We got on the road early Saturday, and made the long trek down I-75 to Georgia. A quick pit stop at Skyline Chili outside of Cincinnati, and we landed at Mulberry Gap just a few hours later. We were greeted by David pitching a tent, indulging in a few frosty beverages. After joining David in a tent pitching fiesta, we all settled down around a fire having a few "pops" ourselves. Had to make sure we christened the first night of a epic trip the right way!
Once the fire got started, we quickly realized we didn't have much wood, and it was probably too late to knock on the door hammered requesting we get more from Mulberry HQ. I, the quick thinker that I am, decided it was best to use a glow stick to ride the night out.... and it worked beautifully:
The next morning, we quickly rose and headed down to the Mulberry Gap mess hall or cabin or barn or nook or whatever the hell you want to call it, but its where I've had many a phenomenal meal since. We were greeted by Ginnie and Andrew, along with cheesy eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, and the best damn sweet potato waffles in the WORLD! A quick take down of our awesome breakfast, add the first of many brown trout deliveries, and we were ready to ride our bikes!
I'll let Coach get specific with Garmin data and all that jazz, but Day 1 consisted of a long ass climb, followed by a lot more climbing, and then some downhill once you were exhausted... and it kind of went that way for 6 days in a row. We climbed to the top of Bear Creek (I think), and then "bombed" down Pinhoti 1 & 2, or P1 & P2.
I was one tired wiener after the climb, and was a little worried about what the downhill had in store for us. I really thought it would go something like this:
But to my pleasure, it was actually this:
Once we got to the bottom, we came across a big tree, I think it's a Bennet Poplar or something. At any rate, Steve decided it was a great chance to show the camera his nobs:
I believe Day 1 came out to close to 20 miles of riding, and 3500 ft of climbing. Day 2, David went golfing/beer drinking so I was left to fend for myself with Coach and fast Shaun. We climbed and bombed P2 again. I was destroyed. I went back to the camp site, and those two knuckleheads went on to tackle climbing and descending P3. I'd eventually hit it later in the week. David enjoyed the golf so much, that I received this text later in the day:
Needless to say, David had a hungover ride the following day! Day 3, we headed over to Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, based on the sound advice of the boys over at Bear Creek Bikes, and it was my favorite ride of the trip. It was a cross between Poto, PLRA, the Tree Farm, and Stony Creek rolled into one. And it was sweet!! Lots of scenery, lots of fast, "sweat" singletrack, and enough climbing to piss you off. At one point, good ol' HD here got carried away with new found love for my carbon handlebars, and took off from the rest of the guys. Only to hit a corner a little to wide, slide across some roots, and bounce off the Tennessee dirt. Shaun said it sounded like a bear fell out of a tree. Tail between my legs, I got up, and we made it through the rest of the ride.
Day 4, was Bull Mountain. We didn't know where the hell we were going, got lost going to the trail, got lost on the trail, and had a fun time with the GPS getting back from Bull Mountain (Be sure to ask David all about it when you see him). In the decent singletrack and climbing that we did get in, think we managed 17 miles or so. Highlights included some cool downhill sections, some creek crossings, and our pal Patrick, who was also from Michigan, who camped across the way from us. He rode Bull Mountain with us, as well as a devastating Day 5. This is already a long blog post, so I will defer the Patrick references to Coach, Shaun, and David. Get ready. We have many a hilarious story with that character. Nice guy though.
Day 5 was the ride from hell. At this point, David had headed home. I was left all alone, to ride with the fast guys. I guess I have to get past my "mental addiction" to Pepsi if I'm to become a stronger rider. It was Coach, Shaun, and Patrick, who was surprisingly fast for riding a 50 lb GT full suspension rig. Ok, so my legs are shot, like I'm just cooked. What do we do? P2, P3, then P2 again. Steve thought it would be funny to turn back onto P3 as we finished the second loop of P2. 25 miles, 4125 ft of climbing in my legs, I was beyond laughing or talking, and just called his bluff and headed back to Mulberry. 30 seconds later, Steve and Shaun joined back up with me giggling like a bunch of bitches. Nice work guys. I'm still crying from that day!
Day 6. Well, I rode 3 miles. We attempted to ride the ridge of Snake Creek Gap. I was spent, and because I was so exhausted, I didn't feel like banging my melon on the multitude of rocks peppering the trail. I called it, headed back to the car, and waited for the guys to come back.
So, that was the riding report. In closing, let me speak about the awesomeness that is Mulberry Gap. The people who run the place (Ginnie, Andrew, and Diane) are AWESOME! Very friendly, and cook like you wouldn't believe. They are awesome people, and know what they are doing. It's a mountain bike paradise for sure. I had the best meatloaf, pulled pork, and chocolate/peanut butter pie that exists! They will even be hanging a Team Hot Dog jersey on the wall in their rec barn! Not only is the food (and beer) awesome, but we got to meet a lot of cool mountain bikers from all over the country. Specifically, our friend Patrick, the boys from Michigan Mountain Mayhem (damnit, are they fast as hell!), and Steven Martine, who was training for the Trans North Georgia Mountain Bike Race, and will also be doing the Tour Divide later this summer. These guys, and other dudes from North Carolina, Georgia, and St. Louis were super cool!
They also had some really kick ass dogs. Like 8-10 of these things. A lot of them are stray, feral dogs that people drop off in the mountains cause they want to get rid of them for whatever reason. They then find their way to the Gap, and from there, they don't leave cause it's so awesome. These dogs are super cute, and oh so friendly. My favorite was Sasha, see below:
In closing, I leave you with a pic of Shaun and Mandy, establishing a bond that only a picture can illustrate:
See some of you up at Mud, Sweat & Beers this weekend!!
Awesome,
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