Chronic Wetness: A Ramble in Wilson Creek

It’s always fun to see an idea go from inkling to reality. When we released the Wilson’s Ramble a year ago, I casually mentioned holding a group depart on this amazing route. However, I was unsure if I’d ever find the time to actually follow through. I was so unsure, in fact, that my words were drenched in non-committal sentiment: “Off the record, I’d love to have an unofficial group start on Wilson’s Ramble one day.” Fortunately, I got a kick in the pants earlier this spring, and that unofficial group ride happened this past weekend in the beautiful Wilson Creek and Linville Gorge region of Western North Carolina.

That kick came from none other than Michael Lowther, the owner, proprietor, and good times facilitator of Overmountain Cycles (OMC) in the nearby town of Morganton. OMC is a great little shop that places a priority on bikepacking and the more adventurous side of cycling. Not only do they stock bags and equipment and build cool bikes, but OMC also offers a shuttle service for the popular Appalachian Gravel Growler route, which starts at their doorstep, right next Fonta Flora Brewery in downtown Morganton.

Michael already had an event in the works for May 21st, and arranged access to Fonta Flora’s Whippoorwill Farm for pre-depart camping and socializing. As it happens, this amazing property is on the Wilson’s Ramble route, and Michael’s idea for an event route was similar to the Ramble. After realizing this and reading my mention of a group start, he called me to ask about a collaboration. Everything was lining up. We adjusted the route a little bit based on Michael’s intel, spitballed a few ideas, and decided to go for it, inviting sign-ups on our website back in March.

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Aiming to keep things casual for year one, we capped the RSVP list for the Wilson’s Ramble at 80. This was to be a litmus test on how gatherings and group rides like this one could unfold. Ramblers arrived throughout the evening on Friday night and got together for a variety of amazing beers by Fonta Flora, delicious pizza from their resident food truck, and camping in a wooded area on Paddy Creek behind the farm. Around 60 people showed up with about 50 planning to ride the route the next day. Overmountain and Rockgeist both had tents set up with goods for folks to peruse. We had posters and stickers for everyone, a map of the Eastern Divide on display, and happily surprised raffle winners on arrival.

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It was great meeting people and sharing stories. Folks came in from the Southeast and beyond, carpooling from distances near and far and battling other odds. Stephen from Durham was recently hit by a car while commuting and fractured two vertebrae, but he was determined to make it to the group start and tackle a portion of the route. Todd and Charlotte, longtime readers of the site, covered the most distance to be here. They are currently on a road trip visiting family and escaping mud season in their home state of Colorado. José was taking a much-needed break from work as a nursing home physician in Wilmington, North Carolina, a job that no doubt has been incredibly challenging over the last two years. Gabe—who happened to be the raffle winner of the Industry Nine wheelset—had just attended the Texas gravel event that held a moment of silence for Mo Wilson, a beloved racer who was supposed to attend the event but tragically murdered just a few days before.

We arranged two informal depart times for Saturday morning to help maintain flow on the starting 15-mile stretch of twisty Lake James State Park singletrack, an excellent warm up for the full 130-mile mixed-surface route. But with the threat of temperatures in the 90s and afternoon storms, a few riders departed earlier. Still, a group of folks aiming for faster times on the route set out at the early 7:30 a.m. start, with a dozen or so others leaving at the second 8:30 depart. Scroll through a gallery of rider portraits above to get a glimpse of the variety of bikes and kits used for the Ramble (apologies to those of you who I missed in the mayhem!).

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Virginia and I left last, rolling out with a couple of friends. We passed a few groups in the state park and pedaled beside others as we entered the national forest and the mid-day heat intensified. The climb up Old Table Rock Road was tough in 90-degree temps, and a couple of riders bailed early, realizing that the Ramble was going to be more difficult than anticipated. Water stops were frequent, and a lot of people took advantage of the beautiful Steels Creek swimming hole directly on route around mile 40.

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With a lot of breaks and a social ride vibe, we realized we weren’t going to make it to our target campsite that day. Still, we decided to pedal another 10 miles after a slow-rolling crew of 12 stopped for the night near Steels Creek. We pressed on with Rex—pictured above alongside one hell of an immaculately specced Bombara—and Thompson, two new friends that we’d share the ride with for the duration of our 52-hour Wilson’s Ramble experience.

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Shortly thereafter, the skies opened up as we spun our way up Timbered Branch on Forest Service Road 982. Drenched and cold on the beautiful descent down Craig Creek, we decided to nab the last campsite before the Wilson Creek Gorge and call it a day. It stopped raining just long enough to make dinner, but we were doused again by another heavy downpour. We jumped in our tents with nearly everything soaked. I later learned that the crew of folks who’d stopped early only got a sprinkle that night. They were about eight miles away as the crow flies. That’s how it works in this area. Luck of the draw. I later learned that the person who finished the ride first was barely rained on at all. That wasn’t our story.

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The next morning, we set out down Wilson Creek Gorge to access the Lower Wilson Ridge singletrack climb and connect with the spiraling “Maple Sally” Road. The forest was in full green regalia, which was slightly different from the last time I rode this route in April of last year. Ferns, wildflowers, salamanders, and other Southern Appalachian wonders were on display on the forest floor and deep in the gullies and gaps along the roadbed.

After the long and steady—and always more time consuming than you remember—up and down on Maple Sally, we dropped down to Globe and began the descent up Anthony Creek. At that point, Rex, Virginia, and I were at the pointy end of the mid-pack and decided to stop for lunch and dry things out at the bridge before the big climb to Gragg. Thomson and a few other riders caught up as we whiled away at the two beautiful waterfalls that form the Woodroof Branch confluence.

With our clothes barely dry, skies began to darken and a rumble of thunder rippled down from the slopes of Grandfather Mountain. We inched our way to the top at Gragg. As luck would have it, there was an abandoned wooden shed within eyeshot just as we heard the heavy rain approaching. We ducked for cover and tried to wait it out for an hour. Deluge turned to drizzle and we pedaled onward. But it wasn’t finished with us, and we were drenched again as we traversed Yancey Ridge, an amazing singletrack trail that was recently reworked and improved and added to the route for this event.

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Once at the bottom, we were muddy and soaked, and Rex’s brake pads were toast. We paused for a snack and to figure out a game plan. A few other riders caught up and all decided to cut out to the Mortimer campground and end their suffering for the day. With two hours of daylight remaining, we opted to climb onward up Pineola Road in hopes of getting an early start the next morning and arriving back at Whippoorwill Farm before the main rain event—forecasts called for over two inches of rain beginning around 10 a.m.

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A fog-veiled sun beamed through the trees as our tires slowly crunched up Pineola. We envisioned a starry night and dry clothes as we made camp with darkness settling in. A couple of blue ghost fireflies meandered through camp as we set up tents and lit our stoves. Virginia found a patch of Chicken of the Wood on Yancey Ridge earlier that day, and perhaps it was kismet, but Rex had a fresh shallot and some olive oil on hand. The result was perhaps the best appetizer I’ve ever eaten while bikepacking. With full bellies, Rex and I wandered down to a nearby creek around 11 p.m. to get water. Oddly, we discovered a bear bag hanging in a nearby tree over the brook. There were no campers anywhere to be seen, which left us puzzled.

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That mythical starry sky only lasted a couple of hours. The rain started earlier than expected, and by 4 a.m. there was a steady drizzle, ensuring the continuation of our chronic wetness. We woke up around six, packed up, and saw another rider rounding the corner. Thompson rolled up and it turned out he was camped just a mile or two back. We still weren’t sure who’s bear bag that was, but the four of us pedaled out with hopes of a good breakfast at the Mountain Crossing Mercantile, just five miles up the road.

We rolled up and ordered various breakfast sandwiches, slightly overwhelming the person running the grill. However, they were in good spirits and greeted us with open arms, even when six more riders arrived 30 minutes later. We quickly debriefed with them and learned that three pairs of riders were camped nearby. Jesse from Columbia, South Carolina, told me they were awakened at 11 p.m. to someone snooping around their food bag. We had a laugh at that.

At about 10 a.m., we all rolled out to finish the last 20 miles across the challenging and beautiful Linville Gorge. Unfortunately, the rains came on time and the 20 or so riders who finished over the next several hours got drenched and had to miss out on the incredible views for which the Linville Gorge is famous. The silver lining there is that it’s a good reason for everyone to return and ride it again next year.

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We appreciate everyone who came out and took part in this little (if slightly chaotic) experiment. I believe good times were had by all, and it was great meeting everyone and sharing an amazing ride, despite the weather. Having this non-event galvanized my sentiment that our niche community needs more face-to-face experiences and gatherings like this one, particularly in places that don’t have anything like it. Even with Michael and I working to get this relatively minimal group shindig organized, it gave me a new respect for event planners and organizers. But in the end, it was worth the effort, in spades. We look forward to doing it again next year and improving upon it with what we learned from this one. We’d also love to learn how to get a more diverse group of participants involved, including more women. I’m also inspired to see this formula applied to more 3-4 day routes that have the potential to host weekend events and bring the community together in various other locations.

A big thanks to Overmountain Cycles (@overmountaincycles) for the willingness to collaborate on this, Fonta Flora (@fontaflora) for providing the space to do it (and making some of the best beer on the east coast), and all of our raffle partners for kicking in some prizes to help cover a few expenses: Industry Nine (@industry_nine), Rockgeist (@rockgeist), Kitsbow (@kitsbow), DeFeet (@defeet), and JamBar (@eatjambar).

P.S. Well-wishes to rider Jamie Roszel who took a spill on Yancey Ridge after a big 80-mile pull on day one. Jamie suffered a broken collarbone and will have surgery this week.

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