Video: Eric Carter's Fog Fest

The week always starts out with the Friday ride in Camp Nelson. It's a bit of a journey to get there from Kernville, but riding amongst the giant majestic sequoia trees on dirt that is comparable to coffee grounds never disappoints.

Saturday's ride is on a trail called Just Outstanding that runs to Keysville. The flow on JO is amazing and the scenic drop into Keysville overlooking Lake Isabella is always a treat. Starting out in the pine trees above Kernville, the trail drops through different sections of one hundred year old Manzanita and large canopy covering oak trees, and the diversity of this ride is really awesome. The drop into Keysville is a mix of sand and loamy singletrack, although there's plenty of steep chutes and technical rock sections to keep you on point.

We adjusted the schedule a bit to create more time at the river-side campground after our ride on Just Outstanding to Keysville, and John from Mountain and River Adventures laid out a nice spread of chips and salsa. And what about beer? The kind folks at Incycle bike shop brought a pony keg up for the afternoon's refreshments, making for a relaxing time out on the river.

Dinners were made at the campsite, everyone got fuelled up with delicious food, and the evenings festivities started as the sun dipped down behind the Sierra's. Once again, Stone Brewing Company provided some tasty kegs of their world famous IPA, and with the help of Kenda we were able to step up the campsite as well - two Kenda 10 x 10 tents, some indoor/outdoor carpet, and a makeshift bar area that we dubbed 'Shover Inn' for obvious reasons. Beats came courtesy of a sound system that we rigged up, and it wasn't long until the games kicked off. A fun night was had by all, but with two days of riding in the tank and another long day to go, the party was done by midnight.

Sunday's ride always ends on the epic Cannell Trail, starting at 9,200 feet and plunging down to an elevation of 2700 feet, although trying to describe the lap does it no justice - it's a ride that just needs to be done. One of the best things about the Cannell Trail ride is that it ends about a 1/2 mile from the campground, thereby allowing everyone to do the ride at whatever pace they want without having to wait for others.

This year's gathering was once again a fun time with some epic riding and a source of great camp fire stories. Now in our third year of meeting up, we are starting to see traditions, friendships and it become a reunion of sorts. We're also now starting to see second generation riders making the trip, and I know that I speak for all the Foggers who attended in saying we're already looking forward to 2015!

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MENTIONS: @kendatire

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