It probably wont do you much good to start reading this report on this section. From here on out things are going to get a little crazy and I implore you to start at the beginning of this tale – if you don’t it will be like reading a book starting at the middle!!
As I entered into the conversation that KIWI and Greg were having it occurred to me how fortunate it was that he (Greg) happen to be there. Greg walked over by me as I sat on the Gas Gas over looking MILES of the GORGEOUS Pitute mountains. He said: so your from Michigan eay. I said – Sure am! He said- well, how do you like it out here? I said: I LOVE IT – this ride has been unbelievable!! I told him that the stuff that KIWI had given me the fantastic opportunity to ride was like NOTHING I had seen in over 40 years of dirtriding!! I then stopped and said: I sure hope Ed gets here soon!
KIWI stopped me in the middle of this dialog with Greg long enough to inform me that Greg had kept him from leading us onto a trail that would have taken us about 11 more miles of nasties before coming to civilization. Greg went on to explain that he thought if we went back out in the direction that he had just came from that we were only looking at about 6 miles of trail. Don’t sound to bad does it? If Ed and I split that in walking it was only 3 more miles each!! I told Greg that staying over night in the woods was not foreign to me but I was concerned about the predators (human eating kind) that I had spotted sign of earlier. Greg then informed me that about 30 minutes ago, while riding in our direction he had ridden upon an adult bear walking on the trail headed in our direction.. Do you remember me telling you about the weird smell I had encountered on the trail? The thought that I had while I was driving the truck home that gave me the shivers was this: One time while Bear hunting in Michigan with my father I had encountered something very similar to that odor. My dad, who has been very successful with Bear, explained to me way back then how very similar to humans Bear are. They eat similar foods, when “gutted” and hung to cure they look very similar in body structure, and their crap can smell very human in stench. Of course they don’t practice the hygein that we do so their smell is a lot stonger!!
It occurred to me while on my way home how VERY possible it was that the smell I was sniffing was the bear that Greg had chased (not literally so don’t go there if you’re a tree hugger) in our direction and either Ed or myself were on FOOT at the time – I still get the willies about that one!!
Ed broke out of the bush and dropped to the ground and announced that he wasn’t going to make it back. I told Greg and KIWI that Ed and I had been without water for the last 3 hours. Greg reached back and removed his Camelback that just happened to be full of Gatoraid – LIFE GIVING FLUID!! I told Greg to give Ed some first as he had just finished a HUGE climb.. Ed drank like there was no tomorrow.. I was next and we pretty much drank all of that batch!! It is amazing how much fluid a person can go thru out in that dry desert heat and NEVER pee! I have a Nephew (CW) who has nicknamed me “PEEET” because I pee A LOT normally. As I recall, I drank all those bottles of water, all my camelback that KIWI had loaned me, some of KIWI’s HUGE camelback that he carried and at least a quart of gatoraid, and GALLONS of water when we finally got out and NEVER went until I got up the next morning in the motel – AMAZING!!
After resting a spell we chatted about the impending darkness that we were going to be facing soon. Ed made it clear to all that he really doubted the idea that we would get out before the next day. I told him that Greg had spotted a Bear earlier and that I really thought that it was essential that we DO get out that night. Greg upped the ante and encouragement for us by telling us that he would ride out ahead of us and go home and get his car to take Ed back to the truck after we had gotten out of the mountains (he and KIWI thought that once we got down we would be about 30 minutes via road back to the vehicle. That Greg turned out to be a REAL life saver again because I think part of the reason that Ed and I were able to press on thru it all was knowing that someone was actually going to be waiting for us at the bottom – GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT!!
Part of the conversation between KIWI and Greg that I picked up on included a statement by Greg that he was up in the area doing “water bars”. Being from Michigan I had never heard that term before – regular Bars I am somewhat familiar with but not Bars that serve only water.. I didn’t have time to inquire about this activity at the time but I was soon to find out that I really should have!!!
As I walked my first section of the trail after leaving the intersection I realized that walking on level, or even downhill for that matter, was not that much easier in that terrain. Now, instead of the heel of my foot pressing against the back of my boot as I sought traction for climbing I was feeling my toes being smashed into the front of my boot each time I slipped off the face of a boulder. It all of a sudden occurred to me how fortunate I was that I had brought my own equipment and not tried to wear KIWI’s boots that would have been one size smaller!! I have a problem with my toe nails that a lot of folks do who are over 50.. It seems that “nail fungus” loves Michigan humidity and this stuff alone can cause some discomfort for the person who is dealing with the plaque. I have never really had any pain from the thickening of the nails but I was certainly starting to notice that it felt like I was BLEEDING every time I stepped down!! Then the pain got bad enough that I almost stopped and took my boots off - a little voice in my head said that doing so would probably be the dumbest thing I had ever done so I didn’t.
Releaf for my toes came in the form of a dirtbike sitting in the trail waiting for me. I climbed on and took a much deserved vacation. I rode up to Ed – checked on him and continued on up the trail. Greg had told us that we would eventually come to a much easier section of which we would be able to ride out two up. We walked a couple more times each and came to that area.
Two up riding didn’t seem to last as long as we were informed it would. I in a VERY short time we were right back into some of the tightest, rockiest stuff known to man – well, at least two VERY tired men anyway.
The only big difference now was that we could actually see the lights of the town glittering in the distance like stars on a clear night. Ed looked at me and said: that don’t look like no 2 miles to me (I didn’t say it but I really thought it looked more like 8 or ten myself). Another frustrating thing was that it was starting to get DARK and it seemed that the more we walked the farther away from the towns lights we got! Of course everyone knows that I LOVE the woods after dark – especially when squirrels are abundant and everyone is situated with a motorcycle with an operatable light attatched.. Of course, that cant always be the case and something inside me told me that this particular night ride/mountain climb was going to be totally different then ANY other I had ever contributited to!! End of part 4!! Be watching back on the Cali site for part 5..
Oh yea, you know you REALLY shouldn’t be setting here reading on the internet – YOU SHOULD BE OUT MAKING SOME REAL LIFE ADVENTURES OF YOUR OWN :ride:
Thats where I have been!! :aj: Woodsy
As I entered into the conversation that KIWI and Greg were having it occurred to me how fortunate it was that he (Greg) happen to be there. Greg walked over by me as I sat on the Gas Gas over looking MILES of the GORGEOUS Pitute mountains. He said: so your from Michigan eay. I said – Sure am! He said- well, how do you like it out here? I said: I LOVE IT – this ride has been unbelievable!! I told him that the stuff that KIWI had given me the fantastic opportunity to ride was like NOTHING I had seen in over 40 years of dirtriding!! I then stopped and said: I sure hope Ed gets here soon!
KIWI stopped me in the middle of this dialog with Greg long enough to inform me that Greg had kept him from leading us onto a trail that would have taken us about 11 more miles of nasties before coming to civilization. Greg went on to explain that he thought if we went back out in the direction that he had just came from that we were only looking at about 6 miles of trail. Don’t sound to bad does it? If Ed and I split that in walking it was only 3 more miles each!! I told Greg that staying over night in the woods was not foreign to me but I was concerned about the predators (human eating kind) that I had spotted sign of earlier. Greg then informed me that about 30 minutes ago, while riding in our direction he had ridden upon an adult bear walking on the trail headed in our direction.. Do you remember me telling you about the weird smell I had encountered on the trail? The thought that I had while I was driving the truck home that gave me the shivers was this: One time while Bear hunting in Michigan with my father I had encountered something very similar to that odor. My dad, who has been very successful with Bear, explained to me way back then how very similar to humans Bear are. They eat similar foods, when “gutted” and hung to cure they look very similar in body structure, and their crap can smell very human in stench. Of course they don’t practice the hygein that we do so their smell is a lot stonger!!
It occurred to me while on my way home how VERY possible it was that the smell I was sniffing was the bear that Greg had chased (not literally so don’t go there if you’re a tree hugger) in our direction and either Ed or myself were on FOOT at the time – I still get the willies about that one!!
Ed broke out of the bush and dropped to the ground and announced that he wasn’t going to make it back. I told Greg and KIWI that Ed and I had been without water for the last 3 hours. Greg reached back and removed his Camelback that just happened to be full of Gatoraid – LIFE GIVING FLUID!! I told Greg to give Ed some first as he had just finished a HUGE climb.. Ed drank like there was no tomorrow.. I was next and we pretty much drank all of that batch!! It is amazing how much fluid a person can go thru out in that dry desert heat and NEVER pee! I have a Nephew (CW) who has nicknamed me “PEEET” because I pee A LOT normally. As I recall, I drank all those bottles of water, all my camelback that KIWI had loaned me, some of KIWI’s HUGE camelback that he carried and at least a quart of gatoraid, and GALLONS of water when we finally got out and NEVER went until I got up the next morning in the motel – AMAZING!!
After resting a spell we chatted about the impending darkness that we were going to be facing soon. Ed made it clear to all that he really doubted the idea that we would get out before the next day. I told him that Greg had spotted a Bear earlier and that I really thought that it was essential that we DO get out that night. Greg upped the ante and encouragement for us by telling us that he would ride out ahead of us and go home and get his car to take Ed back to the truck after we had gotten out of the mountains (he and KIWI thought that once we got down we would be about 30 minutes via road back to the vehicle. That Greg turned out to be a REAL life saver again because I think part of the reason that Ed and I were able to press on thru it all was knowing that someone was actually going to be waiting for us at the bottom – GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT!!
Part of the conversation between KIWI and Greg that I picked up on included a statement by Greg that he was up in the area doing “water bars”. Being from Michigan I had never heard that term before – regular Bars I am somewhat familiar with but not Bars that serve only water.. I didn’t have time to inquire about this activity at the time but I was soon to find out that I really should have!!!
As I walked my first section of the trail after leaving the intersection I realized that walking on level, or even downhill for that matter, was not that much easier in that terrain. Now, instead of the heel of my foot pressing against the back of my boot as I sought traction for climbing I was feeling my toes being smashed into the front of my boot each time I slipped off the face of a boulder. It all of a sudden occurred to me how fortunate I was that I had brought my own equipment and not tried to wear KIWI’s boots that would have been one size smaller!! I have a problem with my toe nails that a lot of folks do who are over 50.. It seems that “nail fungus” loves Michigan humidity and this stuff alone can cause some discomfort for the person who is dealing with the plaque. I have never really had any pain from the thickening of the nails but I was certainly starting to notice that it felt like I was BLEEDING every time I stepped down!! Then the pain got bad enough that I almost stopped and took my boots off - a little voice in my head said that doing so would probably be the dumbest thing I had ever done so I didn’t.
Releaf for my toes came in the form of a dirtbike sitting in the trail waiting for me. I climbed on and took a much deserved vacation. I rode up to Ed – checked on him and continued on up the trail. Greg had told us that we would eventually come to a much easier section of which we would be able to ride out two up. We walked a couple more times each and came to that area.
Two up riding didn’t seem to last as long as we were informed it would. I in a VERY short time we were right back into some of the tightest, rockiest stuff known to man – well, at least two VERY tired men anyway.
The only big difference now was that we could actually see the lights of the town glittering in the distance like stars on a clear night. Ed looked at me and said: that don’t look like no 2 miles to me (I didn’t say it but I really thought it looked more like 8 or ten myself). Another frustrating thing was that it was starting to get DARK and it seemed that the more we walked the farther away from the towns lights we got! Of course everyone knows that I LOVE the woods after dark – especially when squirrels are abundant and everyone is situated with a motorcycle with an operatable light attatched.. Of course, that cant always be the case and something inside me told me that this particular night ride/mountain climb was going to be totally different then ANY other I had ever contributited to!! End of part 4!! Be watching back on the Cali site for part 5..
Oh yea, you know you REALLY shouldn’t be setting here reading on the internet – YOU SHOULD BE OUT MAKING SOME REAL LIFE ADVENTURES OF YOUR OWN :ride:
Thats where I have been!! :aj: Woodsy
