Day 21- Whistler Valley Trails

Bear sitings: 0

Trails Ridden: 6, Valley Trail, Shit Happens, White Knuckles, No Girlie Man, Big Kahuna, River runs thru it

Riders: Just me

It's the weekend and I figured the bike park would be busy(er) and that my body needed a break from pounding but some cardio workout instead.

I headed out onto the valley trail and over to Emerald Estate and the trailhead for "Shit Happens"- a black diamond trail. It climbs to a lake called One Duck Lake where I got attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes - I quickly tried to don my armour as protection against them but ended up having to wave it at them like a mad-woman as they buzzed in my ears and bit me through my shirt!

I started the rock slab descent and hit some rocky singletrack steeps which were great fun. I missed the trailhead for "Anal Intuder" but this was fun enough. Soon I found the TH for White Knuckles and rode that - a really rocky up and down trail as hard to climb a techy climb on this as to descend it. It emerged onto a great viewpoint over Green Lake and then I joined the trail for "No Girlie Man"- the rocky/rooty tech challenges continued and then the big rock slab and rocky steep descents started and I amazed myself how much I managed to ride. This Lapierre Zesty is perfect for riding up and down these type of trails. Such fun!

Down to the Lake where I sat and had my packed lunch in isolation in such an idyllic spot overlooking the lake and the float plane I'll be taking to Tyax at the end of the month.

Climbed back up through emerald to the very hidden trailhead for Big Kahuna and rode this fun fun trail up and down huge rock slabs, the one on the video looks tame of course but it is in fact steep and rather off camber so it's a tough one as you gather speed and get pushed sideways, just hoping you'll make it to the bottom before you get pushed right off the trail. It's not a long trail but so filled with fun that I did some areas twice and so it took some time- playing.

From there a pedal along the Valley Trail to River Runs Through it - I even found the new trails running into it and rode that as an extension. Now this trail has to go down as the most fun trail ever. It's just full of North Shore Style stunts but most are low(ish) to the ground and wide(ish) enough but still challenging enough to get the adrenalin pumping for a rider like me.

I was flowing over this stuff, took off over the 3 jumps down Bart's and then flowed right along to the big log crossing and without batting an eyelid (mainly cos my eyes were totally out on stalks foccusiing on staying balanced) I was up and on the log that crosses the river. The river was raging higher than I've ever seen with all this melting snow and heart in my mouth I passed along the majorly exposed bit and then had it done- Yeehaa- always a good feeling to have ridden that Log bridge- watch the video and you'll understand why its so adrenalin fueled!

A couple of wooden structures have been repaired or changed and the double teeter drawbridge has gone (it was starting to suffer last year- dropping too late etc) and in its place a double teeter totter (ride from on onto the 2nd)- it looked doable for me but a bit high and as I was alone I ducked out of it but it's on my challenge list to come do when I have some company to eitehr spot me or pick me up if I fall off!

Well a great day's riding, skills are really coming together and confidence boosted.

Matt arrived in the lodge today so now we are 4- which seems like a better number.