The thoughtless freedom, peaceful rest and eternal darkness is interrupted by the nagging sound of my alarm exploding, like parents with no school for their children. I begin the stumble from my bedside toward the infernal racket as quickly as possible, shutting it down before it disrupts the rest of my household any more than it already has. From there I continue toward the bathroom, where I decide its time to take a look at the time. Ergh, 4:45 a.m., what am I doing? The answer to that very question perks me up immediately and within a few minutes I finish checking that I am packed, have eaten enough to fuel myself for the beginning of the day ahead, before eagerly awaiting my pickup as the sun slowly begins to lighten the sky to a deep blue.
September is the beginning of the end for many mountain bikers in Squamish and the Sea to Sky, but it’s also some of the best riding of the season. Temperatures cool a little, but often there is still plenty of sun. Kids are normally back in school, and even though they’re not this year, it still feels quieter around town. Then there’s the extra moisture, which results in the dirt taking on the consistency often referred to as “hero dirt.” Personally, the most exciting part of riding in September is it’s prime time for expedition days, with plenty of self-supported backcountry travel to look forward to. The snow line by this time of year has more often than not receded enough to support these monster alpine missions, we’re more capable of travelling longer distances and a whole team of like-minded individuals that I look so forward to spending these big days with are open and available for it – the stars align.
While this time of year is great to get back on the local trails, with the crowds slowly diminishing and the great brown pow we all enjoy over-indulging in becoming almost omnipresent, for some the local jaunts take a backseat for another month. The alpine is now wide open and the adventurous, often feeling a little cabin fever – possibly from spending too much time with family and riding familiar trails – get a serious itch to do some exploring. The weather can be inclement, but it only adds to the experience while building character along the way. Spending a good chunk of the ascent hiking with your bike, often for upwards of four hours, isn’t what everyone is into, but for some reason over the last few years these rides have become my most anticipated of the season.
Trying to uncover what it is about these full-day missions that is so appealing draws little in the way of closure, which is perhaps the whole point. Nevertheless, earning your “turns” comes to mind. Putting in a long hard effort is usually how these rides unfold and often with little reprieve until the final descent. For those that stick out the climbs, these descents are among the best ever, regularly resulting in the term “final decent” being misconstrued, with many turning into mountain peak to valley bottom rides, resulting in plummets of between 1,200 and 2,000 metres. Or perhaps its just like hunger, a point is reached where you’re so hungry, the most average of meals becomes all-time.
Another consideration is the peacefulness awarded thanks to being away from it all, completely surrounded by wilderness… so beat down and tired that conversations among fellow riders diminish to nothing more than cave man grunts, which is befitting by its own merits, given the situation. Then there is the reward of pushing through the “spirit world,” while the mind game continues over how far you can go, how hard you can push, is this a bad idea? The inner workings of the mind run rampant during such trips and its a fun game to participate in.
In the end, it’s probably the simplest elements of all that draw a number of us into these large days – lots of time on the bike and new beginnings. These rides often take upwards of seven hours to complete, which is a lot of time to get to know yourself and spend some quality time with the bike. The new scenery and experiences garnered can turn into yearly return trips if they meet the current benchmark. It’s a perfect time, because before too long the bike is either hung up and replaced with skis, or the cold, dreary winter weather puts a serious hamper on the ability to enjoy long days out in the woods spinning the wheels. Get after it while it’s there, because before long it will be far less desirable.
