Well, I thought I would try my luck and go seek adventure of a curious kind, the other day in a forest that was near to me but I had not dared to enter before. I had ridden past it many times before of course, but had assumed that it was all fenced off and was private land…but it turns out it wasn’t and there were a couple of trails that would lead me to the hilltop peak and back down again…or so I thought.
After riding around the perimeter looking for entry points, one had been blocked off and only open to walkers, I eventually found an unhindered entrance which resembled more like a hidden gateway to a secret garden than a forest trail.
I gingerly rode my bike through, needing to duck down so as not to bump my noodle on the overhanging branches and also not to damage the newly acquired replacement camera. All looked grand as I rode over broken branches, tree roots and stumps. It was a narrow uphill trail that was getting steeper, however the trail was dry and compact and the trees were thinned out so there was a great view beneath the canopy in all directions.
Well, no sooner had I entered the forest, did I encounter the challenge that would turn out into an ordeal. As I rode up the hill, I could see a raised ridge of earth which the trail went over. Presumably, I thought, this was a drainage trench that had been man made and all I needed to do was ride over it.
I could see a couple of fallen branches as I approached the crest, however it was not until I was on top did I find that someone had placed multiple branches lengthwise to cross the boggy divide.
I paused for a moment, thinking the ground beneath looked reasonably dry, but I would have to be careful of the tyres slipping and deflecting over the branches before I had to climb over a couple of earth steps on the other side.
Suffice to say, that I got royally stuck in the mud and amidst these branches which almost had me over on more than one occasion. What I should have done was park the bike and remove the branches or rearranged them along the length of the ditch so that I could ride over them at 90 degrees. That would have been sensible, that would have been easier and that would have saved me a whole heap of trouble.
As the front tyre dug into the step on the far side, my rear tyre slipped off the mini logs and sunk into the mud. Conscious that I didn’t want the tread to get caked in mud, I knew that I’d have to reduce the revs, but this only got me stuck even more and didn’t give me any momentum to leap over the far side.
As I struggled with my footing in the mud and now of the slippery logs, I knew it was only a matter of time before the bike would go over…and indeed it did a couple of times too. I was perched on a high spot so my feet were struggling to get a sure foothold and I began to wonder if I’d be able to get the bike out of this mess this time.
One of the tips I always practice these days is to consciously slow my recover down as much as I can. Instead of panicking and struggling, even if the bike is dropped, then take a couple of seconds to compose yourself and think of your next move, then try again. Believe me it works wonders, but sorry to say it’s still one hell of a workout to manhandle the lump out of a mess you’ve got yourself into.
After picking the bike up a couple of times and trying to force the issue to continue onwards over the step, I knew my only real option was to drag the rear end of the bike around 180 degrees and try to go back the way I came, but first I’d have to do a bit of my own version of forestry.
Instead of continuing to struggle with the obstacle that was causing me the problem, I thought it better to clear the path as much as I could then just ride over the mud instead. However, as I pushed the bike back I realised that by clearing the branches, I now had a decent run up to the step over the mud…it might just work!
So, hopping onto the bike and still breathing heavily, I picked a line through the mud and to attack the rising ground on the other side. This wasn’t the time to be timid, it required a positive approach, gumption and guile…and a little bit of stupidity too…but I was feeling confident that it might work. And if it didn’t, then I knew I would be able to go back the way I came at least.
With a deep breath and a firm twist of the throttle, I managed to cajole the bike through the squidgy clay and launch myself up the other side…I was free! Result!
Now the moral of this story is of course to think a little bit more before launching yourself into situations that you might not get out of. However, for me adventure riding is not always about seeking difficult challenges but it is about finding out if I can get out of tricky situations from time to time.
But, having a choice between a difficult ride and an easier one, I’d take the easy one especially when I’m out on my own. Making the ride uncomplicated tends to work for me but I can get caught out just like anybody else…and it only adds to remind me that a lighter bike in these situations would be a hell of a lot easier to manage.
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