Montana Verde

I admit it. I shuttled Green Mountain today.

That’s right, I climbed 1000 feet more than I descended. So it was a reverse shuttle, something rarely seen.

Odin, Hottie and I started out at the Molino Canyon Overlook heading for Molino Basin (west) trail. We starting climbing the torched trail, Hottie running faster in front of us. Odin started falling back and soon told me he was finished. Too much running was giving him leg problems, I guess.

I suggested that Molino wasn’t going to be the best place to hang out in 3-4 hours, so we agreed to meet in the first open campground below Hitchcock. I rolled off to continue up the highway to Green Mountain.

I picked off groups of none-too-happy roadies. Many of them didn’t take kindly to being passed by a skinny, dorky guy with a 2.3 inch rear tire.

“Morning, how’s it going?”

Look left, double take. Then, no response.

I tried to keep things above 9 mph and within an hour was at the trailhead. The rest of the ride was classic Green Mountain: slow, brutal and full of dismounts.

I coasted down the highway, finally cooled by the humid air. Odin and Hottie were waiting at Prison Camp. They picked me up and we headed home, even though I technically shuttled the Molino Basin uphill.

On the Gordon Hirabashi Recreation signs someone had left little religious booklets from sowersofseed.com. They were “from the Holy Spirit” (written in ink) extolling us to “Pray Hard!! Don’t give up!”

I’m sure someone felt very generous, caring and good about themselves as they placed them here. We put the booklets where they belong: the garbage. Any other religious idiots care to litter in our national forest?