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.