Ahead it lay! An imposing sliver of grassy trail plastered onto an impossibly steep face. We had looked upon the wall many times, wondering what trail-gold lay beyond its summit, but had never had the energy to take on the gradient. But this time we were on eMTBs, this time we would be the conquerors, or so we thought.
We’ve all seen the memes floating around the internet with slogans like “The best view comes after the hardest climb” or “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go” and my personal favourite “Not all classrooms have four walls”. Yes, they are corny and tired, but have you ever wondered what lies over the horizon? Have you ever felt the nagging itch of exploration or the tugging siren call whispering on the wind?
Back to the wall. We’d stopped here countless times before, a long way into this remote part of the valley. Each time we had tried not to think about the faint path heading onwards, averting our gaze as the unridden route taunted us gently. “Too far, no reward, we will get lost” countered our brains against the call of the unknown. Each time the same feeling and excuses, before inevitably turning our backs on the wall to plummet away from the ridge into ‘Lone Wolf’, a track fearsome in its own right.
These are my lands, this is my valley, but beyond ‘the wall’ was a place I had never been, a part of my personal kingdom that is always in shadow.
But not today, today would be different. Today the wall would call, and this time we would answer. With a mediocre weather forecast and time on our hands, it was time to embrace adventure, taking whatever came on the chin. We had no idea if the terrain was rideable. We just had a faint line on the map, a healthy dose of enthusiasm and an open mind. It could be trail riding nirvana, a horseshoe ridgeline connecting two familiar hills with a scintillating ride full of exultant hoots and high-fives. Equally as likely, it could be one of those rides that’s only funny 6 months later, when you laugh about it over a pint in the pub after you have finally forgiven each other – you know the ones.
We had the right tools for the job, there was no question of that sitting aboard a pair of Canyon Spectral:ONs. The wide 27.5 plus rear tires would be put to the test on the formidable climb, and the huge rollover capability of the 29er front wheel should be able to handle the bogs and hidden holes in the heather that surely lay in wait for us. Batteries were fully charged and a formidable Scottish breakfast of thick porridge and even thicker coffee lay heavy in our stomachs. Nothing could stop us now… In silence, we clipped in and headed towards the imposing hill.
Perhaps this is the part where you expect to read the overused “with our eMTBs we were unstoppable” mantra with a fairytale ending and the undeniable triumph of modern technology. Not this time. Five minutes later we were bent double over our bikes, swearing and pushing. The wall was too steep, even for our eMTBs, but at this point, we had rolled the dice and committed. There was nothing for it but to push on, literally. We toiled up the hill in ‘walk’ mode, hoping the summit would come soon. As the gradient eased, we flicked into Boost mode and were able to claw some desperate traction from the dirt and make some headway, propelling ourselves slowly upwards into the unknown, like a ship against the tide. Finally at the top, we both filed the struggle with the hill under “stuff to forget’ and cracked on.
Over the next two hours, we discovered a hidden side to an area we thought we knew really well, with beautiful long trails punctuated with arduous bogs and marshland that could only be negotiated with skill and a good sense of humour. It was a character building experience, one which would have been impossible without motors pushing us encouragingly onwards. We rode some great trails, we pushed some terrible trails, and had an absolute riot.
Exploration is not so easy these days. We live in a time where every step falls on others that have come before. But you don’t have to fly to the darkest corners of the earth, eat ‘Russian roulette’ food and drink from dirty ditches to be an explorer. Sometimes something amazing lies just over the hill. Would we do the loop again? No, probably not. Did we have fun going on an adventure? You bet!
From now on, every time we reach that spot under the wall, and the siren song whispers down to us, we will no longer have to shamefully avert our gaze. Now we can look proudly to the top and say “I’ve ridden up there”. These are my lands, this is my valley, I’ve been everywhere.
This article is from E-MOUNTAINBIKE issue #017
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