Sweet Trails Alabama

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After a week of school in Alabama, the weekend came and I was ready to hit the trails. I drove up to Monte Sano State Park and immediately found the McKay Hollow Trail. I later learned the locals refer to this trail as, "The Death Trail". 2 + miles of hike a biking through a beautiful hollow with a wee bit of riding between the steep and rocky entrances and exits. It was fantastic.

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The previous two days of rain provided trails just the way I expected them to be in the southeast. Wet rocks and roots covered with slimy leaves provided a bit of excitement and it made me realize my technical skills for such riding was a bit rusty.

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Couple that with a few steep climbs and this being my 1st time on a single speed in some time and there were a few hills that just had to be walked.

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Funny enough, I was told to go to the Goat trail for the funnest technical descent and it was awesome but my favorite trail so far has to be the Mountain Mist trail. Rocks and roots line the trail and its flow is sublime.

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One of the cool natural features on the Mountain Mist trail is the natural granite wall that parallels the trail for most of its length.

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My second day at the park I found the Stone Cuts. It is a hiker only trail of maybe a little over half a mile but I shouldered my bike and made the hike up just to see it. The Stone Cuts are an exposed ridge of capstone that after thousands of years of erosion, split into two and created small caves and low walled " slot canyons".

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I go home to Colorado on Thursday for 5 days of Christmas with my family, maybe a ride with friends on some snowy Colorado trails and then back to Alabama for another month or so of school with LG Electronics.

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Going To the South East

Lots of changes going on in the Goat Household. I've taken a new job with LG Electronics and will be going to the US headquarters in Huntsville, AL for 6 weeks of training. I've been an appliance service technician for almost 15 years but this training will teach me about their computer system, up my refrigeration certification from a Type 1 to Universal, and provide a good base for working on TV's. I leave tomorrow with a week home for Christmas but otherwise I'll be missing my beautiful family.

As for riding, I've gotten maybe 2 rides in since Thanksgiving. Lots to do and a chest cold that knocked me out for the past weeks. My In-laws got me a GoPro Hero2 as a Christmas present and I couldn't resist getting out for a few hours on a snow bound Green Mtn to test it out.



With all of this loss of fitness I'll be shipping my Single Speed to Huntsville. A kit of cogs are in my tool kit ranging anywhere from 17-20 teeth. If I feel like I'm just spinning out too much there is a cassette in there as well for going 1x9. I hear Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville is the place to go for techy riding and I'll be traveling around the southeast to ride the Pinhoti Trail, Oak Mtn and maybe even ride the Snake Gap Time Trial.