Mountain Biking in Pisgah
Spanning over 500,000 acres with hundreds of miles of trails, rugged terrain, and lush woodland, nearby Pisgah National Forest is a premier location for all things outdoors - especially for those who enjoy mountain biking. Falling Creek is located closest to the Pisgah Ranger District of the Forest, which has some of the most well-renowned mountain bike trails in the Southeast, and arguably in the country. This section is also home to the Cradle of Forestry, the site of the United States’ first school of forestry. Exploring this section of the forest by bike is on many people’s bucket lists, but it’s also not for the faint of heart.
Last week, an advanced group of mountain bikers took a 3-day trip to Pisgah, using the North Mills River Campground as their base. “It was hard, but really fun,” said Phillip. He described the challenge of the rocky and technical trails, which Pisgah is known for. “The last trail we did, Lower Black Mountain, was really cool because it was smooth and it was downhill.” He said that was the best part of the trip because it was such a fast and flowy trail compared to all the others.
Phillip was just one of the five riders who joined the trip, along with three of the mountain bike counselors: Hays, Ryan, and Cooper. “I really like the group of guys we had cause we’ve been on a lot of trips together. They’re good bikers, and they’re really cool and nice, so I like riding with them a lot,” said Phillip. Though he loves biking trips, Phillip was planning on taking it slower for this last week and doing some adventures in camp. “I haven’t done a full day of my activities yet! That was the goal,” he said.
Phillip thinks it’s nice how you can do so many different trips that aren’t based on your age, but on your skill. One great example of this was a rider named Henry, who joined the trip at only 9 years old, and was keeping up with the 14 year olds on the trails. “Henry was definitely challenged, but he had an awesome attitude about it,” his counselor Hays said. Even when Henry crashed on the slippery trails at times, Hays said he got right back up and never complained. I asked Henry why he still likes biking even though it’s hard sometimes - “It’s just fun to challenge yourself,” he replied. The great part about camp is that all our adventures are “challenge by choice,” so boys of all ages and skill levels have the opportunity to test their skills and sign up for the trips or activities that sound most exciting to them.
Just like Phillip, Cobin’s favorite part of the trip was also the Lower Black Mountain trail. “I really liked our campsite too,” he said. Cobin couldn’t decide if the rock gardens or the hills were the hardest part, but Pisgah is known for both! One of the challenging hills that Cobin remembers was Trace Ridge, but the reward of riding down Spencer Gap afterwards was sweet.
This is Cooper’s first year as a counselor after being a camper for many summers, and he remembers riding the same trails as a camper with James Hendershott, the head of mountain biking at the time. “We rode the same loop from Daniel’s Ridge, to Thrift Cove, to Lower Black,” Cooper said. “James was the GOAT.” Now Cooper gets to be in the same position after coming full circle, taking the next generation of campers out on trails that they’ll remember for a lifetime.
On these trips out of camp, boys also get to enjoy tent camping and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world. Henry took a photo next to a salamander they found on the trail. “It looked like a toy!” Henry said, because of how huge it was. They spotted the salamander after Hays rode over a rock, which flipped up from his back tire. After admiring the salamander for a bit, they put the rock back and continued on their ride, keeping an eye out for more cool nature moments.
In mountain biking, just like anything in life, you have to put in the effort for the reward. Climbing up the trails is challenging, but makes flying down the other side feel even sweeter. All the boys here at camp have been setting goals and pursuing new challenges all session, and it’s been great seeing their hard work pay off! We have just a few days left here at camp, and we’ll be enjoying the final part of the ride as if it were a fast and fun descent down Lower Black!
