Flat Tires
I keep getting flat tires during my rides. In less than a month I’ve gotten two flats in remote sections of each ride’s respective trail. The first flat was on Three Sisters trail in Evergreen. I somehow managed to rip a huge gash in my tube and found myself pedaling on my rim just as I was rounding a tight switchback. I’m still not sure what I actually hit that caused such a big flat. At the time I didn’t have a spare tube or a pump so I had to walk about 2 miles back to the trail head. My second flat was last night on the furthest section (naturally) of the Community Ditch trail at Marshall Mesa. I had decided not to bring tools or a spare tube because the trail I was planning to ride was a short loop and I was originally just...
Summer = Blisters and Sunburn
I just got back from this year’s inaugural summer backpacking trip. Myself and two buddies hoofed it to Wild Basin’s Ouzel Lake, in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our original plan was to camp at Thunder Lake but unfortunately it was still frozen and the surrounding areas were under nearly three feet of snow. Ouzel Lake itself, which is much less remote, was surrounded by a fair amount of snow and we had to traverse 6 or 7 deep snow banks on our way. The trip was relaxing and pretty darn easy as far as backpacking trips go–the weather was fine, the trail smooth (and short) and we had no significant gear malfunctions or animal encounters. My hope is that this trip was the first of many to be had this summer. The next one on schedule is...