I live in Laguna Beach and ride all the local trails....El
Moro, Laguna Wilderness Park and Aliso Woods and for the
most part can clear them all without a problem..in fact
they are not the challenge they once where. I can go up and
down San Juan Trail with no problems so I am a basic
intermediate rider.
So this evening I try this un-named illegal trail on Pelican
Ridge, Newport Beach. If you don't know Orange County, many
of the trails are loose dirt on top of limestone bedrock,
with small and large loose rocks spread around to keep
things interesting...oh ya! the rain runoff ruts making the
line inches wide in places. So I drop in and am doing fine,
computer says and the grade is 34 degrees downhill with the
above trail conditions. OK I think, not too bad. Come to the
next steep section and decide to not any worse than the
last; expect for this two foot limestone drop half way down
the trail. With the 37 degree downhill and the 2 ft. drop I
went endo. Scraps and scratches nothing major except trust
in my biking abilities. The dust on the stanchions shows
that I bottomed out 6 inches of travel on my Maverick Fork.
Apparently 85 pounds of air in the fork is not enough for my
weight (220lbs). Plus I have a bad habit of not getting my
ass back far enough. Well first endo on the 5-spot after 2
years and 1,600 miles of dirt. Ok dust off and see what the
rest of the trail has to offer hoping the worst is behind.
Now the stuff I know I could clear I hesitate on and try to
step off the bike....too steep, too loose. tangled up in the
bike and in the dirt and bushes again. So I finish the ride
walking some stuff thinking I will come back but next time
with some plastic courage. Well after a few weeks of get my
trust back on familiar trails.