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by T.C. VarnerAugust 2000We had just parked at Falling Water School for the purpose of meeting and driving to the trailhead on top of the mountain. Naturally, The Conversation turned to the focal point, the trail. The first part of The Conversation I really heard from Buck was "16 Miles out and back". That was all I needed to fuel my emotions. Anticipation, fear, excitement, fear, wonder, and fear. I was ready for a great ride. However, Buck didn’t stop there. He described each section one by one. Fast paved road into fast technical rock gardens into fast down hills followed by fast up hills and last but not least fast tracks on the edges of cliffs. My heart rate monitor registered 155; my upper limit for the ride, and my shoes weren’t even tied yet. My shorts, normally 1LB baggies, were up to 1.5 Lbs. with sweat. The "fast paved road" section surfaced first in The Conversation and I realized that this is where Arlos Dempsey lives, and drives. I was riding my orange bike, wearing sweaty baggies and a yellow (highly visible)jersey. However this section was only 2 miles long and Judy promised me we would take our time. The thing I hate about nausea is that the heat makes it worse. We advanced to the "fast technical rock gardens" with Buck explaining how the locals occasionally hooked a tree and how some parts of this particular section were really tough and I shouldn’t feel bad if I wanted to walk and let Judy carry my bike because, at this point, we were closer to the power line leading to the BiLo in Soddy Daisy than to the truck. Important information in case a rescue was needed of course. My right shorts leg was dripping and I was pretty sure I had misread the 159 on my heart rate monitor, but The Conversation just kept on flowing. We mounted the "fast down hills followed by fast up hills" section next and as Buck explained the concept I drifted off wondering how much speed I would need to develop going down a steep 30 foot hill to be able to successfully climb an immediately steep 40 foot hill. I was jarred from concentration by the beeping of my heart rate monitor and was positive a failing battery or maybe the power line to the BiLo was the cause of the 165 reading. The last section in The Conversation was the "fast track on the edges of cliffs". As we prerode this section I thought of how I, as a child, for no apparent reason, would sometimes simply fall off my bike and how this "trick" had followed me into adulthood. Then I remembered that I was riding an orange bike, wearing sweaty baggies and a yellow (highly visible) jersey and would probably be easy for Judy and Tom to find. The clock was nearing the 1:00pm mark and as we headed up the mountain to our rendezvous with the trail, Judy commented on how distracting the beeping of my heart rate monitor had been during The Conversation and I promised that I would "adjust" it after the ride. As we climbed on our bikes and proceeded down the "fast paved" section I was glad The Conversation was over, I was thrilled with the company, and I was ready for the ride. Thanks Buck, Tom, and of course Judy for a great Sunday ride.
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