Lost in the Woods

I was lost in the woods the other day.  I mean not really, really lost, like I need some help lost.  Just lost in that good way, when you’re on a path you’ve never been on and you don’t know what’s around the next bend.

I was riding my trail bike, I say trail bike to differentiate from my road bike that I just purchased in the spring and which I love riding, but my road bike is not built for riding trails in the woods.  Yes, this means I have 2 bikes, which brings up an interesting thought…what is the appropriate number of bikes to have?  I have 2, and you might think that would be enough and I also think it is, but I’ve been reading about people who go on these long bike tours that last weeks and months and they use these special touring bikes that can carry all their stuff, so if I ever go on a long bike tour, I’ll need to get a 3rd bike, a touring bike and at that point I would own more bikes than cars….which is how it should be, right.

Anyhow back to the woods, I was riding on this wide well marked trail, some of it was dirt, some grass, some gravel.  It meandered along for a few miles, there were some small hills, some small objects to navigate around, all along getting deeper into the woods.  I climbed a hill to take a break and look at the trail map.  I could continue on the same path, this same well marked gently rolling path that circled around and would lead me back to where I started, or I could start hitting some of the more difficult trails off this main trail.

The wise thing to do would be to continue on this trail and then come back and hit other trails….but I think you know what I decided to do.  My eagerness and excitement sometimes leads me to do unwise things.  This was one of those times.

I turned my bike down a single track trail, it didn’t seem so bad at first.  There were more objects to navigate around, more branches and fallen trees, more rocks, bigger rocks, and tree roots to bike over.  It was challenging but fun, and I occasionally let out a loud “whoop” after navigating through a difficult section. It felt like I was the only person in the woods, the only person within miles and it felt entirely appropriate to let out loud “whoops.”

Then the hills came, short but steep hills, and my enthusiastic “whooping” was quickly replaced by panting.  Heavy panting, like, like….hmm, like this is hard work panting.  I climbed off my bike and pushed it up another hill, my heavy breathing the only sound I heard.  I looked at the trail from the top of this hill and all I saw was woods.  I was deep in the woods, not a soul around and the trail before me was narrow with a drop off on each side with a series of descending “S” curves.  I pondered how I got here in such a short time, but I knew it was my eagerness and enthusiasm that led me to this place.  So I mustered up another “whoop” to get me going, but truthfully it wasn’t a very enthusiastic “whoop.”

I began descending using the brakes heavily, I nearly caught my handlebars on trees along the trail and I was sure one of my pedals would catch a rock underneath and propel me over my bike.  Each turn led me to another climb, some of them I could do and others I pushed my bike.  Each descent became more difficult and there were times I walked down a hill not wanting to risk a crash.

I began wondering when I might see the main trail again.  I felt like I was going in circles….did I go past this fallen log before, I’m sure I climbed this hill just a few minutes ago, oh I know I went past this tree root jutting out.

I stopped to take a break, grab some water and get my bearings.  If I just stayed on the trail I was sure, well pretty sure, I would get back to the main trail…if I wasn’t going in circles.  Then I heard a “whoosing” noise behind me, another biker was coming down the trail.  He was young, strong and didn’t appear to be panting, and he looked to know where he was going.  I edged to the side of the trail to let him past, he nodded and asked “you alright?”…..I nodded back…

“just taking a break” I replied and he was gone as fast as he appeared.  I climbed back aboard my bike and let out another less than enthusiastic “whoop.”

For the next ten minutes I went up and down and around and around.  I was off my bike more than I was on it.  I felt like one of those experimental mice in the science lab, I was sure someone was observing me from afar and laughing at my plight….

“Look at him” …I imagined them saying,

“he thinks he can just show up and ride these trails his first time here…ha, he doesn’t even know where he’s going.”

Just when I thought I was truly “lost in the woods,” the trail spilled me out onto the main trail, and I was pretty damn happy about that.  Five minutes later I was back in the parking lot, grabbing something to eat and drink.  I studied the trail map again and determined where I went astray.  I climbed back aboard my bike and went back for more…but this time I stayed on the main trail.

I was lost in the woods the other day…and it was the best day of the summer.

Be kind to each other and as always, Peace….

John