getting h back in the saddle

With the recent local wildfires, the sky on Sunday was hazy and full of smoke.  This did not dissuade us, however, and after some lovely H-cooked scrambled egg breakfast burritos, we loaded up the truck and headed to Park City for MTBing.  H was grousing a little bit about his legs feeling puny but I knew he'd be fine.  (My legs were feeling puny too after Saturday's 3,200 feet of elevation.)  It was warmer than it had been last weekend but the wind was light and I was grateful for that.

Heading up My Nemesis

Again, there were very few people on the trails (and afterwards, as we drove over Guardsman Pass and down through Big Cottonwood Canyon to home, there were a fraction of the recent hordes out and about).  We saw dog-walkers and trail-runners and just a few other MTBers.  The trails are dry and very dusty and although my legs did feel okay on the climbs, my tires spun a bit in the loose surface.  We're due for some rain this coming week and that will do wonders for tamping the dust down into hardpack again.  Despite his worrying, H did just fine, climbing Hammerhead Hill and the Sweet Sixteen switchbacks, although a little slower than his usual speed.  (I was ahead on My Nemesis and he didn't catch me!)  I could have used a few more calories and was pretty beat by the time I clawed my way up the Staircase but by then, we were on the homestretch.

The long view from the picnic spot was hazy and not its best but we did have some pretty spectacular aspen groves to look at, glowing bright yellow and gold across the hills.  As much as I enjoy summer, I sure do like fall: colorful leaves, cooler temperatures and, of course, the entryway to winter.