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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Essay on Mountain Biking

Essay on Mountain Biking

Have you ever wondered, what it would be like to mountain bike in Hawaii? Where priests (kahuna) and royalty (ali`i) roamed. Also, where human sacrifices ordained in the cases of grave illnesses, for the birth of a first born son, success in war, and to prevent natural disasters.

With all the treacherous hills and tranquilizing sounds of the wind, inspiring views of the mountains and waterfalls; the adventure is exhausting, extraordinary, extreme torture, and astonishing. A trail that I favor the most out of other popular trails in Hawaii: The Aiea Loop Trail. The Trail being so breathtaking, that it became a weekend ritual that my friends and I had to challenge its dangerous route. Mountain biking is a sport to some people; is a way to relax, and get a good exercise to other people. Mountain Biking is a challenge for me; a challenge to over come all the fears that I have deep inside that need to escape. Let me take you the long ten-mile journey through the Aiea Loop Trail.

A devastating and long waited journey started at about six thirty in the morning, by charging up my weakened body with ice-cold refreshing water and some delicious energy bars. Each of us is in our own world when we ride, observing what we are leaving behind: Houses, cars, shopping centers, baseball parks, and gravel roads.

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Knowingly, the journey ahead of us is a way to escape our fears and the things we do on a daily basis; and if there is anything that we do not know how to accomplish effectively; we will accomplish this rideѕwith bloody shins, bruised buttocks, and a feeling with happiness and enjoyment that we had beat the Aiea Loop trailѕand start a new week and wait anxiously for the next weekend.

As I strapped my helmet securely to my head, and appeased my shades on, I jumped onto my bike like I was a cowboy jumping onto his horse, I rode off into the mountains as if I were running away from the world. The start of the trail was bumpy and very muddy, because of the tropical environment. My skills helped me overcome those unsophisticated obstacles. By mastering the braking system that was equipped with my bike, I could easily get through the muddy trails. With the help of the dual suspension on the bike I glided like the wind though the bumpy dark trail. Speeding down the trail, my eyes became watery from the wind blowing into my face, though my shades are on to keep the glare from disrupting my view, the wind crept in from the sides. The trail is not like a normal trail that you would hike on, there are steep hills and steep drops that are at times have sixty-degree angles and four to seven foot drops. The skill involved climbing the hills is in a sense changing a stick shift in a car, but the process in getting to the top is not as easy as driving a car.

Finally, arriving at the bottom of the trail was an easy challenge, I had to tackle devils cliff, which are cliffs going down, the degree of the angles are about eighty degrees. In which I successfully accomplished by bunny hopping off the cliff, then bunny hopping off the next cliff. Coming to a stop to the last cliff, I calculated and memorized the deadly path that was ahead of me. I gripped my sweaty hands on the handlebars, gently touching the brake levers, adjusted my butt behind my seat so that most of my weight is on the back tire. I peacefully pedaled off the cliff, dodging tree logs, braches and rocks. Reaching the end of the cliff, I couldn’t stop, I needed speed.

With many obstacles that I encountered on my ride, the rest of the trail ahead of me, had a major, wet and disgusting obstacle in its path: Aiea Stream. Its length is twenty feet wide, and the only thing that I could have done to avoid the stream, was to jump the stream. There is a man-made dirt mound five feet from the stream that I used to jump the stream. While viewing my speedometer, I cleared the jump at about forty-five miles an hour in the airѕachieving an outstanding table topѕbut I did not land as clean as I hoped. My body landed ten feet from my bike and my face landed clean on the ground. The taste of blood and dirt in my mouthѕa combination of warm salty bitterness and dry grainy grit—was not surpassingly tasty. With the surprising and avoidable accident, it was time to lay back, relax, and enjoy the stunning view of the mountains and light blue skies. Enjoying an afternoon in the tropical forest is very remarkable. The taste of fresh cold water from the mountains was cleansing and soothing feeling for my painful mouth, not like tap water from your house. The scent of fresh passion-orange guava fruit and the relaxing sound of Aiea stream, hypnotized my thoughts as well as my presence; that day was a good day to crash and burn.

While Filling up my camel-pack with water from Aiea Stream, I started out on the rest my journey. Two miles left, I felt the evil presence of Dead Mans Hill. Dead Mans Hill is what is feared by all of the Aiea Loop Trail. The hill is at a hideous sixty-degree angle, with scary three feet wide path and is two miles long. This hill is exhaustingly and deadly, which requires extreme skillful tactics. While pedaling in the lowest gear possible, balancing myself on the narrow three foot wide trail and observing the seventy foot drop below, I was forced to concentrate, and skillfully use my gears accordingly. The last quarter mile of the trail is what I have always looked forward to. When you can overlook the gulch and view the gamble you had taken, that you had successfully crossed and still alive with minor bruises. And I calmly, expressively patted myself on the back and said “It was a good day to ride”

Mountain Biking in Hawaii is wonderful and a great experience to share with your family and friends. With all the trails designated for mountain biking in Hawaii, the Aiea Trail is highly recommended and is only recommended for advanced riders. You will experience the ride of your life with wonderful views, painful spills, and a memorable time in the mountains of Hawaii.

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Warning!!! All free online essays, sample essays and essay examples on Mountain Biking are plagiarized and cannot be completely used in your school, college or university education.

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