August 27, 2007

A response to a critic, re: switchback

Reader "S. Gupta" writes:

I saw that video of you on the Mt. Wilson Trail. I'm familiar with that trail and with the still shots you included in it of the fence [ed.: about the 2:50 mark]. Others might not have picked up on what you did, but I did! You cheated! You didn't do that switchback! You stopped and took a picture, you didn't stay on two wheels! You're a cheater! Cheater! Cheater!

Well, I've got news for you. Yesterday I went to do this, but as I drove up Lake I saw some smoke coming from the hills, together with water-dropping helicopter. I kept driving, because it looked like I could at least make it to the big transmission towers, and the fire looked to be in the hills behind, perhaps up the Castle Canyon trail. But, when I got to the top of Lake the street had been blocked off so I drove all the way back and did the Mt. Wilson trail.

And, by "did", I mean that first, infamous switchback. Granted, what's beyond the fence isn't a vertical drop but it is pretty steep and if I crashed through and didn't snag on a rock I'd probably be in for a long trip. It's not that it's difficult, only that it's a bit precarious. No dabbing either, Mr. Gupta!

However, the "haterz" will be glad to know that I only made it part way through the first rock garden before I stalled out. I tried to get started from a complete stop, but that didn't work so I walked through that. That's also got quite a bit of exposure; it'd be nice to find something like that without so much of a steep drop.

Posted to OutdoorSports at August 27, 2007 03:06 PM