Smith Creek XC Gruel…..
September 28th, 2007
Oh wow. Another local ride to add to the inventory. XC riding….weird. I must be getting older or something. What do I think?
Right. well, the Smith Creek “Gruel” isn’t exactly an inviting name for a ride, but as we found out it’s not really all that grueling. I guess if you tried to mid-ring it all the way up it would be a bit tougher, but overall it’s pretty mellow.
A few views, and 8 km of buff Okanagan singletrack carry you up to the top in about an hour to an hour and a half.
There’s a few short technical sections to push your anaerobic threshold, but mostly its just a spin.
Oh, and the occasional “obstacle” in your way.
Harley finally moved outta the way.
The top has a decent view, and there’s some old decrepit log rides to fall off.
Once again, Harley got outta the way in time.
The descent is fast, open, scenic, and is puntuated by little jumps every few hundred feet.
Oh, and there’s even a few rockfaces to play with.
Throw in a handful of big gaps (20-30 footers) here and there in the woods and you’ve got yet another reason to come up and visit.
