Bear Swamp Version 2.0

Today's forecast was again misleading when I first crawled out of bed - it was raining although there wasn't supposed to be any rain until the afternoon. I threw caution to the wind and I packed up the car to head to Bear Swamp again to get some riding in before the afternoon t-storms and other commitments. I was going to ride the Highland Hex, not so much race as just get some solid hours of riding in, but I couldn't swing the entrance fee. It rained off and on during the drive down but by the time I pulled in and set up the bike, sunshine.

This time I parked at the top of the big hill of 41A, meaning I would have ~280' of climbing on very tired legs at the end of the day's ride but it would be worth every calorie and ache. I bombed through the first sections of single/double track - so much so that my water bottle would get dislodged from its cage and sit waiting for me to get it 2.5 hours later... Fortunately, I had another one in my pack (thankfully). I felt pretty decent right up until the end of the ride. After I learned of my missing bottle, I looped back to find it but didn't so I continued on with the plan of looking on the downhill at the end of the day. 

Patiently waiting.

There were some runners stretching in the horse parking lot and I passed two guys on a dirt bike. I got to explore the ridge trail, which I skipped last weekend in order to not be the tallest metal object in the middle of a t-storm surrounded by trees. The private land owner next to the forest logged their property, making for a very different experience along the southern boundary. It'll be pretty hot this summer grinding my way up that hill, for sure. 

I learned why there is the new trail I discovered last week. It is to reroute the upper and lower portions of a trail that go through some pretty wet areas we used to ride through regularly. The state (or someone) even went as far as to remove a wooden bridge built over a particularly wet and mucky area. I'll miss riding that but the downhill I remembered being scary-steep was much more tame. 

This is why the trail is rerouted... Buried almost up to the hub.

I also met a rider from Auburn who had lived in England. He was exploring the area for the first time and enjoying it. Hope he made it back to his car before the skies let loose. I found my water bottle and ground my way up to the car just as the first rain drops fell and thunder echoed. By the time I reached Skaneateles, the skies were flashing with lightening and rain was pouring down soon thereafter. 

Overall, a great day in the saddle. Just shy of 20 miles, around 2.5 hours of riding, not technicals, crashes or otherwise. I didn't take too many pictures but found some time to play around on a teeter totter someone created. Next major stop - Memorial Day weekend. Where to go, what to ride? Decisions, decisions. 

First, though, I need to clean this bike...