Tag: Poison Spider Mesa

Poison Spider and The Portal

One more video knocked off the remaster to-do list. The Portal Trail in Moab will most likely reset your scale for exposure and how the risk vs reward variables are computed in your head. The steeper than it looks moniker certainly applies here. I did some software stabilization but it still in the old-school shaky cam category. Here are some more thoughts on this trail as well as some pictures from that day. You can find stuff from the entire 2008 road trip here.

The second song used this video, Mad Life, by Dishwalla had some special meaning for me from that day. This video was shot in May of 2008 and back in the March, I had an OTB crash on the Goat Camp Trail that left me with about 40 stitches in my lip and mouth that really did a number on my mental game for riding technical trails. During the first three days of this trip I was starting to get the mojo back and the during the descent of the Portal trail the “I’m Back” switch was flipped on as that song started playing in my head. These lyrics in particular.

See the pain and beauty all around

See it try so hard to take me down

Hold me up into the sun and watch me burn and watch me heal

“The Mad Life” Dishwalla

The Portal Trail in Retrospect

I am in the process of putting together my video of the Poison Spider Mesa and The Portal Trail.  For those of you who read my review you should have noticed the unusual amount of attention I paid to how dangerous this trail is in the exposed sections.  Standing on the edge there knowing that three mountain bikers have fallen to their deaths is quite an experience.   I thought we were quite cautious in what we rode and what we walked on that infamous and precarious trail.   While reviewing the footage I had a couple of OMFG moments when I saw a couple of spots that we did ride.   While these couple of sections were flat and tame with some ground buffer between us and the edge I’m pretty sure I would not ride them again.   Too much of the hebegebes put in my head now.    For me there has only been a few trails that have gotten into my head like the Portal Trail.   If you have ever had one of those dreams where you are falling forever, this could be that place.    I’m not sure how this thought process with effect the final video, I’ll just have to see where it takes me. 

Bill O'Neil on the Portal  �