The Little B's Try Out Fat Biking...
Trip date: Monday Nov 14, 2022
Submitted by Little Bs
Particpants:
The Little B's and Dad
Discussion:
The Little B's Try Out Fat Biking...Trails!
We were feeling neglected because Dad's been track skiing several times since he last went skiing with us. He knows we don't like track skiing (our toes get squished in the narrow tracks), but says we can't go exploring off-trail because the snow isn't deep enough and we could get injured by rocks hidden under the snow. We put on our best sad and hurt look, so he treated us to a spa afternoon: exfoliating scrub, body waxing, rub down, and brush. It felt great; we were so clean and shiny! Dad then had an inspiration: "Let's try Fat Biking trails!". The hard-working volunteers at West Bragg Creek pack the fat bike trails creating a firm but narrow snow surface, so it's easy to see and avoid any rocks. Dad created a route for us (photo #6) and off we went the very next day!
It was -4C and sunny when we started out on Bragging Rights and Merlin View (photo #1). Dad said it was way easier than when he does it in summer on his mountain bike. And he gets to enjoy the scenery more because we take care of the steering! There were a couple of fat bikers just behind us, but we stayed ahead until they joined us at the rock bench viewpoint (photo #2). The trail continues climbing to a viewpoint of Moose Mountain (photo #3). The downhill section was a bit tricky because it's exposed to the sun and the trail was getting icy and melting out. But other than having to use a gate instead of the ride-over cattle guard, we managed fine (photo #4).
Then we headed across to Telephone Loop East via Reconnect, Long Distance (photo #5), and Disconnect. Along the way, we decided to play hide-and-seek. When he wasn't looking, we pulled a glove out of Dad's pocket and dropped it on the trail. How long before he found out he was playing hide-and-seek? What fun! We went south on Telephone Loop, then Snowshoe Hare West and Demi-Tel back to where we had started on Long Distance. It wasn't until we arrived at Demi-Tel that Dad noticed his glove was missing. "Hide and Seek!" we shouted with glee. But Dad didn't seem happy at all. He explained that when you want to play hide-and-seek, you have to tell everyone and get their permission. He asked us where we hid the glove, but we couldn't remember. He guessed it was on Long Distance where we took our last photo. Luckily, our route was taking us back to just a few hundred metres from the spot. But the glove wasn't there. Since it was such a nice day and we still had lots of energy, we decided to continue retracing our route. A kilometre later on Disconnect there was the glove, right in the middle of the trail!
We turned around and went back onto Long Distance following it all the way south to Bragging Rights and the parking lot. What a great trip! We told Dad we were really sorry about the hide-and-seek mistake. He said it was OK; we were just learning how to play games. And he told us how to play a new one: From now on if he ever drops something, we win if we tell him right away!
When we got home, we reminded Dad to make a generous donation to Bragg Creek Trails.