I Have Sinned

After work today I went for a mountain bike ride.  The sun was out, weather was manageable, and I know there is a possibility this will be the last mountain bike ride I have for over a month--it will all depend on the weather next Wednesday.  With everything going in my favor I decided to opt for singletrack.  Yes, I could have safely ridden Water Tower, and although it is dirt, it just isn't quite the same.

Lucky for me the BST north was dry, so I took off on some fun, simple single track.  As I rode occassionally I would come across a patch of dark dirt, but nothing to be concerned about.  And then it happened after I crested the top of the hill and began to descend I descended into a sloppy, muddy mess!  I felt so bad about riding in the mud and snow, but not enough to turn around and go back.  No, instead I kept going.

From that point on, the trail would go from being good, to some patch of mud and and an occassional yucky spot.  And since I continued forth, there was no bail out point, until I reached the 2nd parking lot. Necause of course when I reached the first parking lot, I had determined conditions were not too bad and I could go on to the next stopping point.  Well, conditions were not the best.  Let's just say by the time I got to the second parking lot I had collected a fair amount of mud on my tires--perhaps 5 pounds per wheel.

Now being a good mountain biker, and being concerned for the trail I should have used this opportunity to take the road home and not cause further damage to the trail.  But today had two little voices pulling me back and forth.  One voice, kept reminding me it would be a very long time before I would get to ride dirt again, and certainly I did not want to miss this opportunity.  The other voice reminded how it is to be responsible, and how much I hate riding on trails people have caused damage to.  The voices went back and forth, until I finally gave in.

You guessed it.  Once I reached the 2nd parking lot I turned back around and rode the trail all the way back to water tower.  And of course I had every justification possible letting me know it was okay--it was pretty out, I wouldn't be riding trails for a while, what would one tire track do....  You get the picture.  But the truth is I have sinned against the trail.  I intentionally rode back knowing it was not in the best of conditions.  The worst part, is I really don't feel bad.  I guess you could say I had so much fun, that it was worth it.  And yes their is a hint of feeling bad, but not enough to take away the great joy I had from my ride today.  So although I sinned, I have no regrets.