Training Log Archive: revy

Moved base camp again today from Moab to Grand Junction. We stopped at the Kokopelli trails in Fruita along the way. Seemed especially chilly today - sunny but only about 10 degrees and windy. Super busy despite the season - huge parking lots and most were 1/2 to 2/3 full. Made me miss how quiet it was in Hurricane. Initial green and blue trails were a bit boring - nice views though. Next we did the Lion's loop which was a bit loose and rocky but more fun. Then went up and down Mack Ridge which other than some tough bits on the climb was a much better trail. Finished with Moore Fun which was the highlight. Legs were tired so the climb as a push but managed to ride most of it. Fun descent although it seemed to go on forever. Overall a nice day but lower down on the list of my favourite trails for the trip.

Full Mag 7 from the top down. We had three vehicles with Anthony's friend Mark joining us so we were able to self shuttle. We reached the top and were surprised to see snow! Certainly chilly at the start but there wasn't any snow on the trail and once we dropped a little the snow disappeared. Getaway was a fun smooth warm up, Bull Run was good intermediate fun with some scenery reminiscent of the Needles section of Canyonlands. We had a break at Gemini Bridges and then a longer break when we fixed Mark's flat tire. Chose Great Escape instead of the usual Arth's Corner/Little Canyon - fun slick rock ledges. Gold Bar single track was a nice climb with some interesting puzzles to climb - this lead into the Gold Spike jeep trail. This was a classic Moab jeep road with a steep slick rock climb to the edge of the rim. At this point we joined the old Blue Dot trail where the technical challenge stepped up a few notches. I really enjoyed this section but I was able to ride 99% of the trail - only several spots where I had to walk or dab. The earlier stuff as fun too but this is the stuff which really makes me love Moab style riding. Awesome views of Moab below, the snowy La Sals, and across to Canyonlands. Finished with Portal - was much less exposed than I expected - the upper section was quite nice actually. Lower bit was a fun chunky descent - fun but a few spots where I couldn't ride.

Wow the snow line was pretty low last night - improving weather pattern though so should be sunny the next few days (though cool). Once the sun came out it was pretty warm actually. Luckily not too warm as I forgot my water in the truck…

Figure 8 loop at Amasaback - Hymasa/Pothole Arch/Rockstacker/Captain Ahab. Great riding - the climb is fairly steady but interesting. Rockstacker other than the few really hard moves was easier than I remembered, and Captain Ahab was an awesome advanced intermediate ride. All the drops could be rolled if you picked the right ramp. Best area for views in Moab too - Behind the Rocks is an amazing collections of convoluted fins, ribs and outcrops with the snowy La Sals in the distance.

Was tempted to take a day off today but in the end couldn't do it. The weather was iffy anyway so figured it might be a short ride. We checked out a new intermediate area called Navajo Rocks. We rode Rocky Tops and Ramblin and then pulled the plug at the bail option as the weather was deteriorating. Nice trail - interesting enough though nothing too exciting. Nice views of Monitor and Merrimac buttes. Moab has been building a lot of new beginner and intermediate riding - great to see (as it is suitable for most casual riders) but not the stuff that I come to Moab to ride. Knee felt a bit better.

Last day in Hurricane and last day of warm weather it seems. We rode the IMBA epic loop except replaced JEM with Dead Ringer. My knee was pretty sore so tried to spin - pushing hard was painful. Good thing Goulds was fairly gradual. My knee felt better after some warm up but got worse again towards the end. Also probably didn't eat enough today. In any case the ride down Dead Ringer was super fun - smooth and pumpy. Hurricane Rim was scenic and more technical than the previous trails however at that point it seemed to go on a bit long.

Another blue sky day in SW Utah. I finished the mesa trifecta today by riding Guacamole (Gooseberry and Little Creek are the other two). Similar but different than the other two - more open due to an old fire and more flow it seems. The new additions at the end (Holy Guacamole mainly) are great and take this from a short ride to a worthwhile shorter day trip. Unfortunately had a nice endo when I picked the wrong line and landed on my knee. A bit bruised and sore now - skipped the afternoon hike but hopefully biking should be OK.

Gooseberry Mesa extravaganza... We rode pretty much everything there and man was it good. Still my favourite Utah riding. Great weather too reaching 20 degrees towards the afternoon. We added windmill at the end of the day (new to me) and the rest of the crew created a bit of an epic by biking Gander while Anthony and I drove the cars to the other end of the trail. I went backwards in the end and was surprised when I hadn't found them after doing the big descent and climb so looped back via roads. Was a bit worried they might have gotten lost but they appeared 20 minutes later.