• In praise of Keystone Canyon
• Groovy Gear
• Mountain Mutt's Tip o' the Week!
• See the latest Mountain Mutt photo contest winner
• More about the outdoors

In praise of Keystone Canyon

By The Mountain Mutt, aka John Trent

I can still remember the first time I ever ran up Keystone Canyon. It was late. A friend of mine and I met after our summer jobs were over for the evening. It was the summer of 1980, and we were headed into our senior year of high school.

That night, magic happened. Not immediately. But I had never really run on trails at night before. And as Frank and I began picking our way up the sometimes tight, sometimes expansive canyon, I began to feel Keystone Canyon's special hold on me.

Keystone Canyon rises only about 400 feet during the first two miles or so; but it is during this first section that the senses come alive. It's practically jeep trail for the first half-mile, but quickly tightens to demanding single track as you hop over a few rocky stream beds, the ragged, jagged walls of the canyon feeling like they're a miniature taste of the great wonder, the great Grand Canyon of Arizona.

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Groovy Gear: Let's pump it up!

It's never much fun to get a flat tire while on an epic ride, but like death and taxes, it does happen. The good news is that even good pumps aren't expensive, and are state-of-the-art. Serfas sells the Power Stick Mini Pump for $25, with a simple twisting lock to allow use on both types of tire valves. Presta is the skinny metal valve and Schraeder looks like a car tire valve. And, no, most can't remember the names, just remember skinny or fat when you go in to buy a tube. Photo courtesy of www.serfas.com.

Mastering your mountain bike
Mountain Mutt's Tip o' the Week!

Cruising down Keystone Canyon can be a heady thing; the potential for speed is awesome. To stay in control on a steep descent, move back on the seat and put your weight over the back wheel to improve your balance. You can move off the seat entirely when going down extremely steep terrain, but be careful. When you encounter rocks in the way, pick a path and focus on it. Learn the skill of lofting -- pulling up on your handlebars -- and shifting your weight back to get your front wheel to hop over obstacles such as rocks, logs and bumps.

Mountain Mutt photo winner of the week!

This photo of Aspen Wind was submitted by David Winter of Zephyr Cove. Looks like his dog enjoys a nice, cool breeze. We could use one of those about now, too. Winter wins a Mountain Mutt T-shirt and is now entered into the grand prize drawing for a $100 Petco gift certificate.

Think your pup has what it takes to be a Mountain Mutt? Then send us your best photo of your dog out and about in the Sierra Nevada summer. We'll post the photos each week in our Mountain Mutt gallery, plus we'll pick a weekly winner and send a collector's item Mountain Mutt T-shirt (designed by Reno eNVy). At the end of the summer, one lucky dog will be crowned this year's supreme Mountain Mutt and that pooch will win a $100 Petco gift certificate. E-mail your photo to info@TahoeRenoOnline.com. Oh, and we don't discriminate; we love pure bred pups too! Good luck!

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