MRT in the Fall zone

MTB season is not complete without a trip to the MRT to get a run on the infamous trail.  The last time I was on it was almost three years ago and it was for a big day....an out and back starting from the bottom.

This trip was for a shuttle run from top to bottom.  As we made our way over the pass, we stopped, took some pictures and took in the views.  As we started to descend into the wet side of the cascades, the leaves started to explode with colors as the makeup of the forest changed from evergreens to deciduous.   

We dropped a car off at the bottom of the trail and drove up to the start up by clear lake.  As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw broken glass on the ground and immediately started to wonder about the safety of leaving the car unattended for a few hrs...we tried to hide as much as we could (not like there was anything to take) and hoped for the best.

The tires were rolling and we opted for the trail on the west side of the lake that offered much better views, fewer people, and a good wake up call with some tek sections that had consequences full of lava rock.  The views just kept getting better as we worked out way around the lake.

The temps were warming up and we were starting to get into the warm factor too as the heat radiated off the dark rock.  After a couple of miles, we darted back into the canopy where we would enjoy perfect temps for the rest of the day.

We made the usual stops along the way to take in views, foliage, and trail...waterfalls, check....swimming pools/ponds, check....leaves changing color, check...down tree, check....bridges and bridges and bridges, check...flowy trail, check, check, and CHECK!

We barely made it back to the car before we ran out of daylight.  It was a great day to cleanse from the work week and recharge for the upcoming work week.  Good times!