All week we had been planning a dirt ride, but at the last moment, Chris remembered he was on the schedule for his part-time fun job on Sunday, so the ride evaporated. When he got there, what he had to do was cancelled, so the ride was back on! Luckily I had gotten my kit together on Saturday in anticipation of the ride, so when the Minuteman-like call to arms came, all I really had to do was fill my hydration reservoir and mix my endurox.
There had been some passing showers during the week including some locally heavy rain on Friday, but the trail was dry on Sunday, even the traditionally damp spots. We climbed Government Road to the Ditch junction, where we met an extended family out gathering ferns for a traditional indigenous funeral rite. Continuing up to the side loop, we waited for a group of hikers and their shar-pei/pitbull mixed puppies to clear the trail. The side loop was in great shape, but was heavily littered with fallen strawberry guavas. At the bottom where the trail junctions with the lower ditch contour, there was a new, more technical roll-in with a slightly rebated lip. No one had any issues dropping it. Fleeing from some poop smell, we finished the side loop, everyone easily clearing the rock face up.
Out along the Ditch, we passed more people than we have seen there in recent memory. There were two conjoined MTB riders (couldn’t tell if they were just being “too friendly” or someone needed a tow), a pair of equestrians and the break spot, two hippie hikers (did we see them three times?), another pile of MTB-ers, and even more hikers. Fishing for a reason, I was thinking that with the rash of hiking incidents on non-authorized trails, there were more people visiting the DLNR site and finding this and other State trails. At the turnaround, we climbed up the aimless loop where I overshifted on a stupid-steep climb and jammed my chain between the spokes and cassette. Kuso! I had to drop the wheel to untangle the chain, but after getting it free, the wheel was reasonably true and the chain didn’t skip, so it wasn’t twisted.
Post ride was going to be Teddy’s in Kailua, but that was too crowded, so we went next door to Maui Tacos. I sweat the menu there is like an eye test!
D = 10.54 km (6.55-miles), Vavr = 12.2 km/h (7.6-mph), Vmax = 28.9 km/h (16.7-mph), T = 52-minutes (GPS says D = 8,84 km, Vavr = 9.2 kph, Vmax = 24.0 kph, T = 58-minutes)
Pictures here
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