Surprises

Early this morning I biked Mt. Bluff with my new friend Tiffany.  

Almost to the Top! (that's Tiffany)

I know you don't know anything about Mt. Bluff, so here's the scoop.

I really didn't think I could do Mt. Bluff.  Jeremy and I had tried it in early August and we abandoned it pretty fast for a less intense trail.  One that would be more appropriate for our novice skill level since it was one of our first rides.  I hiked it a couple weeks ago, so I knew it was intense! Steeeeep on the way up and really steeeeep on the way down with all sorts of rocks and tree roots mixed in. So I was kind of definitely scared of Mt. Bluff.

Well, this morning Tiffany and I didn't even tackle the trail on purpose.  We meant to do the Trillium trail, which is more of a moderate trail.  We missed the turn off though, so we found ourselves going up and up and up. I was about ready to throw in the towel, but with Tiffany ahead pedaling away (she's a rockstar, especially on a bike!), I had to keep going.  And then I realized I could keep going.  And I did. And I was more and more excited about the whole thing.  I was actually riding up Mt. Bluff.  I was sweating, I was panting, I was burning, I was feeling it all.  And I loved it.  

We finally made it the flat part of the trail, which was so dreamy for my legs and my lungs.   I was soaking it all in as the morning sun peaked through the leaves.  I have been loving everything but the downhills when it comes to mountain biking.  When I'm going uphill my legs may be on fire, but I don't feel like I am going to fly off the bike if I make a wrong move.  Those downhills are terrifying! 

So before the downhill Tiffany gave me some pointers on how to descend.  The pointers were top notch, because I was going a lot faster and at the same time I felt more in control.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I was whooping and hollering as we came down because I just couldn't contain my excitement.  I conquered Mt. Bluff... and it was a gorgeous ride.