The grand master plan for taking days off for the True Grit was to head over to Hurricane and do some trail exploration around Hurricane. Multiple folks told me about the 'must do' trails in the area and when researching the area a couple of months ago, everything I read and heard was along the same lines.
More than anything else, it was a good excuse to get out of the Montana cold and bask in the desert sunshine (well, after the two day deluge in St George).
I hit up Over The Edge bike shop in Hurricane to get some beta on trail conditions (given the recent downpours) and have them point me in the right direction. They quickly pointed out the trails that were out of the question due to wet conditions. They were also nice enough to draw in a trail that was not on the map but was a recent addition to the trail system up on the Mesa.
With the time tick tocking away, it was time to hit the Mesa, find a camp-site, do a little bike maintenance, and ride the fatty!
Camp site overlooking Zion:
The trail followed the rim in the above pic for about 9 miles one way - I did the trail as an out and back.
great views of Zion everywhere on the trail
even some slickrock action:
and wrapping up the day, settling in watching the sunset with a campfire
More than anything else, it was a good excuse to get out of the Montana cold and bask in the desert sunshine (well, after the two day deluge in St George).
I hit up Over The Edge bike shop in Hurricane to get some beta on trail conditions (given the recent downpours) and have them point me in the right direction. They quickly pointed out the trails that were out of the question due to wet conditions. They were also nice enough to draw in a trail that was not on the map but was a recent addition to the trail system up on the Mesa.
With the time tick tocking away, it was time to hit the Mesa, find a camp-site, do a little bike maintenance, and ride the fatty!
Camp site overlooking Zion:
Bike Maint - the brakepads needed replacing after 1 day of use on the True Grit course:
Rear tire tape for the tubeless was a goner too - did not seal - had to put in a tube! ohh the horror! Part of my upcoming to-do's is to re-tape the wheels so they can run as tubeless again.
The ride was pretty amazing. The views were spectacular at just about every turn. The trail snaked along the east side of the mesa rim so that anytime you turned toward the rim you were treated with amazing views of Zion. There were times when you had to pay some attention or else there could be some serious consequences. (although not nearly as potentially sketch as the following day's ride on the South Rim trail of Gooseberry - ride report to follow).
After replacing my brake pads, I had some brake rub that I thought would go away after riding a little bit. On the contrary, the brake rub got worse due to heating up. I did not realize just how bad it was until I got back to the camp site and spun my wheels and they would not even turn a 1/2 turn before promptly stopping. Apparently my ride was more difficult than it needed to be with the extra resistance training included...DOH! Fortunately it was a quick an easy fix in prep for the following day
The ride (pix from the trail):
even some slickrock action:
and wrapping up the day, settling in watching the sunset with a campfire
Gooseberry is one of the most beautiful and technical rides anywhere. It's become a destination ride location for mountain bikers from across the country.
ReplyDeleteGooseberry Mesa Slickrock Tour