AZT carnage

I stopped to grab a bite to eat.

“Wow, that grasshopper is sitting on a shin dagger!”

Oh wait…

I’ve seen some severely uncoordinated jumps by the thousands of grasshoppers on the trails these days. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch that one could land, upside down, and impale itself on a shin dagger. (*)

It was a pretty accurate portrayal of how I was feeling at the moment, too.

Done. Cooked. Deep in the pain cave.

I thought about taking a trailside nap, but feeling the small hump of H20 left in my camelbak made me think otherwise. I’d been riding slower than expected, it was warmer than expected. Both lame excuses — I screwed up and didn’t bring enough water. For this:

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Redington, Chiva, Italian Trap, AZT, more AZT, Milagrosa.

I was tired by the third part, but was also committed to it. Riding back down Redington would have been a complete waste, but it’s what I should have done.

With start < sunrise, I only barely beat the rednecks to their shooting grounds. I was disappointed to not see any shot up election signs -- a Redington redneck tradition.

I stopped a number of times because energy stores were too low to even enjoy downhills — on the Behemoth. That’s unacceptable.

It’s been a while since I’ve really shattered myself, though, so there was some interest there. I followed several cracks to their natural conclusion — suffering. Descending Milagrosa in that state was a most excellent challenge. Focus came at a high price. It was easier to stay sloppy and hope for the best. But I wasn’t willing to take that risk. I walked the three spots I usually walk, and rode the rest.

With ~6 miles back on the road I could have pulled water from any number of garden hoses. But I didn’t want to. Summer is ending — when is the next time I’ll be able to explore this particular ‘crack’?

Cracking I was, but 44oz of slushee was waiting for me at Circular K. I peeled my lips off my teeth and proceeded to give myself a major brain freeze. Ah, summer….

(*) Further research indicates the grasshopper was likely caught and impaled by a Loggerhead Shrike who “uses its hooked beak to kill insects, lizards, mice, and birds, and then impales them on thorns to hold them while it rips them apart.”