The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Mountain Bike Moment of Regret
Pro tips: Remember a map, don't bike when hungover, and look before you leap
Having ridden the hills of northwest Mississippi in my college days, I fancied myself a decent mountain biker. So when I was in the army, stationed at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, a friend and I went to ride the great trails around Tucson. We made a few critical mistakes right from the start.
We were hungover and didn't bring enough water. We only had part of a trail map, so we started riding four miles before the actual start.
We turned down what seemed like the obvious trail and rocketed downhill toward what looked like a huge kicker. I went for it. Feeling invincible, I launched into the air...
...and saw a field of prickly pear below. (I had flown off the end of the trail.) I landed the jump but couldn't unclip and fell on my side.
After I picked out some of the spines, we hiked out to the nearest road. No one would give us a lift, so my friend rode back to the car, returning two hours later.
Ask the Expert
Todd Duncan is the program safety manager for the Sierra Club's Outings program.
"To remove a large cactus needle, carefully pinch its base as close to the skin as possible. Slowly pull in line with the spine. Smaller needles can be more difficult. You can spread white school glue on the affected area, let it dry, then peel it off. Duct tape works, too. Or, lightly rub a synthetic mesh T-shirt, a tent screen, or even panty hose on the area to catch the needles and pull them out."
