There's a lot of talk of first rides with the storms that left parts of the West under several inches of snow last week. We've heard of several people from Colorado and Wyoming who got their first ride logged already.
Personally, I don't like first rides. I'd rather do my second ride first and skip the first ride altogether.
Why? My first rides go something like this:
Around 11 p.m., I start frantically searching for all my riding gear, which I thought I put away at some point a few months ago. Turns out, I left most of it in a gear bag inside the trailer.
The morning of the first ride, I have this overwhelming feeling that I've forgotten something. I reassure myself that it's just first-ride jitters and hop in the truck with the guys and leave for the hills.
When we get to the unloading zone, I discover that I did in fact forget something. Over the years, that list has grown to include: gloves, goggles, boots, snow pants and helmet. And there have been years where it's been a combination of two or more of those items.
So the first ride ensues with me cruising down the road with a coat, work gloves, helmet with sunglasses, jeans and Merrell running shoes.
Even if I bring everything, I will undoubtedly do one of the following: get stuck on a wet log, tip over going around a closed gate, back up with ice scratchers down, get lost, get stuck driving up the loading ramp on the trailer, blow a corner on the trail, spit rocks on the sled behind me or succumb to the temptation to carve through a meadow I know is covered in tree stumps. That one gets expensive real quick.
To all you people bragging that it's October 13th and you've already ridden can take your first ride and shove it.
I can't wait for my second ride.
RH