DuPont MTB Fun

This is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in the woods. It really doesn’t matter if you’re hiking, riding a mountain bike or just standing still. The air is crisp and clean and the leaf color is beautiful. With this philosophy in mind, Ray, Brandon and I hit the trails for some fat tire fun at DuPont State Forest.

I won’t say which one of us screwed up the time change “move your clocks back” thing, because it really doesn’t matter. That’s one of the most enjoyable things about mountain biking to me. People are far less hung up on times, speed, distance, so a little delay in the plan is taken with a smile.

Since Ray and I are the least experienced DuPont adventurers, Brandon was keen to show us a dirt road “short cut” on the way to the venue. Let’s just say that was taken with a smile too. Big B swears it’s shorter, but, well, maybe if measured in MTB time. I will say that it was a very pretty drive and the road was totally new to Ray, so there was no reason to get excited. It also gave us time to scarf down a few more of Brandon’s pre-ride donut holes. Shhh, don’t tell coach we were eating donut holes. In the interest of full disclosure I should say that Ray resisted the little sweet treats the entire day. And me…well, I was forced to eat them by Brandon.

I was pleasantly surprised to find warm temperatures when we got to the Reasonover parking lot. Brandon was wearing shorts, but then again, he always wears shorts. I think it has to be snowing for him to wear knee warmers, so I was reluctant to take a bearing on how he dressed. I just couldn’t believe I could go without warmers on a November day in the mountains until I saw Ray rolling around with bare legs. You see, even after 25 years of riding and racing bicycles, I still take some cues from those around me when it comes to dressing for cold weather. You would think you could get it right after all these years.

We headed out in search of some gnarly single track and incredible scenery. I’m pleased to report that this is just what we found. The DuPont State Forest is an amazing place! The trails are very well made and taken care of. The trails are marked with attractive, easy to read signs that match the waterproof map you can get at any bike shop or ranger station in the area. And there are more beautiful sights and sounds to experience than you will have time to enjoy. If you haven’t been there, you have to change that soon. If nothing else, get your but to one of the many waterfalls you can get to in a flash on foot or on a bike. You’ll thank me when you get there.

Brandon led our adventure on his single speed 29er. That should not give you the impression that the trails are flat or easy. What you should be thinking instead is that Brandon is a beast on his S-Works SS! He’s like following a deer in the woods on that thing. Ray and I did our best to keep him in sight. However, back to that MTB attitude I mentioned before, no one really cared who kept up with whom. No one’s keeping score and we all had a blast in our natural playground.

Lunch was on our mind when we got back to the car and we had a plan to meet Sam and a friend at Hubba Hubba BBQ in Flatrock, NC. We packed up our stuff and headed back down the dirt road, but it was my turn to provide the “short cut.” I directed Ray to turn left on Pinnacle Mtn Rd. and we were off on our second journey of the day. Ray was stoked to be driving down another dirt road to an unknown destination, so we all just sat back and continued to enjoy the day. The cloudy morning had opened up into a bright sunny day and we were just continuing our adventure.

Eventually my short cut proved to get us where I said it would, but like Brandon’s route, we didn’t set any speed records on the way. No matter. This is mountain biking and we couldn’t think of anything better to do.

We met Sam and Deirdre in Flatrock to find the Hubba Hubba has adopted new winter hours and they are closed on Sundays. We instead ordered a couple pizzas from the bakery on the corner and continued to tell each other glory stories. We did take the more traditional paved way back to Greenville. We all had a fantastic time and I’m already thinking about my next adventure into the dirt. Thanks guys for an awesome day of fun and fitness. The question is when are we going to do it again?