Sat, Dec 7 2002 - Mountain Bike – Fort Mountain State Park (near Ellijay and Chatsworth) (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Patrick Barry Participants: karen gennuso, Gene Whitehead, Patrick Barry, Robert Gilliam, , Robert Morris, Barry, David Boyd, Carl Domingue, Jason Walker, Patrick Barry

Write Up:
This was the first AOC mountain biking trip I scheduled. Originally I wanted to ride Bear Creek but it was closed due to hunting season. Accordingly, we rode the Gold Mine Trail. We left the McDonald’s carpool at 9:30 am and headed up I-75. From the highway we took 52 to Alt 52 and headed up the mountain to the park. But before arriving at the park we stopped off and I took several photos of the valley below. We met at the administration desk, paid our $2 ride fee and drove to the ride parking lot. Ten guys readied themselves and began the ride. The ride was a bit different than a typical mountain bike ride. The temperature at the start of the ride was about 40 degrees. Since the ground temperature was also very cold, as evidenced by icicles on the roadside, the grass was rather stiff and in many places frozen. I had never ridden over a terrain in this condition and for the first mile I constantly kept looking at my tires as the sound it made was that of a flat tire! After we blasted our way downhill, we had a slow but steady climb with many whoop-de-doos for the next few miles. Right before we were to head back to the parking lot we had to climb a pain of a hill. Many riders were breathing heavy and using their granny gear! Six of us decided to give the same loop a second try. We downed PowerBars, GU Shots and the like and headed out for another five miles. The ride was quicker, the result of us being plenty warm from riding the trails for a while - plus the temperature had climbed to 50+ degrees. This time, however, we all skipped the killer climb back to the parking lot and took the rode back to the parking lot. By now it was past lunch and many of us were close to starvation. Longhorn proved to be the ticket; we enjoyed a meal and told war stories. We plan to ride again soon.
Written By: Patrick Barry
Photos From: Patrick Barry

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