Ramblin' On... : June 2008

The "Ole Figure 8" - Back in Business!

I couldnt help stoping at the tick farm I call Birthday Knob. It was beautiful.

We got a brief, light shower when we first started out and it had rained a little bit earlier but the trail conditions were very good. A few slippery spots on SH but good to go otherwise. It was the first time the road wasnt dusty in months. Hopefully we'll start getting a lot more of the wet stuff. We really need it.

Dan on the Big O.

The extra moisture kicks off the mushroom germination.

Third turtle I've seen on the trails on the last 2 days.

Distance: 17.9 miles

Elevation gain: 4,942'

Starting elevation: 1,295' max elevation: 2,658' min elevation: 1,265'

Amos' Epics

MTBing In the shadow of Mt Mitchell

A big day. One of the views from the climb up Curtis Creek.

The long ride up Curtis Creek. The road was in good shape.

Views from the parkway:

Rough Ridge Tunnel ^

On top of the world ^

That is the black Mtn Crest trailing off to the right ^ behind Hans Von Braun above.

You can still see Table Rock and Hawksbill off in the distance ^

Finally, some very infrequently used single track:

A little bit of downfall but overall it was in great shape for as little traffic as this trail sees due to remoteness and access difficulty - Gotta pay big to play here.

We saw one of the most unusual things I have ever seen deep in the woods: a freshly killed fawn. The strange part is that all of the body was intact but the head had been torn off and carried away. Very few flys and no rot smell so I assume we scared the predator away and he took off with the head. I can only guess what animal was strong enough to tear the head completly off. If anyone wants to see the picture, drop a comment or e-mail me and I'll send.