2007 Roster
ALUMNI
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Andy Roberson
Calhoun Clark
Gaines Huguley
Holt Smith
Joe Hammond
Chris Khare
Russell Park
PLEBES
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Ryan Haynes
Robert Mobley
Don Jennette
Andrew Gilbert
Jennings Harley
Gordon Crain
Sam Harris
Decisions, Decisions...
The 2007 Crescent Challenge marked a return to Rob Clark's compound just north of Lake Toxaway, N.C., site of the 2005 Challenge. Some consideration was given to hosting the event at Holt Smith's retreat at Roan Mountain, TN, but the sponsors were a little concerned with their ability to lure enough hapless competitors to a destination so far away, when they could promise nothing more than a great deal of suffering and some dark beer. These are the kind of difficult decisions your sponsors are faced with on a daily basis during the months leading up to the event. Also contributing to the decision was the general perception that the Crescent Challenge had gone a bit "soft" during 2006. Calhoun Clark, a.k.a. The Navigator, despite a reputation for enjoying his creature comforts, was adamant that there would be no more competitors glued to the TV watching football at night, and definitely no more tapenade and toast points. Along those same lines, he began secretly plotting a positively brutal adventure ride for the first event Saturday morning, that would be sure to lay to rest any notions that the Crescent Challenge was already in its short lifespan beginning to drift from its original ideals. What those ideals are we couldn't really tell you, but that last sentence sounded good.
Technical Incompetence will NOT be tolerated...
In an effort to streamline the organization of the upcoming event, the Webmaster devised an ingenious on-line login and registration system. Imagine his chagrin when a week had passed by after emailing the initial invitations and no one other than himself and one other sponsor had logged in and registered. In an effort to spur on the registration process, a carrot in the form of a free six-pack of dark beer was offered as a reward to the first individual other than a sponsor that sucked it up and committed themselves to the event. Initially, Clay Daniels was that man, but, true to form I'm afraid, a backslide was in his future, and Plebe Don Jennette eventually claimed the prize, a six-pack of Tilburg Dutch Ale
.
Dissension in the ranks...
There was a whiff of dissent in the air in the two months leading up to the Challenge, once a few individuals got wind of the planned ride, and perhaps rightfully so given the amount of time competitors spent carrying their bikes in 2005. Even more disturbing, it was rumored that at least one Alumnus outright refused to return this year, based solely on the harrowing experience that was 2005. With the reputation of the event on the line, Calhoun made two initial solo treks to the rim of Panthertown Valley in an effort to begin mapping out a suitable ride. Andy Roberson contributed a day of labor to the cause, hacking rhododendron for hours, with Calhoun picking up the pieces behind him. Greig Bacsal, Calhoun, and Shrimper all took a day off work and spent most of it in a cold, 50 degree rain, cutting trail. Picture if you will, this intrepid group emerging from the woods, only to run into Burt Kornegay of Slickrock Expeditions leading a hiking group on a daytrip to Dismal Falls. Greig and Calhoun looked innocent enough as they were on their bikes, but then Shrimper lumbers into view with his Stihl slung over his shoulder, which certainly got the attention of everyone. Burt promptly asked Shrimper if he was with the Forest Service, to which he smoothly replied that he was indeed a "Volunteer". Truth be told, everyone was glad to hear we were making the trail up to Shelton-Pisgah Mtn passable. Shrimper made one final trip to the area only 2 days before the event, and when he found the flagging that Calhoun had left on the other side of the valley a couple weeks prior, he knew he had the route connected. Calhoun's relief was palpable when he got Shrimper's cryptic message on his cell phone later that evening: "Mission Accomplished".
Can we call a Plumber...
Friday was finally here, and such is the lure of the Challenge that numerous competitors took the day off of work in order to get to the event early. Some, more than likely, were merely concerned about claiming one of the few beds in the cabin. Calhoun, as host, was first on the scene, planting signage on the way in so others could navigate the twisted dirt road leading to the cabin. Shortly after turning on the well, imagine his horror when a PVC fitting exploded and a geyser of water erupted underneath the cabin. Within two hours, 14 competitors were supposed to descend on the place, and the entire water system had just crappped out. Fortunately, a frantic call to Gaines resulted in some PVC cement being procured, and the first crisis of the weekend was averted within the hour. In stark contrast to last year, by 10:00pm or so, all participants had found their way into the venue. Of particular note was Russell's astonishment at how easily he and Jennings had found their way without the Navigator himself along for the ride. Go figure.
It's Business Time...
No one had any problem waking up on Saturday morning. No, this had nothing to do with excitement or getting to bed on-time the prior evening, but rather, the simple fact that when a Ship's then a Locomotive's horn sound off in succession within 50 feet of where everyone is sleeping, they'll wake up pretty quick. Mere words cannot describe the sounds that are capable of emanating from Sam's highly modified Toyota truck, nor the shit-eating grin on Shrimper's face as he pulled the pistol-grip that activated the Ship's horn.
After stoking up on Coffee and breakfast, the resident road-weenies (Gaines and Andrew) set out to join Joe Hammond on a road-ride, round trip over to Brevard and back. The real men saddled up on their mountain bikes and pedaled out, through the trout farm, across 281 and shortly hit the improved trail heading up towards Dismal Falls. Not 10 minutes into the ride we had our first mechanical, with Plebe Don Jennette (Bonecrusher) from Atlanta, GA with a flat tire. Former racer Don had it fixed in short order and the group pressed on. The next couple miles were brutal. For a hundred yards or so, the trail was pretty much akin to a stream-bed, but shortly gave way to double-width single track. The only impediment to forward progress was the ridiculous angle-of-attack, and the Navigator surprised the rest of the group by taking point and steaming up the brutal climb. Later he would admit that the only thing fueling his charge was his intense desire to prove to the naysayers that the trail was indeed rideable. Unfortunately, the herculean effort so early in the ride had him paying the price later on...
Fortunately for the entire group, Jennings Harley's bike suffered a major mechanical near the top of the aforementioned climb, and the group was able to get in a rest while waiting for the accompanying team of mechanics (Ryan Haynes, Holt Smith) to complete the repairs. From here, it was additional climbing, terminating almost at the top of Shelton-Pisgah Mountain, at around 4000 feet. At this point, the Challenge lived up to its prior reputation, as our intrepid group faced a bike-carrying bushwhack of about 2-300 yards to connect to the single-track that would carry them down the ridge to Devil's Elbow.
One-by-one, the competitors emerged from the "Birth-Canal" onto the Devil's Elbow, where another much-deserved respite was in order. From here, it was a hair-raising descent down into Panthertown Valley, a quick detour to SchoolHouse Falls, then more climbing out the other side of the Valley and up to Sassafras Gap, where once again the group sprawled out for a brief recovery. Yes, I know, it sounds like all the competitors did was take rests that day. Understand, dear reader, this was no quick ride at Paris Mountain or the like. This was an extended epic over rough, uncharted, recently cleared trails, with extensive elevation gains thrown in for good measure. By the time the competitors arrived at Sassafras Gap, most folks, had they been subjected to similar abuse, would by crying for Mama. So, stop your snickering and let them have their 10 minute break to gnaw on a Power Bar and re-hydrate.
Sorry for the rant, I just got worked up thinking about the ride. The trail down from Sassafras Gap to Hwy 281 was like being on vacation. It was fast, relatively smooth, and with huge water-bars that you could soar over on the way down. Once on 281, the group had a brief climb on the road back up to Owens Gap, before turning back in towards Panthertown again on an old logging road that straddles the Pisgah and Nantahala border. At the tail end of the group, the Navigator had the chance (he was riding kind of slow by this point) to chat with a couple of Bear hunters that had just pulled up in a rush, grabbed rifles and dogs, and started up the same logging road. They were chasing a bear into Dismal Falls. The Navigator tried to explain as best he could (bringing his full navigational skills to bear) where the group was headed in hopes they wouldn't mistake Shrimper for a Grizzly and fill him full of lead.
Within 20 minutes or so, the group re-convened at the same spot where earlier in the day repairs had been carried out on Jennings' bike. Now, they were looking at a glorious downhill run on the same trail they had slogged up hours earlier. Fast guys to the front, but Calhoun, ever the gracious host, tarried a bit to be sure our elder statesman, (and the slowest sumbitch to ever point his bike downhill) Russell Park, made it down alive. From then it was a short hop down 281 and back through the trout farm and the competitors had completed their full loop.
Dark Beers All Around...
<p>Back at the cabin, the competitors renewed their strength with syrupy beverages and a Boar's Head Deli lunch selected by the webmaster. Pretty much everyone just flopped out, totally cashed from the ride, but a few hardier souls (Andy Roberson, Holt Smith, Don Jennette) actually geared up and were gone within 30 minutes to go rock climbing at a nearby cliff face. Ryan and Joe entertained the remaining folks with some guitar work. Gaines and several others wandered off into the nearby woods to swing from vines and in general do stupid things that men like to do when faced with no immediate responsibilities or pressing obligations. As dark fell, sponsor Andy Roberson started heating the outdoor grill and within an hour or so the competitors were eating again, exceptional grilled chicken breasts on the menu, along with plenty of carbs from a pasta salad. Evening activities commenced thereafter, which as Challenge tradition goes, are undocumented. We follow this tradition in order to protect any poor bastard that gets carried away, and is unable to control himself in such a completely unfettered environment. It is always hard to predict how some people will react in such a setting. We've all seen this before. Hark back to your college days, and almost everyone has a tale of some victim of over-protective parents that arrived at school with high expectations, only to go totally haywire when dropped into an environment with no curfew, no supervision, and an abundance of mind-altering substances readily available. A similar fate has been known to befall the occasional plebe competitor at the Challenge.
Day Two Dawns...
Day two dawned at the Crescent Challenge, with numerous competitors a little stiff and creaky from the prior day's adventures. Sponsor Gaines Huguley was in charge of breakfast fare, and provided an exceptional sausage and egg casserole, forgetting only one important thing: one casserole in a 12x18 baking pan is not going to feed 12 famished CC competitors. But that's OK, we've all been guilty of such miscalculations on occasion, and that's why it's nice to have folks like Robert Mobley around. Foreseeing the shortage, Mobley foraged in his cooler, produced a couple-dozen eggs and began cooking omeletes to order for the competitors.
Groomed Trails Here We Come...
After the prior day's epic, the competitors voted to pack up and drive over to Dupont State Forest for some high speed work. With Shrimper guiding, the group headed down Reasonover Creek, then back up, then connected Mine Mountain and pedaled over to the Airstrip. Then it was down Airstrip to Bridal Veil, a quick ride up the falls, then a climb up Big Rock. The group encountered a hapless individual on top that Dr. Hammmond promptly coerced into shooting some video of everyone. Mysteriously, that video has never been found. From the top of Big Rock, the group descended to Corn Mill shoals, and crossed the river. At the river crossing, they happened upon Mrs. Shrimper and two little shrimpers out for a ride of their own. Several competitors re-doubled their efforts heading up Laurel Ridge at this point, lest they be run down from behind by Shrimper's offspring. Soon, one by one, the competitors arrived back at the parking lot, the second difficult ride in as many days under their belts. Within the hour, they gradually left the scene, to return to their normal day-to-day existence, having survived another Crescent Challenge, perhaps a little worse for the wear both mentally and physically, but nonetheless basically intact.
See you Next Year...
In all seriousness, thanks to everyone that attended this year's Crescent Challenge, and we are already looking forward to next year. If you have any suggestions as to next year's venue or dates, don't hesitate to email one of the Sponsors.
The Webmaster