Story+Photos: Comfort Trails - Redux

When You Need an Ego Boost

Words by Cam McRae. Photos by Morgan Taylor.

Date: 2012-01-22

This article was originally posted in 2003. Like Shepherd's Pie followed by a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, when we're looking for a pick-me-up there are certain trails we gravitate towards. Since trails and bikes change from year to year, the idea behind Comfort Trails extends beyond its original scope. Thus, we'd like to revisit it, and ponder how things have changed since then.

Comfort Trails

Originally posted May 2003.

A few rides back I was tackling Danger Dan’s Flying Circus with Eamonn Duignan and Brent ‘Johnny Flair’ Upson. Over the years I have made some progress on Circus and now there are quite a few sections I can ride, but I pick my battles carefully. When the skinnies rise more than about 6 feet off the ground I generally pull up a stump and spectate. Lately I have been making some gains and I figured I had a few moves in the bag. The opening challenge is The Tower of Contemplation. You ride up a ramp and find yourself on a narrow platform about 8 feet above the ground looking down a very steep, off-camber ladder bridge. I looked at the Tower many times before finally giving it a go but since that time I have felt pretty confident on it – riding it in the rain and even on my hardtail. On this day however I was feeling tight and at the top I kept grabbing a fistful of brake and putting down a nervous foot. Rather than bang my head against the wall I decided to shrug it off and get some flow going further down the trail. The next sections went okay but I felt like crap – I was resisting like a 3 year-old trying to stay out of the tub.

  The Tower of Contemplation, like many first features on a trail, could make or break your ride. Photo ~ Morgan Taylor

I often wonder what causes my skills to abandon me without notice. Have I been sleeping enough? Maybe I need more protein in my diet or perhaps I have been making the bald man cry too much – or not enough? Whenever this happens – and it isn’t as rare as I would like it to be – I scour my faulty memory for something I could have done to deserve this punishment. Once, after obsessively practicing wheelies and manuals I found myself brutalizing the trail like a runaway dump truck. I thought working on that fore and aft balance would help my riding but the reverse was true. I even wonder if my ears might be a little plugged or, when I’m feeling particularly frustrated, if my stars aren’t aligned and the moon is pulling me over. If a pattern does emerge I will be sure to let you know.

  The first roller on Ladies can stop you in your tracks, but if you roll through confidently, the rest of the ride will usually follow suit. Photo ~ Morgan Taylor

I skipped Lobotomizer 2000 (which I roll rather than launch) and rode up onto The Mother Log. I had done the launch off the Mother quite a few times but the line I used to take is off a ladder bridge. When we saw Wade Simmons ride off the log instead of the platform in NSX II (or was it III?) that became the cool line. When Wade does it he swings his bike around in the air, lands sideways between a pair of trees and shoots out of the frame. A few rides before this one it had finally looked doable to me – hell it actually looked small – so I launched it with my ham-fisted style and landed it fine (but without Wade’s speed or flair). Another one under my belt I said to myself feeling that amazing satisfied glow as I floated to the next launch. On this day I rode up to the edge of the log feeling terrible and there it was again – the huge impossible move that had eluded me for so long. Where did the move I had done just a few days earlier disappear to? It was actually as though the log had risen 3 feet and I was looking down farther than before. My whole body felt gripped and skittish. Ashamed, I climbed off the log and resolved to walk the rest of the trail rather than prolong my agony.

We rode down to Air Supply and I avoided eye contact with any of the stunts and waited for the others to finish their session. Pink Starfish was much the same and I eventually exited on Digger – which I rode cleanly but stiff and tight as a principal’s ass.

After this ride I had a bitter taste in my mouth. Sometimes when I have a crappy ride I feel like I will never again feel good on my bike. Luckily I now know the potion to get me back on track. On my next ride I pedaled up Fromme silently – sure of my destination and confident in the outcome.

  The Big Stupid line hasn't changed much in the past decade... Photo ~ Morgan Taylor

In recent years Ladies Only has become my comfort trail. When I have something to work on or I have had a bad ride, Ladies is the cure. This meandering line of granite, cedar and soil collaborates brilliantly with the spectacular natural canvas that overlooks our city. More North Shore stunts have been born on this trail than anywhere else; the ladder bridge, teeter totter, a-frame and roller coaster to name a few. This may lead you to believe that this is a gnarly trail but in fact Digger made a decision not long ago to buff it into a hardtail friendly route. There are tricky sections and some challenging stunts, but on a good day the bike slithers beneath me like it’s on autopilot. I know the best line through every section and I am always aware of what’s next – unless Digger has crafted another masterpiece. Riding Ladies for me is like going home after a winter in Belarus.

  With Digger's recent work, Ladies Only is once again one of Cam's Comfort Trails.

By the time I got to Skull the previous ride was a distant memory and after Big Stupid I was trying to decide which company was going be lucky enough to sponsor me. Lower Ladies is much more challenging and there are several crux moves that keep you on your game. If my ride had started on Lower I know it wouldn’t have gone as well but after having my bootstraps pulled up on the top section I managed to ride it loose and dab less. The icing was to sail off The Crater and match up my wheels perfectly on the landing. Unfortunately my buddy Bill decided this was the day to pop his Crater cherry. He nosed in heavily, lost his feet and rode through the ditch straddling his stem, feet off the pedals. He got bucked so far that, even standing on the far side of the road, I had to move fast to get out of his way. Luckily he was bruised but not broken (for the most part) and it became a battle yarn to spin over a beer.

  Shore-father Todd Fiander can't keep his hands off the fresh cedar. Photo ~ Morgan Taylor

On my next ride I was back on the learning curve and generally feeling confident and strong. I can't say if it is the familiarity of the trail or the diversity of the terrain, but I never have a bad ride on Ladies. I could be returning from injury riding a borrowed CCM on a slushy winter day and Digger’s most famous trail still wouldn’t let me down. Next time you are raising a pint after a ride clank your glasses in honour of the builder who built your comfort trail – here’s to you Todd.

This look back into the NSMB archives approaches the ever-moving target of the place you go when you need a guaranteed feel good ride. Where's your Comfort Trail? Pass the peppermint tea and speak below...

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