The first time I tried to ride the Bear Claw Poppy trail, it was called the Green Valley Loop. I wasn’t even a teenager yet and was rocking a Costco special Skykomish mountain bike with a rack. It was pretty sweet. It had under the bar shifters so you know it was a good one.
That first time turned into a disaster. I had no idea where I was going but was the keeper of the beta which consisted of somewhere around the Green Valley Spa there is a dirt road and then you bomb down the trail. We found a dirt road, not the right one, pedaled our hearts out, got dehydrated, ended up at a gas station chugging soda to fix it and then still had to find our way back. It was the first time I ever got a headache from lack of liquids and I remember just laying in bed with the lights off wishing I was dead.
Soon thereafter, my pops got actual beta and we sorted out a ride. It was killer and pretty much the only thing I ever wanted to do. That was almost 30 years ago. I have no idea how many times I’ve ridden shredded the Claw, but it’s definitely up there. My fondest memories are when I was riding what was the latest technology, but looking back I must recognize the brakes barely worked, the bike had no suspension and most of the time, we didn’t wear helmets.
TBT is me attempting to live out the glory days. Or just bring back the fun of ripping an easy trail on a bike that is reminiscent of where I started with this lifestyle. It’s mellow. The dogs are always with us and you should Join me next Thursday for another edition.
