Night Winter Muni on Hojack

On my drive home from work this evening I passed the Hojack Trail and noticed it looked nearly clear of snow.  I wasn't expecting the 20 feet section I saw to be representative of the whole trail, but it gave motivation to head out for my first night muni ride.

Outfitted with my new light set, I headed from home on street and rode the length of the Hojack and back.  Actually, I had to fill my tire again before leaving.  I still need to fix that.

It was 20°F out, but with the right clothes it might as well have been 60°F. Though on the return trip my toes got pretty cold.  Also, my CamelBak tube kept freezing up.  I had to make sure to suck some water through every few minutes even if I wasn't thirsty.  A few times it was close to frozen solid.

Riding with the helmet light worked well.  I could see everything just fine.  Most of the Hojack had snow on it but, unlike my recent attempt to ride the Hojack, it was more packed and much more rideable. My back and shoulders still felt it over time.

It was only a little creepy from time to time, what with having a smaller field of vision, and wondering if I was hearing noises somewhere off the side of the trail.  The noise of crunching snow and nylon swishing made it hard to hear much.  The only life I saw was a cat and a rabbit.

It took about an hour and a half.  I rode just under 13 miles.  Overall it was a fun time.

Night Winter Muni on Hojack - 2013-02-06

Winter Muni Ride

I hiked at Whiting yesterday on a mission to update the trail map signs by extending the Green trail.  It was a task I volunteered for with The Friends of Webster Trails.  I used a green paint marker and I think it turned out great.  Eventually, as the green trail grows even more, I'm sure we'll have new signs made.  I noticed the trails looked good for winter muni so I decided to come back today.

I grabbed the 29er off the garage wall only to find the tire was flat.  Not again!  I figured it was probably just a slow leak, so I pumped it up and took it.  I put a hand pump in my pack just in case, but the tire held up fine.

The trail conditions were pretty good.  There was about an inch or less of hard packed snow on the frozen dirt.  The dirt was visible in many places.  It was a bit bumpy in places because of foot traffic when the trail had been muddy.  Those shoe impressions are frozen in place for now.

This was my first real muni ride with the 29er, if snow muni counts.  I removed the handlebar before I left.  I was afraid it would get in the way for muni and I didn't think I'd use it much.  I've been wondering if I'd be impaired with the 29er on hill climbs compared to my 24.  It definitely felt harder and I didn't make any good climbs, but it's too soon to judge it, especially with the snow.  Otherwise, it felt a lot like the 24.

I rode about 7 miles.
Muni at Whiting and Webster Park - 2013-02-03 at EveryTrail