The secret to life is bugging out early and heading to the hills as fast as you can. There’s something about being cooped up in buildings and breathing recycled air that makes me want to run to the hills as fast as possible and play hobo, even if it’s only for a few hours. So when I got home from work on Saturday, dead tired, and KB asked me if I wanted to go camping on the Goose, I could only reply yes.
We had about 18 hours from the time I got home from work until we needed to be back in SG. Pretty soon there were stuff sacks flying around the gear room (Yes, we do in fact have a room that is almost entirely full of our gear and my drumset). Sleeping bags, pads, pillows, a quick look outside, no tent needed. Food? I quickly grab the stove and fuel and then added a handful from each of the three boxes full of food left over from the JMT. Bikes on board.
And wait.
Some of you may know my nephew Cason. He works the Service desk at the shop and wrenches a couple of days a week. He hadn’t ever been to the Goose and had been questioning me about when the next time was going to be that I would be riding it. Well, this is short notice, you in? Yup. So we did have to wait a few minutes for him to show up and get his gear loaded before we headed out. On the bright side, we had a Goose Virgin which is almost as good as having a Dirt Virgin, but whatever…
We headed out from the Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance World Headquarters a little after 8. It was dark. It wasn’t until we were pulling out of the driveway that I wondered if we would even be able to find a camping spot on a Saturday night in October on Gooseberry. Luckily, we have a few secret ones up our sleeves and were able to pull into one without any problem. Within minutes of stopping we had our sleeping quarters arranged and a fire blazing in the pit.
It wasn’t until we began setting up camp that I realized that Cason wasn’t entirely well-prepared for the night. I had loaned him a tent because he asked. He had no sleeping bag, just one heavy blanket and two pillows. No pad, no jacket and his food consisted of three grapefruit packs, an apple and one pouch of oatmeal. I guess I should have paid more attention to what gear he was loading into the truck. Well, the best way to learn what you need to bring is to not bring it.
Around 11, we wandered away from the fire and slipped into our beds.
A few hours later, I swear that I hear someone walking around and the door of the truck open. I perch myself up on one elbow and look but can’t see anyone or anything. I lay back down and the same thing happens again a few minutes later. I’m tired and the dogs are running around and that’s that. It wasn’t until the next morning as I was waking up that I remembered those sounds and having felt the truck rock, but I couldn’t fathom what had happened.
Seeing that we had to be back in town by noon, as soon as the light starting to break I was up to get the fire ready and make some coffee because I knew there was no way Cason or KB would be getting out of bed until both of those things were available. I opened the truck door and there was Cason all crunched up in a ball in the passenger seat shivering. Ah, that explains that.
As predicted, the sound of the fire crackling and water boiling were enough to drag my fellow hobos out of the truck and out of their cocoons. We wrapped up breakfast, put the fire out and readied our bikes. Drink up for this morning we ride!
And seeing that it was Cason’s first time on the Goose I was committed to taking pictures to document the whole thing. So I got one just as we were getting ready to jump on the Windmill trail. Once we were riding, I got in my groove and rode the entire time without snapping any more pictures. There were multiple times that I thought, I should stop and take a picture. The scenery is beautiful and the light is popping, but nope, I just kept riding. Sorry, I think I have a problem.
We headed up the Windmill thinking that it would give Cason a chance to feel the Goose a bit and get his legs under him. He quickly learned that the Goose isn’t an easy task to handle, especially when you have spent the night shivering in the cab of a small truck. He got the hang of it and we continued up Bowls and Ledges and then the North Rim.
Seeing that we were on a schedule and Cason had mentioned a few times that his legs were tired, we came back down the double track to the cow pond. At that point we jumped back on the North Rim and rode to the practice loop. We thought it was appropriate to introduce him to the Wall of Death. Which can be seen here being ridden by Super D.
Sorry, I know the lighting sucks but it’s the only video I have of it. So deal with it.
We then finished out the practice loop back to Bowls and Ledges and down the Windmill. We popped a couple of beers (KB and I, Cason still under age) and drank them whilst a hurricane of packing and loading was being done. We hit the dirt rolling and made it back to the world headquarters just before noon. And that’s how you ride the Goose on 16 hours or less.
P. L. and R.
