What the hell just happened?



C

Chuck W

Guest
Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
in your throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to
me yesterday. I'm out on the trails in my local woodland
park, where the folks that run the place have just finished
a series of controlled burns to clear out underbrush (which
means nothing smaller than baby green trees is left). Up
over a small rise I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden
this trail a hundred times, and I know it cuts to a
lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise,
only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log
lying across the path, held several inches aloft by debris
at the sides.

Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed
on a mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny
hop a little bit. When I say a little bit, I mean I can
reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a wheel, but
that's about it. Never even tried anything higher than six
or seven inches. So here I am careening at this foot-tall
plus monster, way to fast to bump over it. I squat, lift,
and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm worth, hoping to at
least wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even touch
the log. I was so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got
off the see what I broke. The landing was so smooth
,something had to be broken. Nothing.

I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
something.

-Chuck Wiley
 
"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
> in your throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to
> me yesterday. I'm out on the trails in my local woodland
> park, where the folks that run the place have just
> finished a series of controlled burns to clear out
> underbrush (which means nothing smaller than baby green
> trees is left). Up over a small
rise
> I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden this trail a
> hundred times, and
I
> know it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other
> side. I top the
rise,
> only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log
> lying across the path, held several inches aloft by debris
> at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've
> developed on a mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit.
> I can bunny hop a little bit. When I say a little bit, I
> mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping
a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything
> higher than six or seven inches. So here I am careening at
> this foot-tall plus monster, way
to
> fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop
> style, for all
I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way.
> I didn't even touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the
> brakes, stopped, got off the see what I broke. The landing
> was so smooth ,something had to be broken. Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
> need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
> something.
>
Fear is a great motivator. Nice job, Chuck.
 
Chuck W wrote:
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
> in your throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to
> me yesterday. I'm out on the trails in my local woodland
> park, where the folks that run the place have just
> finished a series of controlled burns to clear out
> underbrush (which means nothing smaller than baby green
> trees is left). Up over a small rise I go, plenty of speed
> because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I know
> it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I
> top the rise, only to find myself about 20 feet from an
> eight-inch log lying across the path, held several inches
> aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've
> developed on a mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit.
> I can bunny hop a little bit. When I say a little bit, I
> mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything
> higher than six or seven inches. So here I am careening at
> this foot-tall plus monster, way to fast to bump over it.
> I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way.
> I didn't even touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the
> brakes, stopped, got off the see what I broke. The landing
> was so smooth ,something had to be broken. Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
> need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
> something.

Grace under pressure. Way to go!

Shawn
 
"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote:

> So here I am careening at this foot-tall plus monster, way
> to fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop
> style, for all I'm worth, hoping to at least wreck without
> a log in the way. I didn't even touch the log.

You probably cleared it by a foot.... adrenaline can really
pump you up.

Ducky <----clears 4 stairs regularly
 
Chuck W <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
> in your throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to
> me yesterday. I'm out on the trails in my local woodland
> park, where the folks that run the place have just
> finished a series of controlled burns to clear out
> underbrush (which means nothing smaller than baby green
> trees is left). Up over a small rise I go, plenty of speed
> because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I know
> it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I
> top the rise, only to find myself about 20 feet from an
> eight-inch log lying across the path, held several inches
> aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've
> developed on a mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit.
> I can bunny hop a little bit. When I say a little bit, I
> mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything
> higher than six or seven inches. So here I am careening at
> this foot-tall plus monster, way to fast to bump over it.
> I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way.
> I didn't even touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the
> brakes, stopped, got off the see what I broke. The landing
> was so smooth ,something had to be broken. Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
> need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
> something.
>
> -Chuck Wiley

Great story. The irony is that if you try the same thing
intentionally you'll wind up with a classic OTB manuever. At
least that's what always happens to me when I try to think
my way through something. It's always nice when the brain
gets disengaged and the body takes over.

Tom
 
In news:[email protected], Chuck W
<[email protected]> typed: <snip>
> lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise,
> only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log
> lying across the path, held several inches aloft by debris
> at the sides.
>
<snip>

Do or die.

...you did. WTG! ;^)

Mike
 
tcmedara wrote: <snip chuck's story>
>> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
>> need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
>> something.
>>
>> -Chuck Wiley
> It's always nice when the brain gets disengaged and the
> body takes over.

Yeah. I find that 90% of the time I think too hard about
what I'm doing, over-analyse, tense up in anticipation, and
crash. Then that other 10% of the time I'm relaxed enough I
can do stuff I thought was impossible for me. Sometimes
thinking is a *****.
--
Westie --They say you only use 10% of your brain, maybe I
should burn out that other 90% - Shaun; any ideas?--
(Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)
 
"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> tcmedara wrote: <snip chuck's story>
> >> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all
> >> I need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
> >> something.
> >>
> >> -Chuck Wiley
> > It's always nice when the brain gets disengaged and the
> > body takes over.
>
> Yeah. I find that 90% of the time I think too hard about
> what I'm doing, over-analyse, tense up in anticipation,
> and crash. Then that other 10% of the time I'm relaxed
> enough I can do stuff I thought was impossible for
me.
> Sometimes thinking is a *****.

Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that log
there?!?!?!?"

> Westie --They say you only use 10% of your brain, maybe I
> should burn out that other 90% - Shaun; any ideas?--

I'd say you should maybe burn yours out to save weight. Me,
I use the 90%, and keep the other 10% as extra, for when i
really need it.

Shaun aRe
 
<SNIP>
>
> Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that log
> there?!?!?!?"
>
<SNIP>
>
> Shaun aRe
>

I actually went back yesterday and looked to see why it was
there (and to measure it). It seems the base of the tree was
mostly dead, bug-eaten wood, and the "controlled burn"
burned out enough to bring it down. Judging from the drag
marks, however, it did not originally fall where I found it.
I kinda like the look of it, so I rolled it further down the
hill, to a spot where it actually rests on the trail and
won't catch anyone by surprise. Incidentally, the log itself
is 8 1/2", the total height where I found it: ~14".

-Chuck W
 
"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
> in your throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to
> me yesterday. I'm out on the trails in my local woodland
> park, where the folks that run the place have just
> finished a series of controlled burns to clear out
> underbrush (which means nothing smaller than baby green
> trees is left). Up over a small rise I go, plenty of speed
> because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I know
> it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I
> top the rise, only to find myself about 20 feet from an
> eight-inch log lying across the path, held several inches
> aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've
> developed on a mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit.
> I can bunny hop a little bit. When I say a little bit, I
> mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything
> higher than six or seven inches. So here I am careening at
> this foot-tall plus monster, way to fast to bump over it.
> I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way.
> I didn't even touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the
> brakes, stopped, got off the see what I broke. The landing
> was so smooth ,something had to be broken. Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I
> need is a rabid dog to chase me down the trails or
> something.
>
> -Chuck Wiley

Sometimes that's a daily manuever, in that form or another.

JD
 
"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart
> in your throat, asking yourself that question?

Not in the middle. Usually off to the side, lying on my
back, with the bike not visible from my current position.

[snip tale of accomplishment]

Do or do not, there is no "try". :) Funny, the things you
can do when:

1.) Nobody is watching.

2.) You're really not thinking about it.

Well done!
--
Jonesy
 
"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <SNIP>
> >
> > Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that
> > log there?!?!?!?"
> >
> <SNIP>
> >
> > Shaun aRe
> >
>
> I actually went back yesterday and looked to see why it
> was there (and to measure it). It seems the base of the
> tree was mostly dead, bug-eaten
wood,
> and the "controlled burn" burned out enough to bring it
> down. Judging
from
> the drag marks, however, it did not originally fall where
> I found it. I kinda like the look of it, so I rolled it
> further down the hill, to a spot where it actually rests
> on the trail and won't catch anyone by surprise.
> Incidentally, the log itself is 8 1/2", the total height
> where I found it: ~14".

So, does look like someone dragged it there then. The
bastards.

',;~}~

Shaun aRe