Millcreek Canyon: A true fountain of youth

After riding Millcreek last Wednesday with Kris I knew I had to return for at least one more ride before the winter gate opened on July 1st. The trails are so good that the opportunity to enjoy them with minimal (if any) traffic is impossible to pass up.

Looking at my schedule for the coming week, I realized Monday would be my only chance. It should be noted that while Monday was the 29th day of June and the upper Millcreek trails are only open to bikes on even numbered days, the rule isn't really applicable until the gate opens. I mean seriously, how many people are willing to hike 4 miles on the road (each way) in order to reach the trailhead? Yep, you guessed it: Very few. Or, based on my experience: None.

So Monday it was. Kris was in and so were Mark A. and Alex. This was my first time riding with Alex and I have to say that I came away very impressed. Not only is he an extremely intelligent, pleasant, articulate and friendly guy, but he also happens to be super fast on two wheels! To illustrate my point consider that Kris and I rode a slightly shorter route last week yet finished Monday's ride more than 13 minutes quicker. I'm glad Mark was there so that Alex had somebody to talk to as he rode. Me, when I was close enough to be heard, I couldn't talk because I was breathing so hard!

If we had encountered many other people on the trail I'm sure they would have wondered what triggered the stampede of clydesdales:




Thankfully we did stop occasionally to regroup and take in the scenery.

Here I am enjoying one of the many spectacular views:


Image courtesy of KanyonKris


One thing that's cool about my blog (in fact, perhaps this is the only cool thing about my blog) is all the people I've met because our paths crossed online. On the ride I mentioned to Mark that I'd met all of the guys - Kris, Alex and himself - through the blog. He said that the same was true for him. Which brings me to the title of this post.

Cimbing up to the Little Water trail from Dog Lake we encountered Jared and Eric. I was familiar with both of them from their respective blogs but had never met either in person. After introducing myself, Eric remarked that I was much younger than he'd imagined me to be. Apparently he had been under the impression that I was a 60 year old guy. I laughed at the time, but now I wonder: Do I really seem that old? :)

I finally get to meet the SLC Samurai and Faceless Ghost in person:


Image courtesy of KanyonKris