Snake Mountain, North Carolina

For 3 days I was in the mountains of North Carolina on a fly fishing trip with 12 other guys. We stayed in a rustic lodge off Three Top Rd in Ashe County on a private fishing stream. The activities included fly fishing, golf, hunting, great food, card games, sitting by a roaring fire and drinking a few beers. And of course riding our bikes - at least 3 of us. 2 of us rode 3 rides and a third friend came up the last day to join us for one ride. The course we did twice was up Snake Mountain. The entire loop is roughly 37 miles - not a long distance but challenging enough and with some great views. We were about a week past the peak leaf season, but still had beautiful sights. Our trip began from Garvey's Lane on Three Top Rd., but could easily begin at Todd General Store near the intersection of Highway 194 and Railroad Guage Road if you want to try this out. There is ample parking there and also a nice little shop to stop in and get something to eat or drink after the ride. Coming from Garvey's lane we headed about 9 miles to highway 194 and turned right (if you start at Todd, you would turn left onto 194). The first 5 miles had some rolling hills and a small climb up followed by almost 4 miles of gradual down hill and fun riding. Once we turned onto 194 we hit the first of 2 climbs about 3 miles down the road. This climb wasn't that steep, just quite long. The great thing about riding in the mountains is that what goes up must come down. Once we crested the first hill we had a long rest on a fairly steep down hill. We turned right onto Meat Camp Rd. at about mile 14. 2 miles into Meat Camp Rd we gradually began the ascent to the pass between Snake Mountain and Elk Knob. At first it wasn't bad. The hill steadily increased, though, and I watched my speed drop from 13to 8 to 5 mph. I remember rounding a bend and looking at the road ahead and seeing it get even steeper and wondering if it would be possible to finish. I could see a good 1/4 mile of road before the next turn, which doesn't sound like a long way unless you've already gone up 4 miles on a grade approaching 18%. I coulnd't watch my speed the entire time but I did see it drop to 3.6 mph. It's hard to keep the bike upright going that slow. The only way I could manage to keep it moving was standing up for the last 3/4 of a mile on the steep grade. I wasn't able to change my gear ratio without getting too expensive, so it made it a little more difficult - no granny gear. I had to stop the last 1/4 mile just before the first switchback on the first day, but I think it was more mental that day. When we did the course the second time on my third ride in a row I was able to complete it because I was aware of what was ahead. The crest of the hill was at mile 20.5 so essentially all the work was done in the first hour and a half. From there the terrain was down hill at a steep grade for about 5 miles, then flat almost all the way home except the last 2 miles which was a slight uphill. We turned right on Highway 88 and then right again onto Three Top Rd to get back home. Actually we turne right then a quick left to follow Three Top. I reset my odomoter halfway down the decent of Meat Camp and we averaged 21.5 mph on the way home for the last 17 miles. We weren't trying to set any speed records, just doing some easy riding, and still went relatvily fast. One of my buddies clocked the entire trip and we averaged 17.1 miles for the duration. Because the distance was not too great, this ride was challenging, but doable. The hill on Meat Camp Rd was every bit as difficult as any I have tried. The stretch from 194 to the end of Meat Camp Rd and highway 88 is part of the Blood, Sweat and Gears ride that I am doing next year, so it was good to see what lies ahead.

Here is the map of the ride: