Another day of cool weather but amazing singletrack at
Tsali - self-proclaimed mountain biking mecca of North Carolina! Breakfast was minimalist - bowl of cheerios, so I added a Powerbar to my palate and soon we were riding the
Mouse Trail. The picture below is of Bruce, yours truly, Mandy (fellow Manitoba outdoor enthusiast), & Michael - thanks again for inviting to be a guest instructor on the trip!
It consisted of hardpack singletrack that wound up intelligently up and around a variety of mountains. Subtle climbs and amazingly fast and tight descents! All in all - it is very understandable why Tsali is a classic place to ride. Nothing too technical like back home but unbelievabley fast! Highlights included some amazing lookouts over the nearby lake, some really neat and exposed switchbacks, losing it around one particular corner, Lisa showing off her mtn biking prowess by keeping right up behind me, Bret & Tyson leading us stealthfully and quickly through an amazing loop of epic biking!
After riding, I took a good warm shower and then a bunch of us went to the
Nantahala Outdoor Centre. I bought some clothing & trinkets for the girls which hopefully will be a nice memento of my time away but still thinking about them. My left forearm has a muscle that for whatever reason is enflamed and giving me grief - I hope the anti-inflamatories I've been engesting will help. Tomorrow - we will see if the Little Tennessee will be worth the paddle.
Supper was great - Cristin & Emily really have organized the trip and meals well! I'm not sure what we ate but it was tasty and spicey!
Tomorrow night I will be leading a devotional with the group and I'm hoping they will enjoy out exploration of John 10:1-18 which I've nicknamed Mary had A Little Lamb Meets Braveheart. Basically we'll take a look at the metaphor shepherd and how it affects how we do leadership. My hope is that the LDP will put themselves into the story & parable within the passage and creatively respond to it. From that we will glean some leadership implications.
Off to bed - tomorrow we kayak!
G
Mountain Biking Tsali With LDP 2005
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