Time for some trail R&R!
The other day was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I woke up and kinda knew that it was going to be one of those days. Some people call it “waking up on the wrong side of the bed”.
Well I could tell that I was in for a day full of challenges because even the simplest things seemed a little bit frustrating. Nothing in particular happened that was bad during the day, it was just difficult to get out of the rut of feeling like every little thing was a big hurdle.
I began thinking about why I felt this way and realized that it was probably a combination of a lack of good rest and it had been a few days since I had any decent exercise. I thought to myself, “You know better than that”. So as I was riding home after work, my bike sort of steered itself towards the trails! 
Just a little background: this winter’s snow fall in Flagstaff was pretty amazing. We kept getting big storm after big storm and it has seemed that our trails were going to be under snow pack for many, many months. Well spring has sprung and the trails are beginning to loose their snow.
The ride that I so badly needed because of my long frustrating day turned into a ride for mental and physical relief combined with a little trail reconnaissance. As you can imagine, this was a ride that was some pedaling and some pushing the bike over snow banks. Some of the lower trails were totally dry and the upper trails were still encrusted with snow, sometimes feet of snow! Just so you know, I was careful not to ride the really wet sections of trail because that can cause significant trail damage.
The climb up was good for me. I was able to push myself hard and exercise out those frustrations of the day and feel good about being outside. I even enjoyed pushing the bike over snow banks as my feet sunk into the snow and snow jammed between my shoes and socks. Cold feet; the best!
The descent was fun as I transitioned from sweet singletrack to trying to lunge my bike over snow banks. On the higher sections of trails that were in the woods, the going was good. I was able to ride my bike over the harder snow pack without sinking in too much. As I got down to the lower sections of trail that were a little more exposed to the sun, the snow became a little softer………..uh oh! Some of those lower snow banks I was able to glide through or over. Some of them I was able to ride over part way until my front wheel decided to sink in and then catapult me over the bars. Good times! Even that was a little comic relief from my crazy day.
All in all I was very happy with my ride and I finished off a hard day with a smile on my face. What was going to be a normal commute home from work turned into a therapeutic mini mountain bike adventure to clear my mind and see how the local trails were doing.
So my advice is this; if you are having one of those days, get out and ride your mountain bike. Or at least get out for some kind of exercise to help clear your mind and enjoy a little mini adventure. Maybe it’s adding a bonus loop to your commute home, or maybe you can bring your mountain bike to work and head out right after work for an evening ride on your favorite trail. Just make sure that you are prepared with lights and all the tools necessary for the unexpected.
Have a great next ride!
Pete
Stores I recommend: Amazon, REI, Jenson USA, Bike Trailer Shop, Bike Bag Shop, and Bike Kid Shop.
