International Mountain Goat Climbing & Bar Conference - Day 2

[TreeSaw]

Day 2:
Sunday brought blueberry pancakes, sausage and more delicious coffee from Ito for our pre-ride wrenching. We stumble onto the trails a little later than planned and already we’re being eaten by the mosquitoes, but we still manage a fun loop and playing on some rocks and bridges along the way.

Climbing a little section of trail…Isa, Echo & Echo watchin’ TreeSaw.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0269.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0270.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0271.jpg

SMBA has some AWESOME rocks to play on:
Riding the spine on Bee (camera men beware…you can fall too): Echo & Isa
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0273.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0272.jpg

Isa riding down a roller into a stream crossing with TreeSaw & Deyv coaching her down:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0274.jpg

This particular rock is nearly vertical, but we proved it’s climb-able!
Deyv:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0275.jpg

Ito catchin’ air on the way up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0279.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0283.jpg

A view from the top of the rock:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0277.jpg

Sq-Earl:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0280.jpg

Deyv negoting a drop:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0292.jpg

Our new rock-bridge! First across Echo, Isa & then TreeSaw:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0288.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0289.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0290.jpg

More rocks to play on! Sq-Earl showing off the line followed by Ito & Deyv.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0297.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0300.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0296.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0303.jpg

Echo taking in the scenery shortly before his fall:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0299.jpg

Unfortunately, I don’t have pics of Echo’s new smile courtesy of his fight with the tree limb…trust me it was rather nasty looking so the pics would have been graphic. Deyv & Isa do have a pic of the stitch work though so we’ll be sure to put it up.

An awesome weekend for sure and for our guests, I am sure it was a long ride home. Keep it between the ditches ;)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0305.jpg

[HypNoTic]

Great pics! Looks like you really had a blast despite the level of "hike a bike" in some sections.

@Echo, I wish you a speedy recovery. Deyv show me the pics and I must admit that your new "crooked smile" is something!

[Goddy43]

Is that rock bridge on ridgeline? I haven't see that yet but it looks great from the pictures.

[TreeSaw]

Is that rock bridge on ridgeline? I haven't see that yet but it looks great from the pictures.

Yupper :thumb: It's SO smooth!

[Deyv]

Hi Guys,

We had a blast riding with you guys.

Here's the trip report I did for AllezY.net (some pictures are the same)

Last weekend, Isa and me took a break of trailbuilding for the ADSVMQ and went riding with our buddies down in New York State.

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1100.JPG

Earl and Teresa live just on the other side of the magnificent mountains of the Adirondaks in the area of Saratoga. We met up with Echo, Douglas and Ito for a ride at Spier falls on the saturday. It was planned as a epic ride and it was!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0193.jpg

We started up at the very bottom this time so we had a lot of climbing to do. Some very technical climbing with many big dead trees to hop or to go under


http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1084.JPG
http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1087.JPG

The climb really killed us because there was quite a bit of hike a bike, well except for Earl who can levitate up any walls of rock!

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1098.JPG

Ito and Douglas were riding 29" singlespeed even though they have been warned it was not a singlespeed friendly ride

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1096.JPG
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0209.jpg

After more thant a hour of hard climbing we got to the top part and started to have fun on the rocks.

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1103.JPG

We did the very remote "Blue loop". It was a blast to ride this wild trail with the incredible scenery

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0228.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0233.jpg

So wild in fact that we saw a owl.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0227.jpg

As if riding a 29 inch full rigid singlespeed was not enough, Ito did a bit of bouldering with SPDs shoes!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0230.jpg

At the very top of the yellow loop we had a super duper view

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0249.jpg

After 5 hours of riding, we finally saw the rock foundation that ment that we were close to the end of this Epic ride


http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1105.JPG


http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1107.JPG

In the evening, we hung out at Earl and Teresa new home made bar, great job Earl!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/DSCF5801.jpg

The next day, we rode on the more flowy trails of Skidmore. Theses trails are made and maintained by the Saratoga Mountainbike club.

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1115.JPG

These trails are such a blast, technical enough to give a challenge but totally rideable.

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1116.JPG
http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1117.JPG

Earl and Me found a cute little drop in the middle of the trail that was quite fun to ride. It was my first drop since my knee accident, I was quite please to be able to land without my knee hurting

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1120.JPG

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0292.jpg

We had been on the trails 3 years ago and I remembered a crazy rock garden that defeated me. Earl showed me again how easy it was to clear it.

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1129.JPG

I made it further this year but still could not clear it after 10 trys. I will see you next year Rock Garden!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/Bar%20opening%20rides/DSCF0303.jpg

Towards the end of the ride, something bad happened, Echo crash and landed on a piece of log with his face first. The stump of a branch went through his cheek and he ended up with 20 stiches. We hope you heal well John and that you are back on the bike in no time!

http://www.allezy.net/users/deyv/2007-05-29%20NY/IMG_1139.JPG

We had a awesome time with everyone. A big thanks to Earl and Teresa for their warm welcome.

[stevew]

ouch...

change echos title to the black dahlia.

nice pics.

[DRB]

Nice!

Well except the part with Echo trying to rip is face off.

[Echo]

I watched Pan's Labyrinth the other night just for fun.

Thanks again everyone for helping get me fixed up. I have the best friends on the planet :)

[SkaredShtles]

That tear must have had you bleeding like a stuck pig, eh? Looks like they did a good job putting Humpty back together. :thumb:

[McGRP01]

Nice writeup Deyv! Sorry I was not able to ride with you guys while you were down our way. I'm looking forward to riding with you and Isa again at Monkeyfest! :thumb:

[TreeSaw]

That tear must have had you bleeding like a stuck pig, eh? Looks like they did a good job putting Humpty back together. :thumb:

He was for a little while! It looked a lot worse than it turned out to be (thankfully).