Last weekend I rode up a canyon I had had my eye on for some time. The landing was in brush and at 7500'. I tied up the plane real good to an old corral and got the folding mountain bike out and started pedaling. I made it some 6.2 miles up the canyon (I bought a small, light, cheap, and simple GPS just for these type of trips, all it does is tell you how far and what direction to get back to your campsite) and was just starting think of heading back. I was thinking that it was 6.2 miles in a straight line, so I had actually gone much further due to the trail turns and twists. 20% further. Also, using the formula of 1% degradation in performance for every thousand feet, and since I was at 9K, an addtional 9% . Then the loss in performance and increase in difficulty of not being 25 anymore, adding this all up I figured it was a 20 mile one way ride
While thinking these deep thoughts, all in an effort to justify turning back to the cold beer, I mean campsite, I saw the trail once again forded the stream. This would be the 4 th. time I'd get wet up to my knees, boots on, so I passed on the main trail and decided a little further on a steep single track would be far enough. It ran along the stream, and was too steep and narrow for the bike, so I hoofed it another 1/2 mile and then I noticed a strange musky odor, skunk was my first thought, but different somehow. I kept going and 20' on I couldn't help but notice a large (dinner plate dia.) fresh pile of crap. Huge frigging skunk I thought. Slowly, my city bred mind processed this information, while I took another few steps forward. Then I got a funny feeling and stopped and listened carefully, it was quiet, too quiet, finally realizing I may have intruded into dangerous territory I reached for my pen and my to do list for the next time I'm in town,, and wrote BUY BEAR SPRAY, and turned around and started back. If you can't be smart, or armed, be lucky!
I blasted off the next morning, and a little over an hour later I was home, with another little mini adventure (real live danger but handily close to home, so at least convinent) for the log book. Yeah, my flight log is peppered with much more info then where, when and how long... this flight entry got the coveted star symbol, meaning something real fun or real scarey, or both. Great scenary though! 12K+ peaks shown.
