madien voyage #14

What most people would do if they just got a new handmade custom cyclocross bike is something like the classic 1206 > 276 > Blue Ridge Parkway > 5000 loop but Yuri isn't most people and I'm not normal so for his inaugural ride on his new 44 Bikes bike we started from the PRD Fish Hatchery and headed off for a pickle of a waterfall  on the sort of ride where you need at least two different maps.



We quickly climbed up to Gluochester Gap and then dropped down to highway 215 and then climbed up again. As we neared to the top of the pass we took a left and headed into the Nantahala National Forest where our target lay. There were a lot of different forest roads on the maps to pick from and I steered us toward the uppermost one. We found it clearly signed right where it was supposed to be and we headed on up. It was steep and rocky and quickly turned into a hike a bike for me on my single speed but other than a few dismounts Yuri put on an impressive climbing display as I stared up at the mountain.



At the crest of the road we took a slight detour up another old road to the top of an old grassy bald. The forest is slowly recovering this land and it is a special place off the beaten path and made the perfect place to enjoy a toast and moment with a friend.




It was all downhill from there and once again Yuri showed that a cross bike can hold its own in these woods.





When we got back down to the bottom of the road there were several different roads to pick from. We checked the maps and poked around in the bushes to try and decipher which way to go as nothing seemed to match or add up.



We picked what we thought had to be the right road and headed up and around the mountain towards our target waterfall. After riding the road for way too long we got to the same intersection where we had been hours ago shortly after leaving 215. This was all wrong as we should have passed the waterfall along the way so, we pulled out the maps and the gps and tried and make sense of it all.



I had been to the waterfall before but via a different route. The roads on the two different maps didn't match and the roads and waterfall weren't even on the gps so it took us a minute to stumble the short distance down to our destination.




We let the multitudes of negative ions being released by the waterfall soothe our souls for a few minutes and then we crossed the creek and headed down a long road that has been forgotten long enough it is now a true single track trail. It was tough enough that I was glad to be on a fat tired bike but Yuri continued to hang right with me.



It is amazing the stuff you find sometimes when you take the time to look around you.



After several fun miles the trail ended on an asphalt road which led us out to highway 215. A quick plunge down the mountain and we were quickly back in Pisgah and climbing up Indian Creek Rd. to the gap again. Another excellent adventure in (and out of) Pisgah in the books!