Noontootla

Back in February, the boys and I got in some pretty good miles in the general Noontootla area. We hit a bunch of obscure trails, and got in some good, solid Adventure.

Unforutnately, it was a long time ago, I didn't take any notes, and I don't remember the details that usually make it a good story. I did take some pics though, and I remember the gist of it all...

We parked at the Fellowship Primitive Church, as one generally does when riding Noontootla, but instead of climbing FS58 as one generally does when riding Noontootla, we headed west on the pavement.

I'm sure some folks have come up with a clever name for the trail we climbed, but I just call it Old FS180. That led to actual FS180, and we continued climbing it too.

From there, we climbed even more, up FS42, to FS58A, where we finally started descending. 58A became Lovinggood, which was satisfyingly primitive, but in much better shape, in various ways, than it had been on many previous rides.

There was some amount of deadfall...

...some of which I was able to just heave downhill and clear entirely. At some point, John fumbled and crashed, but didn't get hurt, which was nice.

If you ride Lovinggood, you gotta cross Noontootla Creek...

...and though there have been various downed trees across it in decades past, there were none that we could cross that day. I took off my shoes and socks, but still managed to get an inch or two of my shorts wet.

From there, we climbed FS58, which was fast and fun.

It's always a great climb. Instead of continuing on up to Winding Stair Gap, we hung a left on FS253 and made our way over to the Hickory Flats Cemetery.

I was feeling good, I arrived before everyone else, and had time to take a pic of the old school marker. Some day, I really need to find a way to look through the Fannin County Heritage Foundation's old photos and maps.

Marc and Erick pulled up eventually...

...and we made our way over to the pavilion.

There's kind-of an actual bathroom there, so everybody took the opportunity to use it before we pressed on. From there, we headed north on the Frick Creek Trail. In years past, it was clean, clear, and well worn-in. This time, it was leafy and rooty, and slippery, and it required a lot of attention to ride.

The creek itself required skill to keep ones feet dry, and not all of us succeeded.

From there, we climbed up to FS42 and pondered our future. I remember that I had some different idea of how to get back to the cars, but I don't remember what that was now. Whatever it was, we bailed on that plan and just took Noontootla Creek Road back down. I want to say that it was only the second time I'd ever descended that road. Me and John and Mark sparred most of the way down, and Mark crushed me on the one kick at the bottom.

Done!

I remember having a great time, and feeling good all day, but I really wish I could remember the details. I gotta get through this backlog, and get back to writing while the memories are still fresh.

One day at a time, I guess.