Morning On The Bike

Golden Gate State Park

I locked my bike to the top of my car early today and drove into the foothills of the Rockies for a morning ride. At the empty trailhead along Ralston Creek, I exited my car into a valley chill that I didn’t expect this time of year. I warmed up quickly, however, as the rocky trail started up a steep incline. Despite the sun having yet to rise above the mountains to the West, my exertion soon had me sweating in the saddle. I came to a small fishing pond, and passed a fly-fisherman standing thigh-deep in waders, casting long loops of line above his head as his quarry began to awaken and feed. The trail kept climbing in long switchbacks to a saddle behind Windy Peak. The peak undoubtedly deserves its name but at this time of day, the mountain air was still. The singletrack trail entered a thick pine forest and started to drop quickly through rocky terrain and sizable drop-offs, some of which required me to dismount to negotiate. Along Deer Creek, the trail became rockier and I bounced, bucked, rode, and ran along until the trail joined an old road that plunged back to the trailhead. The early morning workout is a great way to start the day.