Well that was humbling. This trail system isn't really THAT difficult in, say, late April or May but all those punchy, relatively short climbs starting at Mile 4 and going on and on and on quickly reveal the state of your intervals conditioning. Maybe tackling this in March was less than ideal. And maybe the 30 miles on paved trails the day before was possibly a factor. Also maybe some early pollen, though the appropriate medications were in fact consumed, was involved. Or maybe you're just old and out of shape, despite all that Pelotonning ... Regardless, at 6.8, there was shameful bailing from the route through the woods and back onto the first part of the loop and returning to the flatter, less climby area of the system. Yes, going the wrong way on the one-way trails for not quite a half mile, though without seeing a single soul. Had there been an issue the story would have. been this was an emergency search for a missing lung. Simply could not get enough air in to sustain any kind of rhythm on the up-down-up-down of the Lily and Magnolia loops on what passes for a bluff in eastern NC along the river. But the system itself is a fun place to ride. Tight, twisty single-track that gets progressively harder as it gets closer to the river. Looking forward to redemption in, say, maybe late May