice. Next time I go, I definately want someone there to push me a little more to take that jump right near the top of Pingu instead of going around it :( I definately think that Pingu is rated appropriately and as a beginner rider found it challenging, but not overbearing or scary.
After Pingu I hopped onto Pangor which I've heard a lot about. It was AWESOME! So many cool things to do and I really got to work my log riding skills - believe me, they could still use some work. How are you supposed to get your back tire onto the next log when you turn? I finally made some friends on Pangor as 2 guys passed me and then turned around and shouted back, "Are you OK??" I was perplexed as I was standing by the trail to let them pass and I was fine. Then from deep in the woods behind me I heard a voice cry out, "No! I just sacked myself!". The poor guy. He was riding a hardtail like me and evidently having as rough a go at it as I was. I rode with them down Pangor for a bit before I decided to work on some of the various features while continued on. Finally I reached the Bridal Path loop and made my way back down to the Safeway for some refreshments. Pangor was a blast and definately one that I'll check out again the next time I ride Seymour. Total ascent time to the power lines was about 35mins, and I took my time coming down evidently as my descent time was over an hour.
As I made my way back from the store, I noticed 3 guys in motorcycle suits standing by the side of the road trying to hitchhike up the mountain...I decided I'd try to get a ride up to the top too! It was about 4pm and the sun hadn't let up much, although there was a lot of shade on the road. After 10 minutes of standing around, the 3 guys got picked up and I didn't. I couldn't help but stare at them funny as they loaded their skateboards into the back of the car that picked them up. I didn't want to waste any more time so I began riding up the road. Having done the road and the path I definately think that the road was easier for me to do, but it took longer (50mins) and my neck got a bit sore from turning around every time I heard a car, hoping they'd pick me up. About 1km up the road I saw the 3 guys with skateboards hitchhiking again, Mom came and picked them up and whisked them to the top. They passed me coming down at full throttle, crouched down low on their decks and I couldn't help but wonder just how they stopped -hopefully not the hard way.
I finally reached the entrance to Corkscrew and things appeared to be a bit busier up top as 3 guys took off into the trail while I caught my breath and donned my leg armour. I decided to forego the double black Corkscrew in favour of the more straightforward, "unnamed?" path that goes straight down instead. Then I headed over to Ned's. By this time of the day my confidence was riding high as I was able to stay on my bike for almost the whole trail, only a couple of times did I have to walk down a feature, and that was mostly because I had bled off all of my speed for fear of going too fast. Ned's definately has a different flavour than Pangor as it was a motley collection of rocks and roots with some mud thrown in for good measure. Somehow I worked up the courage to ride down my first set of stairs at the bottom of Ned's on the BP trail again, but looking back I wish that I had tried the big A-ladder over that log about halfway down...maybe next time. Kudos to the guy who was riding Ned's for the first time with his friend who *did* do it, you made it look easy on a full-suspension.
The ride back down to Superstore seemed far too short, yet I was glad to be done. After 4 hours of riding my legs were sore, my fingers stiff and I had a dull ache in my shoulder from the superman, no seat grab, no hand, flying over yon handlebar manuever I had completed flawlessly up on Pingu at the start of the day. One of the poopy things about riding alone I also decided was that there needs to be someone to take pictures! I had the g/f snap this one when we got home. Seymour has definately left it's mark on me and I can't wait to go back.
Anyone want to come with?
After refu