I rode Lory State Park on a hot Sunday afternoon recently. The Timber Trail climbs to Arthur's Rock and on its way it overlooks Horsetooth Reservoir and one of its several party coves. The music, laughter, hollering, etc. can be heard from about a mile away. No way to reach the flow with this static in the background. One climbs the track, sweating, cursing the log and stone steps in your way, trying to breathe and drink a bit of water at the same time, and all one can think of is the cool, cool water, and the cool, cool beer down below.
Rattlers are common in Northern Colorado foothills, and are often encountered by the mountain biker. This one had 4 or 5 rattles, and was somewhat riled up. Too bad I neglected to focus on his eyes.
A friend of mine is a massage therapist. She had a client once who was bitten on the thigh by a rattler. He was biking by a large and close rock, when the top of the rock suddenly came alive and bit him as he rode by.
Most of the time, you hear them or see them crossing the trail, or sunning themselves on the trail, and can stop. Occasionally, I will hear a buzzing as I speed by, and then several tens of yards down the trail, I will think, "Was that what I thought it was"? I have never seen one actually strike. They rarely leave this pose, if you give them room and simply leave them alone.
The weather is another hazard. It can be sunny, mild and benign when one leaves the trailhead. An hour later, you notice the sky and it is seemingly very suddenly very threatening with wind, rain, hail and lightening. Nothing like a helmet full of vents to protect one from the falling ice, and nothing like a really good conductor of electricity nestled into your crotch with millions of volts dancing around.
And lastly, gravity. But really, gravity is your friend. Just keep saying that: gravity is your friend, gravity is your friend...... But, it really is. The one time I reached the Zen like state of the flow was on a long, curvy descent. I suddenly became aware of myself again towards the bottom of the hill. I remember thinking: who am I? where am I? what am I doing? It took awhile for me to answer the questions. Then a huge grin came, and I have been looking for the flow ever since. I told Darcy what happened; she laughed and said, "Man, you've been to church"!
