Biking North Fork Goose Creek

I had plans to go biking on Saturday with my friend Todd and maybe his wife Erin, but I got word that those plans had changed. Instead of going biking there was a canoeing/kayaking adventure to be had. Todd and I decided that we would try going biking on Sunday instead.

I got word that the bike trip was on and after driving over to his house we were trying to decide which area to take. Our options were staying on the back roads which would make for an even and predictable ride or we could take a back trail/off road path that would be more adventurous. Naturally, we chose the harder off road path.

We headed down a nearby road before taking a quick turn and heading down the mountain, through some woods, and ending up near a small stream. We peddled across the stream at a low point and came to an area that appeared to be mostly marshland. As we peddled through it I confirmed it was marshy because I had to place my foot down multiple times due to the soggy conditions and my bike tires not getting enough traction. Each time my foot touched the ground it slowly sunk about four inches down into muddy water.

We continued, soggy feet and all, until we had to cross the stream again. There was a place where you could attempt to ride across the stream but you would never make it, even in dry conditions. It was too steep on both sides and you have to go down and back up about five feet on both sides. We decided we had to jump the six foot gap. Todd went first and continued down just a bit. I was considering the best way to jump over the stream without falling the four or five foot drop into the water. Just as I decided I would just jump while holding my bike I heard a loud thud and looked over to see that Todd had fallen almost face first into some shrubbery. He let out a groan followed by some laughter. After he stood up he told me that he had fallen into a pricker bush. I then grabbed my bike and leapt across the gap successfully.

We began peddling along the stream in super muddy conditions until we came upon the "swinging bridge" that crosses the North Fork of Goose Creek. Todd looked at the water level and decided it was "passable" on bike. He dropped his bike into the creek to wash the accumulating mud off his brakes and the mud off his tires and then started crossing while I was inspecting the bridge. About halfway through I heard him yell and heard some splashing. While he didn't fall completely into the creek he had to hop off and walk the rest of the way. I decided to try the bridge. I propped my bike up on the boards of the bridge and figured I would walk down the bridge and then pick my bike up. The opening to the bridge is set between some large branches and was barely big enough for me to fit through, much less my bike. As I began walking along the bridge my confidence was as shaky as the bridge was, despite some recent renovations. I slowly made my way towards my bike hoping not to shake it off the boards and dropping it to the ground. I finally got to my bike and made it across to the other side.

We continued biking through some grassy areas and came to what was basically a back yard to someone's house. The trail was marked at this point and a resident who was outside didn't seem bothered by our presence. We continued to the main roads and headed back. That last part on the main roads was mostly uphill and was the most tiring part of the entire ride. We did take a quick break on a bridge and watched some cattle taking turns trying to mount one another. Good ol' Loudoun County! By the time we got back we had only enough energy to hose the bikes down and sit on the front porch and hydrate. It was a great ride and we're gonna hit it again soon.