The title of this blog post is a mouthful, but the mission for the day is a big one, so the length of the title fits! The challenge is based on the annual 7 Summit Challenge put on by Phoenix Parks and Recreation. If you elect to participate, your goal for the day is to complete 7 hikes around the Phoenix metropolitan area. When I first heard of the event 6 years ago, I was all set to register….until I saw that I’d have to pay about $100 for the privilege of suffering all day. Why should I pay for that when I could suffer for free? With that thought, my DIY 7 Summit Challenge was born. I’ve had a hardy crew of hikers join me each year — except for 2020! — and we’ve had a pretty good time each year. However, because this year’s challenge was the FIFTH annual event, I thought it would be fun to shake things up a bit and do all 7 hikes at South Mountain (SoMo), instead of around the Phoenix valley. So, on Saturday December 2, 2023, an enthusiastic bunch of hikers gathered together at 6:30am and started their mission.
The 7 SoMo hikes for the 2023 challenge: Marcos de Niza, Telegraph Pass, Pyramid, Hau’pai, Ranger, Holbert, and Mormon. (Click this link for more information on South Mountain.) A couple of the hikes were newer to me, so it was fun to become more familiar with them. I think my favourite hike was Hau’pai because it had fantastic views! It was pretty steep and I heard several people say that they were surprised by how much climbing was involved. #sorrynotsorry
My personal goal for the day was to complete the challenge in under 12 hours. I didn’t think we’d beat our time from last year because of the unfamiliarity of a few of the trails and less transition time / less rest between several hikes. For example, Hau’pai, Ranger, and Holbert trailheads were only a few minutes from each other. I’m happy to report that we completed all 7 hikes in 11 hours and 50 minutes! Based on my Strava recordings, our cumulative hiking mileage was 26.73 miles (43 km) and cumulative elevation gain was 5,895 feet (1,797 m). Not bad! The post-hike fries were as yummy as I remembered them. 🙂
Enjoy the photo dump. 🙂 Let me know if you want to join me for the 2024 challenge!
Hike #1: Marcos de Niza.“Are we there yet?”Summit #1!I met a cute dog at the summit.Sunrise as we start the descent of hike #1.Another sunrise shot.Heading towards the middle–hike #2, Telegraph.Summit #2!Descending Telegraph.Me with Jess and her daughter. Jess was able to join us for hike #2 and it was great to see her!Najib, Robert, Chris, and me clowning around in the parking lot.Janelle, Carrie, and me on hike #3: Pyramid.Still a ways to go until the summit.Summit #3! Nathan took this photo because of his long arms. He also said he’d take the photo on the count of 3…then took the picture after he said “1.” Apparently, he’s not the best with numbers, lol.Descending Pyramid.Teresa showing off her festive attire.Cool shot of Teresa on hike #4: Hau’pai.Another cool picture on Hau’pai.Khalid at the summit, enjoying a snack.Nathan standing tall at the top.Me and Shelly at the top.My SAT and I did not intentionally coordinate our outfits.Another view from the Hau’pai summit.Part of the “swag” this year included little Fireball whiskeys. My SAT enjoyed a few swigs during each hike.Yet another view from the summit of Hau’pai.Did I mention this was my favourite hike of the day?Summit #4!Descending Hau’pai.Hike #5 (Ranger) wasn’t the most interesting in my opinion, so the only picture I’m including from that hike is the group summit photo.….and hike #6 (Holbert) is perhaps my least favourite because of the big stone steps. So…the only picture you get to see is the summit photo!It’s getting dark quickly during the 7th and last hike (Mormon).A very quick summit photo before we all started descending. My happy group of well-fed hikers!I earned that food! On the left are the 3 stickers I made for this year’s event.
What is Roamfest? It’s a mountain biking festival for the ladies that lasts a full weekend! Lots of group rides, vendors selling tons of mountain bike stuff, free food and swag, panel speakers, a film screening, and the most fun “silent disco” you’ll ever experience. 🙂 This year is the last year that Roamfest occurred in Sedona, so I really wanted to go. Starting in 2024, Roamfest will only happen in one place — Fruita, Colorado.
I had the great opportunity to volunteer at the Sedona Roamfest this year for the first time. Because this year was my third time attending the Sedona Roamfest, I wanted to get a different perspective and volunteer. I got to help at the registration desk all weekend, checking people in and answering questions. It was really fun and I met a lot of people that way.
I drove up to Sedona with my friend and roommate, Liezl (we stayed at the Wildflower Inn, which is a 2 minute walk from the festival venue), then after parking in the hotel lot, we headed over to check in. It was great to reunite with some friends from various mountain biking events I went to over the past year. (I’m looking at YOU, Jes, Danielle, Christina, Lani, Jen, Loni, Joanna, Hannah….so many familiar faces!) After checking in, I found the volunteer coordinator and got myself situated to start my first of three volunteer shifts. I decided to volunteer first thing in the morning all weekend, because that gave me the rest of the day to ride, check out workshops, hang out, or just sit down and catch my breath! The weekend went SO FAST….I got very little sleep, as expected….it was such a lovely time. I’ll end this post with some pictures. If you have any questions about Roamfest, let me know!
Check in time!Some of the vendors.Another view of the venue site.Jen and I at the check in desk.The weekend schedule.Jes, Danielle, and me pausing for a picture during our Friday afternoon ride.Gotta have a pic of my Sassy Cat in Sedona!Lani and I did a fun ride together Saturday morning.Informative derailleur workshop.My costume for the silent disco dance party. Of COURSE I went as a cat!Jes, Danielle, and me right before we started the silent disco dance party.The raffle prizes (I didn’t win anything, booooo!)The Roamfest staff dressed to impress, haha.Me and Liezl at the disco!Joanna and me sporting her cool hats. She’s a mountain bike coach based in Sedona and has a jewelry line found at http://www.mtbvibes.com. We see each other a few times a year and it’s always fun to connect with her!View of the silent disco. We all wear headphones that have 2 music channels and choose which channel to dance to. If you take your headphones off, you won’t hear any music….perhaps some off key singing…therefore, it’s a “silent” disco!
Exactly one month ago, I rode my new bike! I’ve been keeping an eye out for a new bike and test rode almost ten bikes over the past year, most of them at Roamfest in Sedona last year. My one non-negotiable was to have full standover, i.e., being able to stand over the top tube and have both feet flat on the ground. The winner was the Pivot Shadowcat, a.k.a., “Sassafras,” or “Sassy Cat” for short. The Shadowcat comes in 2 colours: Danger Fruit (which is really a hot pink) and Blue Mirage. My colour preference is shown below 😉 Sassy is a light, nimble bike that absorbs chunky rock with ease. I’m enjoying smoother rides on Sassy than my other bike and am feeling more confident to attempt small drops and jumps because of the longer travel (i.e., greater suspension). I’m looking forward to getting to know Sassy better! It was so wonderful to have Sassy to ride in Moab — such an epic way to break in the new bike!
Me and my Sassy CatSassy Cat found her “furrever” home with me, haha!One of my first rides was to climb up to the “Helipad” at South Mountain. Sassy did well!
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I can’t believe it’s already been 2 weeks since I was in Moab. That was an amazing trip! On my second day in Moab, while my SAT (self-appointed trainer) rode a difficult trail I didn’t feel I was ready for, Jess and I checked out the Navajo Rocks area and rode a beautiful loop full of picturesque views. It was the perfect way to do a recovery ride. It was also cool to ride during the annular eclipse!
Start of our ride.I didn’t take any great pictures of the eclipse. My SAT took this photo during his ride; note how the eclipse’s effect makes the photo look otherworldly!Another photo from my SAT.My friend Heidi took this photo.Jess and me. No more eclipse.Sassy Cat enjoying hte view!Jess and I took turns taking photos and videos of each other. I quite like this photo.
As a final farewell, my crew went for a little walk on our last night in Moab. We enjoyed watching the sunset at Slick Rock. This is a popular trail known for its “slick rock,” which is essentially petrified sand dunes and the eroded remnants of ancient sea beds. The rock is really grippy, but the trail has tons of steep ups and downs, which make it very challenging to ride, despite the grippy rock. I’ll try riding it next time I’m in Moab (hopefully soon….next year?).
Playing with shadows.My SAT and me.Yes, those are my shoes.
Last weekend, I got to experience the beauty of The Whole Enchilada (TWE) trail. TWE is an iconic mountain bike trail just outside Moab, Utah. The entire 27 mile (43 km) long trail is actually made up of several shorter trails that begin at an elevation of 11,177 ft (3,400 m) at Burro Pass in the La Sal mountain range. You ride down, through, and over mountains, alpine forest, and red sandstone / slickrock, dropping about 7,700 ft (2,350 m) all the way down to the Colorado River. It’s an amazing trail that offers gorgeous views at almost every turn. My jaw dropped every time I rounded a corner! It was really hard not to take pictures ALL THE TIME.
The only unfortunate part about our ride is that Burro Pass was closed to the shuttle vans due to snow, which meant that our TWE ride would be a few miles shorter. We’d also miss out on the first climb (a couple of my friends were happy to hear that!). When our shuttle dropped us off at the Hazzard County trailhead (9,350 ft elevation / 2,850 m) at about 8:30am, we were greeted by snow, crisp mountain air, and near freezing temperature. The initial short climb helped to warm me up and the scenery (and altitude!) made me breathless.
My SAT (self-appointed trainer) recognized Richard Cunningham, a biking giant!The shuttle’s trail map.On the shuttle with Jess and my SAT. Dang….I look like a sushi chef…Just about ready to roll!Beautiful mountains.So excited to be here!Taking a break after the initial Hazzard County climb.Oh, I recently got a new bike! It’s a Pivot Shadowcat, a.k.a., Sassy Cat. She handled TWE so well!
The next section was the Kokopelli trail, which is a wide, rocky / chunky dirt road. It was very easy to go very fast. Kokopelli melded into the UPS (Upper Porcupine Singletrack), which was immediately followed by the LPS (Lower Porcupine Singletrack) trail. Both UPS and LPS are fun trails with lots of overlooks from which to enjoy the sweeping views. About halfway down LPS is the super technical section called the “Snotch” (no idea where that name comes from). The Snotch is super steep, narrow, and hard to walk down! My SAT (self-appointed trainer) was able to ride down the first half of the Snotch….even he said it is difficult, haha.
Kokopelli trail start.So many beautiful views!About to head down LPS (Lower Porcupine Singletrack).The crew!Making our slippery way down the Snotch.
The last and longest portion of TWE is Porcupine Rim, which many say is the most difficult section. I agree, for several reasons: you’re somewhat tired by that point, the trail is technical (i.e., chunky, steep in spots, high consequence in other spots) and fatigue makes it harder to navigate features, and depending on the weather, you could be riding during the hottest part of the day. However, when we started the Porcupine Rim section, the temperature was still really pleasant and we were excited that we were heading into the home stretch. This last part was challenging, but my group emerged unscathed and pretty full from our “enchilada” experience!
The last section of TWE!You can see how different the landscape is here than in Hazzard County.If you can see this, you’re getting close to the end!Colorado River.I told everyone to smile here, haha.The last technical feature before the end of the ride.Rolling through to the end!We did it!
It was really a perfect day. My group did not have any mechanical issues, other than a slow leak in one tire early in the ride, which was easily fixed. We also did not have any crashes or incur any injuries, which is a huge win. Would I do anything different? Yes: I need to remember to eat regularly. I started feeling weak and very low energy about a couple hours into the ride, which made me walk some technical features I normally would ride. However, after eating a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I felt MUCH better and my riding reflected that. Overall, I had a fun time with my crew, felt like I rode well, and am making plans to ride TWE again, possibly next year!
Lessons learned
Eat food regularly. As I said earlier, I was feeling pretty weak a couple hours into the ride (before hitting the Snotch). I should have set up hourly alarms to remind myself to eat, similar to what I did during my Rim to Rim hike.
Wear and bring layers. It’s cold at the start of the ride!
Make sure the bike is tuned up before the ride. In my case, I just bought a new bike (Pivot Shadowcat!! I’ll officially introduce my “Sassy Cat” in my next post!), so everything was already in tip-top shape. (Side note: riding TWE on my new bike made the experience even more epic!)
Doing some regular upper body strength training is a good idea to develop the strength you’ll need to ride downhill for several hours at a time.
Consider bringing a bike light next time, just in case.
Have a bigger backpack for next time. My 3L Camelback was not quite big enough. I was lucky this time because my SAT (self-appointed trainer, a.k.a., my husband) had a big backpack and could carry a few things for me.
Gear
Bike stuff:
Helmet
Spare tube, “bacon strips,” manual pump
Multitool
Master link
Sealant
Elbow and knee pads
Gloves
Sunglasses
Baggie with gauze, tweezers, bandaids.
Duct tape
Clothing:
Buff
Vest
Smartwool base layer
3/4 sleeve jersey
Long riding shorts
Knee socks
Shoes
Food:
I used a small top tube bag to carry a ziplock baggie of Skratchlab chews (about 5 packs). I also had a couple of gels and fig bars.
In my Camelback, I had 3L of water, 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a few more fig bars and Larabars.
I also had a little baggie of electrolyte/salt pills and Ibuprofin (i.e., “Vitamin I”).
Other:
I recorded my ride on my Apple watch. Next time, I will use my Garmin to conserve my watch’s battery power.
Took my phone with the Trailforks app. I downloaded the route onto my phone, just in case.
It’s officially fall and I am SO excited for the cooler temperatures! Phoenix is actually cool in the mornings now and I am definitely taking advantage of that by getting outside as late as…..7am! 🙂 This post will sum up a few fun trips I was fortunate to enjoy this summer. First, as I write this, I am reminded of where I was, literally, a scant month ago. I traveled to Cleveland, Ohio for the first time to visit my friend Vanessa. We packed in a lot of fun stuff in 4 days, including biking, hiking, karaoking (yes, really), going to the musical “SIX,” eating lots of yummy food, getting all cultured at the art museum….etc. It was great to escape the Phoenix heat and experience a different climate and landscape. Thanks for being the hostess with the mostest, Vanessa!
Getting my kitty fix with Arya!Nice view of the lake.Some of V’s friends joined us for a hike at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP).We did the “Ledges” hike.Yes, there is actually a cemetary in the park.About to watch “SIX” the musical!Listening to a fabulous concert at Blossom Music Center.The armoury was my favourite part of the Cleveland Art Museum.Yes, this is THE “Water Lilies” by Monet.View of the main entrance area.Don’t remember what this statue is called. Let’s call it “Contemplative Dude.”Self-explanatory.There were random decorated pianos around the city!V’s brother’s dog, Jolla (pronounced “Hoy-a”). He looks very dapper here!
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I had a few days at home after my Cleveland trip to unpack, only to turn around and pack for the Slaydies Sunrise weekend. This weekend was held at the Sunrise Ski Resort in Greer, AZ and the objective was to guide and empower women mountain bikers down the various trails at the resort! I was fortunate to serve as a “sweep” for one of the coaches, i.e., I rode at the back of my assigned group to make sure that everyone rode down the trail safely. I even got to carry a walkie-talkie for emergency purposes. THAT made me feel really important, haha! The weather started out perfect, then….it started to rain…and pour….and boy, things got muddy at the end of the first day. The second day started out partly cloudy, but the rain largely stayed away. I left that weekend with some new friends, great experience riding some new trails, and more confidence in my downhill riding skills.
Just arrived and it’s a beautiful day!Setting up tents and preparing for all the riders who will arrive soon.Weekend schedule!Everything is set up and things are happening!Cool view from the chairlift.Another view from the chairlift.End of day 1. It rained a little and I got a wee bit muddy.Here’s my better side, haha!We all enjoyed a happy hour social event with a great charcuterie board!View of my Airbnb’s front yard.Morning yoga to start day 2.With Stefanie McDaniel, Slaydies founder and organizer of this weekend.Silly photo of the group I assisted.All of the weekend riders.The coaches and assistants.
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I always view Labour Day weekend as the start of fall because for the longest time, I’d start school the day after that weekend. However, in Phoenix, summer temperatures do not follow the calendar. So, in another attempt to escape the heat, I organized a downhill mountain biking weekend during Labour Day weekend for a few friends at the Angelfire Bike Park in Angelfire, New Mexico. I went to Angelfire last year for the Homegrown ladies’ weekend and had such a good time that I knew I HAD to come back. It was such a fun weekend, despite the long drive, because we got to play outside and hang out in our Airbnb the whole time. Are we really adults? 🙂
On the chairlift, looking into the light!At the top of the chairlift….girl gang!Pretending to drink some lemonade before dropping into Lemonade.Girl gang pic on the chairlift. We’re either doing some yoga stretches or pretending to give birth.Such a pretty view!Combi trail was so pretty with all the flowers!Had to stop and take some pics!More prettiness.We saw deer on the trail!Dear deer. 🙂Going up on the lift to ride down.We didn’t get a group picture until the last night!
I have a few more trips coming up and am really looking forward to the cooler temperatures (did I already say that, haha?). I hope you all are enjoying fall and the glorious colours that come with it!
It’s almost the end of July, but the high temperatures show no sign of abating. Phoenix has broken a couple of weather records this year, to which I say “Phoenix, STOP being an overachiever!” Summer riding in Phoenix is always challenging because the “coolest” part of the day occurs VERY early in the morning. I’ve managed to get myself outside by 5:30am when I want to ride my bike, but I’ve also given myself some grace to NOT ride my bike. The last few early morning rides were a little hard to wrap my head around, because the temperature was already 95-97 degrees F at 5:30am! (That’s about 35 degrees Celsius for my Canadian friends.)
What does an overheated Phoenician do to weather the heat? Escape to cooler climates! A few things I’ve done in the past couple months include:
a fun bike park skills clinic at Fort Tuthill in early June with Trail Lovers Sedona. This was a fun class that focused on a couple of skills used at bike parks: jumps and drops. I drove up to Flagstaff with a couple of friends and we spent a half day working on jumps (i.e., getting some “air” on the bike) and drops (i.e., when you ride over an elevated surface and “drop” down to the ground). I did execute a couple solid drops, which made me happy. 🙂
I took this screenshot from the video of my drop. You can see that my wheels left the ground! Videos always flatten out angles, so the screenshot doesn’t look as steep as the drop actually was. Well….maybe the drop wasn’t steep. It sure felt like it was!
A few friends and I spent a weekend in Flagstaff in mid-June exploring new trails and enjoying the cooler weather.
We ran into Joanna and Phil Yates (3rd from right and very right) at the start of our ride! They were the coaches at the clinic I took in June!View from the Arizona Trail.Heidi took this selfie. She is very good at that. Lani (white shirt) was our guide because she lives in Flagstaff. Kara (far right) rounds out our quartet.I do like cooler summer temperatures!Such pretty views!Cool picture of us in the aspen trees.
In early July, my SAT (self-appointed trainer) and I visited our family in Canada. While there, we attended a family wedding, which was on a boat! Fun fact: I get seasick. 😦 However, even though the boat ride was a bit disappointing because of nausea, we did other fun things, like visit a water obstacle course and meet some animals from Australia.
Despite my seasickness, it was still pretty cool to attend a wedding on a boat. Me and my SAT all dressed up for the first time in….years.Water obstacle course.Me and Priscilla the porcupine. At the time of this picture, she was 3 years old and very tame. I got to feed her some melon!A beautiful peacock.A wallaby, which is a small marsupial. Kangaroos are much bigger.A kangaroo totally ignoring me. It was so fun to interact with the animals! I pet this kangaroo and its fur is really soft.
I went to Flagstaff AGAIN shortly after coming home from Canada with some other friends to ride bikes. Although it wasn’t as cool up in Flagstaff as we would have liked the day we went, we still enjoyed the change in scenery. We left Phoenix at 5am and started our ride shortly after 8am, when the temperature was 80 degrees F (about 25 C). The temperature was about 95 F (about 33 C) when we finished riding around 11:30am.
Yay, we’re not in Phoenix! Lani (far right) was my guide again.Still happy not to be in Phoenix.
To prove that living in Phoenix is like living in an oven, I baked cookies in my truck (again). I made a chocolate cookie dough with Heath bar pieces, dropped a dozen onto a cookie sheet, and placed that cookie sheet inside my oven. Started at 10:30am and took them out 6 hours later. The max temperature inside the truck was 190 F (88 C). The cookies were DEFINITELY baked….rather crispy, actually. Although it’s super cool to bake cookies in one’s truck, I’d prefer it if Phoenix did not get hot enough to do that!! I’ve now baked cookies in my vehicle three times and each time, the max outside temperature was at least 117 F (47 C). Also, the temperature inside the vehicle hit a high of 190 F. Consistency is key, my friends.
Starting the process.Cookies are setting up nicely.The average of the 2 thermometers was 190 F.Finished product!
The rest of July was spent in Colorado! The first half of our CO trip was with our good friends Carl and Lifan, who moved there recently. They showed us the delights of small town life and introduced us to the Phil’s World trail system. We will definitely come back!
Phil’s World trail system.Sunflowers everywhere.Trying to get an artsy photo.Practicing my selfies!Great views on the Ribcage trail at Phil’s World.Me and Lifan enjoying a moment.Yummy cider!Hanging out over drinks.A refurbished printing press.We stamped our own tote bags at the local printing press shop!Horse-drawn carriage…definitely evidence of small-town life!
The second half of our CO trip was to ride at Trestle Bike Park in Winter Park. The drive there from Carl and Lifan’s is absolutely gorgeous. We passed through a few mountain passes and were inspired by all the “14ers” we saw along the way. I’m thinking that we’ll be making our way to hike up some of those 14ers next year! One nerdy highlight was seeing the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, which features prominently in the American opera “The Ballad of Baby Doe.”
Coal Bank Pass summit.Fun mural in Gunnison.Monarch Pass summit.There’s a gondola at Monarch Pass summit. We didn’t have time to ride it. Maybe next time!Tabor Opera House in Leadville!
Finally, we met up with our friends at Trestle. We rode there for two days and wow, who knew that downhill riding could be so tiring? By the end of the first day, my hands were cramping so badly that I couldn’t hold onto my handlebars. I was fine the next day, but I was definitely tired! It was fun being at a bike park with my SAT; it was the second time at a bike park for both of us. What was great about being part of a group at the bike park was that we could ride with other people who were more at our level, as well as riding with each other. For me, my Trestle experience was like a personal workshop in downhill cornering, jumping, and getting used to speed. Of course, the weather was awesome! I keep saying this, but we will be back to Colorado as soon as we can!
Me and my SAT riding the gondola up to the downhill trails.Nice view, right?Getting ready to ride!The lodge at the top of the gondola.I rode a lot with my friend’s husband, Joe, since we were at a similar riding level.Another great view.My group stayed in a condo an hour away from Trestle, so we had to drive in both days. This is the enormous bike rack used to shuttle all the bikes!View of the Trestle “village” area.I had to take a photo with the Coke bear!Another cheesy photo opportunity.Trying to take yet another artsy photo.Me with Heidi, Joe, and my SAT.Me and Cheryl.The entire Phoenix crew.Playing tourist in Frisco. Frisco is super cute.Pretty gelato and sorbet.Words to live by!
*Any guesses as to what song the blog title comes from?
Hello, dear readers! I can’t believe how fast this year is going! I’ve been pretty busy with work, lots of visits from friends and family, and outdoor adventures when I can fit them in. I want to recap a few of the more notable events in my 2023, largely for my own benefit, haha.
Right after the new year, my dear SAT (self-appointed trainer, a.k.a., my husband) volunteered us to foster a pair of feral brother kittens. His boss had been feeding these kittens, along with their mama and sister, and took the kittens to get neutered. My SAT thought his boss would appreciate us fostering the kittens while they recuperated from surgery. We were only supposed to have them for a week or so. WE STILL HAVE THEM. But, I think we may be rehoming them to his boss’ place soon. Anyway, I named them Mario and Luigi and they were about 5 months old when we got them. They are pretty cute! Mario has the white chest and paws and Luigi is all grey. My cats, Jack and Simone, have largely tolerated the kittens’ presence. The kittens LOVE Jack. They would totally engage more with Simone if she let them. Here are some pictures of Mario and Luigi (let me know if you’d like to adopt them!):
(First picture is shortly after the kittens arrived at our place. Luigi is behind Mario. They were about 5 months old. The second picture is Luigi enjoying the flowers. He’s about 6.5 months old here. The third picture is Mario lounging on our bed (approximately 8 months old here).
For the past few years, I’ve ridden in Sedona with friends to celebrate my birthday. This year, I got a small group to spend my birthday weekend in Sedona. We booked an Airbnb close to some trails and just hung out the whole weekend. We mountain biked, hiked the Devil’s Bridge, and ate lots of yummy food! It was a fantastic weekend and such a great way to celebrate. There were 9 in total and 5 people had a March birthday, so the mood was VERY festive. I made a “Birthday Queen” sash for the birthday girls to take turns wearing!
This year was the third year I participated in the Slaydies Spring Challenge. For the month of April, participants commit to practicing a few mountain bike skills every day for at least 15 minutes. On May 1st, there is a celebration ride and party to mark the end of the challenge. Pivot Cycles hosted the party and provided demo bikes for us to ride (Pivot bikes are super nice, so that was a real treat). I focused on climbing for this year’s challenge and I think I’ve improved my overall body position for attacking technical (i.e., chunky, rocky) climbs. The celebration was last night and I got to lead the “beginner/party” ride option. Why was it a “party” ride? Well, apparently, I have a reputation for “making” my riders take part in a mountain bike dance party, hahaha. I like to have fun 🙂 One cool thing that happened at the end of my ride was getting a group photo taken by a professional photographer! He posed us in a “V” formation and caught the sunset. After the ride, we all enjoyed pizza and drinks and received our challenge t-shirts. It was such a fun time!
This past weekend, a hardy group of hikers completed my annual DIY 7 Summit Challenge. The event is based on the official Phoenix 7 Summit Challenge and the goal is to complete all 7 hikes in a day. All 7 hikes are located in the Phoenix metro area. The “DIY” part refers to a few modifications I make to the event, such as the order of the hikes and switching out a few hikes to avoid driving all the way up north. This year’s hikes are the same as last year’s, with 1 exception; I decided to include Shadow Mountain, which I hadn’t even heard of! The 7 hikes for this year’s challenge: Piestawa Peak, Shaw Butte, Lookout Mountain, Shadow Mountain, Holbert, Mormon, and Javelina. I tried to group the hikes geographically, then by perceived difficulty. For example, the first 4 hikes are all within a 10-15 minute drive from each other and the last 3 are also relatively close to each other. Also, the first 3 hikes started “hard” (i.e., Piestawa is 2.73 miles long and gains almost 1,200 feet in elevation. Shaw Butte and Lookout are easier because they don’t have as much elevation gain.), the 4th one is short (i.e., Shadow Mountain is 1 mile round-trip), and the last 3 follow the same pattern of difficulty as the first 3.
Highlights of the day included a beautiful sunrise, great conversation, many adorable dogs on the trail, and finishing before dark! I also made stickers this year, which was a fun little project. The catchphrase of the day: “We’re losing daylight!” (I don’t know how many times I said that….probably at least 7 times, haha.) Similar to last year, our celebratory dinner was at Fate Brewery in Tempe and we had to climb the stairs to our table (bonus summit!).
According to my Garmin, total mileage for the day was 20.55 miles / 33 km (mileage does not include the bonus 8th summit), 5,758 ft / 1,755 m of gain, and 11 hours and 7 minutes for the entire event, which is about 50 minutes faster than last year! It was a great day and everyone did SO well! Happy holidays and rest up! 🙂
Just before sunrise on Piestawa Peak.Summit #1: Piestawa PeakA different perspective of the previous photo.Sunrise!A “digger” on the way up to summit #2.Summit #2: Shaw ButteSummit #3: Lookout MountainOn the way up summit #4. This hike was new to everyone. It was pretty steep and had a lot of loose rock on the trail.Summit #4: Shadow MountainSummit #5: Holbert/Dobbin’s LookoutShelly and I were the first ones to reach the 6th summit. My feet were hurting a lot by this point because of some blisters. I think I’m hiding the pain pretty well here!Summit #6: MormonShelly and I were the first ones (again, haha) to reach the 7th summit.I had to get at least one selfie with my SAT (self-appointed trainer). My feet were REALLY hurting. I was very motivated to finish!Summit #7: Javelina. My friend Gladys took this photo from a distance using her watch. The photo is a little blurry, but it captures our joy at reaching the last summit!End time was 5:37pm. It was still daylight!Darkening sky.We had to get 2 tables for our group at Fate.Happy, hungry hikers at table 2.Yum yum yum!The stickers I made for the event. I think they turned out well!
Most people I know want to mark milestone birthdays in a meaningful manner. My friend Kara is no exception. For her 40th birthday, she wanted to do a “long ride.” Maybe a 40 mile road ride? Or a 20-ish mile mountain bike ride…which is somewhat equivalent in effort to a 40 mile road ride. Or….something else….well, thanks to my SAT’s (self-appointed trainer, a.k.a. my husband) suggestion, a little group of us ended up doing the AES Picketpost Punisher race to “celebrate” Kara’s birthday.
The Arizona Endurance Series, or AES, is a local “underground” endurance mountain bike race series. As the website says, the AES promotes grassroots, endurance races throughout the state of Arizona. “Underground” simply means that the race is not an official, sanctioned event. There are no fees and no prizes. The challenge is to finish! The AES offers a full calendar of events and most of the events offer 2 to 3 course options. For example, the Picketpost Punisher has 3 options: the A course (or, “Pulverizer”), which is 76 miles long and over 10,000 feet of climbing; the B course (or, “Punisher”), which is 49 miles long and about 7,200 feet of climbing; and the C course (or, “Pansy,” hahaha), which is a measly 22 miles long and about 2,200 feet of climbing.
Guess which option my group chose to ride?
It was actually a pretty fun day. We aimed to be at the Picketpost trailhead near Superior, AZ around 7am because the race started at 7:30am. My SAT initially planned on riding the B course, but changed his mind at the last minute and decided to join the “girl gang” on the C course. Here is the “girl gang” right before starting the race! Kara is on the very left, wearing a little birthday crown. 🙂 (Fun fact #1: Kara and I wore the same mountain biking shorts!)
The C course winds around Picketpost Mountain and includes a section of the Arizona Trail. The scenery is beautiful, with lots of fall colours, cool canyons and lush foliage, all connected by rugged singletrack. Overall, I didn’t find the technical aspect of the ride to be too difficult. There were a handful of spots that I walked, but I was able to ride most of the route successfully, even the last tricky descent with all of the loose rock on the trail. I kept telling myself not to brake too much and to keep looking ahead! My “girl gang” ended up splitting into 2 groups: me, my SAT, and Kara in one group and my other 4 friends in the second group. My group finished in a leisurely 4.5 hours and the other group finished their “social paced” ride in about 6 hours. 🙂
After the ride, we hung out with the other racers and enjoyed all the food we brought to share. I even brought a birthday cake for Kara because you can’t celebrate a birthday without cake! (Fun fact #2: the cake was allergy-friendly for Kara’s sake, i.e., gluten/dairy/soy/nut free and tasted pretty good!)
(Fun fact #3: the race organizer said that the ladies represented well: 9 ladies participated (I think that is the biggest number of women participants in this race?) and all 9 finished. Yay!)
Good day with good friends. However….it’s TOO SOON to say if I will do this again. So, quit asking me, my dear SAT. 😉
During the first weekend of November, I went to Roamfest Sedona, a women’s mountain biking festival weekend. This event is essentially a party on bikes all weekend! I went last year and had such a good time that I decided to go again. The format was the same as last year: lots of group rides, workshops, and general hang out time with old and new friends; good food and drink all weekend; lots of free stuff provided by the festival and the onsite vendors; clean portapotties, haha. The biggest difference this year is that I knew what to expect and therefore, was MUCH more efficient in what I packed. I drove up with a couple of friends and shared a hotel room with a friend 5 minutes away from the festival venue, which was VERY convenient!
The festival provided demo bikes for people to test ride. I demoed 6 bikes and rode them on the same trail to make it easier to compare the bikes. The bikes I tried, in order of the photos below, are: 1) Transition Scout, XS frame and S frame, 2) Pivot Shadowcat XS frame, 3) Rocky Mountain Instinct, S frame, 4) Rocky Mountain Element, S frame, 5) Pivot Mach 6, XS frame. I really liked the Shadowcat, Instinct, and Scout. Did not like the Pivot Mach 6 at all. I’m slowly narrowing down potential new bike options…
The non-biking activities I participated in included a climate advocacy discussion, a bracelet making session, and a silent disco. The disco is one of the funniest group activities I’ve ever done! Everyone had their own headphones, which connected to 2 different music playlists. You chose the song you wanted to dance to. When I took my headphones off, it was hilarious to hear the (somewhat off-key) singing of all the ladies, but no actual music recording. Most of the group wore costumes, which added to the fun.
Of course, riding mountain bikes in Sedona means sharing beautiful views with lovely people. Looking forward to next year!
Hello, dear readers! It’s late October, which means summer is finally OVER here in Phoenix, AZ. Mornings are actually pleasant and, dare I say, a wee bit chilly, which is such a welcome change from the months of heat, humidity, and general crankiness (I’m not referring to myself at all…). I’ve been enjoying the option of riding later in the morning or — gasp! — late afternoon.
One recent highlight I wanted to share was a spontaneous girls’ weekend in Sedona last month. A few friends and I decided to check out some new-to-us mountain bike trails and visit a couple of mountain bike coach friends in Sedona. Not much to say, other than a great time was had by all. Gorgeous scenery, silly photos, and awesome friends = wonderful time.
Hard to take a bad picture in Sedona.ExuberanceAmo, me, Joanna. Amo and Joanna are 2 fantastic mountain bike coaches based in Sedona.Action shot!Just look at that red rock!We visited the Amitabha Stupa park, which is an outdoor venue for prayer and meditation.Our 2nd day started with a photo opp by a sinkhole!Showing off our best sides in our Shredly mountain biking shorts!Another fun photo.Heidi and I attempting some partner yoga on top of the “Ant Hill.”
At the end of last year, I wrote a list of mountain bike goals for 2022. I realized today that I’ve achieved most of them! Here is my list:
Ride 2,000 miles this year.
Complete the Whiskey 30 race in one piece. (DONE! For proof, check out this blog.)
Learn how to jump intentionally, not accidentally. (I’ve taken a jump clinic and have actually jumped intentionally during rides!)
Go to a bike park for the first time. (DONE! Went to Angelfire in July. For proof, check out this blog and that blog.)
Continue working on my list of technical features. (This will always be a work in progress, but notable achievements include clearing 3 rocky sections on the lower National trail at South Mountain.)
Build endurance to ride my first dirt half century, i.e., 50 miles. (Still working on this one.)
Continue the skills practice by taking clinics and practicing specific skills on my own. (Still working on this.)
Continue to meet and encourage beginner riders to ride. (DONE! I just started my weekly ladies’ mountain bike ride again!)
Not too shabby! Still have time to knock off a couple more items….
Yesterday, my friend Crystal, and I hiked Humphrey’s Peak, which is the highest point in Arizona. This hike is an annual tradition for us and is our way to catch up, while catching our breath, haha. I call our annual Humphrey’s hike our “do or die” hike because we basically pick a day, meet at the trailhead, and….hike. We don’t train for this. We just do it. Yesterday was also “National Summit Day,” so our hike was particularly appropriate and relevant!
The weather yesterday was PERFECT. It was the best weather I’ve ever experienced while hiking Humphrey’s. Typically, I try to reach the summit by noon, to avoid any potential thunderstorms. However, there was zero chance of thunderstorms yesterday. We had clear skies and a light breeze all day. Beautiful.
The hike took us about 6.5 hours (this includes a few rest breaks and a longer lunch break at the summit). I think we made pretty good time, considering neither of us was in “good hiking shape.” One interesting thing I noticed was that shortly after we reached the saddle, I got a “second wind.” I asked Crystal if she was ok if I hiked on without her (she was) and I motored my way up the last mile to the summit. Hmm. Maybe all the mountain biking I’ve done in the past year, especially the climbing, prepared me more than I realized?
Highlights from yesterday include:
PERFECT weather and temperature.
Meeting lots of cute dogs on the trail!
Seeing our friend Stevo on the trail!
NOT seeing the usual amount of little bugs on the summit. For whatever reason, there were few of those bugs at the summit, which meant we could spend more time on the summit!
The summit was NOT windy and cold.
Absolutely delicious smells during the last couple miles. We were hiking through a Ponderosa pine forest and the bark of the pine trees smelled like caramel and vanilla. So yummy!
Looking fresh at the start of the hike.This is right at the start of the hike.I love the purple!On our way!We ran into Stevo! Always fun seeing friends on the trail.Getting higher…SO GREEN.Only 1,237 more feet to go!At the saddle. One more mile.Nerdy picture of my Garmin at the saddle.My new friend, Alex!The summit is “somewhere up there.” At the summit! Arizona’s high point at 12,637 ft (3,851 m).Statistics at the summit according to my Garmin.Summit picture (summit sign behind my head).Absolutely beautiful views from the top.Final statistics.The “we’re tired” picture at the end of the hike.
My Garmin said that we hiked 10.09 miles (round-trip) and climbed 3,255 ft (992 m) in 6 hours 38 minutes. My Garmin also said that I burned 2,351 calories. I don’t think I burned that many, but I DID permit myself to eat some fries after the hike!
I just got the professional photos from the Homegrownclinic and they look great! Vernie Aikins is the photographer and he worked hard during the clinic; he would ride to where all the different small groups were to take individual photos of all the ladies. (His Flickr page is here and his Instagram (@pedalpics) is here.) He also took lots of candid group pictures. These pictures are great souvenirs!
Coming in hot!I miss the lovely trees right now, as I’m stuck in the Phoenix heat.Cornering practice.Beautiful night sky.All the ladies.Waiting for the raffle to start!Vernie took this photo of me and Paula, also from Phoenix, at lunch.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in the Homegrown women’s downhill clinic at Angelfire Bike Park in New Mexico. I’ve wanted to ride at a bike park for the past year and now I FINALLY know what it’s about! During the summer, a lot of ski resorts offer downhill mountain biking, which I learned is very fun to do. You ride the chair lift up to the top of the mountain, then pick the trails you want to ride down. Even though I knew that there is no uphill riding, it was kind of foreign to me to NOT pedal much at all!
Riding the chair lift with my friends Heidi (left) and Jess (right).
I drove to the clinic with 3 other ladies from my mountain bike group in Phoenix. The clinic was spread over 2 days and focused on several topics, such as bike park etiquette, jumping technique, and cornering technique. We got to practice what we were learning all day on the trails.
We left Phoenix on Friday morning at 5am. Drive time is about 9 hours, but with a couple of stops for gas and a leisurely lunch break, we ended up arriving at Angelfire around 5pm, just in time for the clinic’s happy hour. All 70 clinic participants were sorted into about 10 small groups and during the happy hour, we met our respective coaches, some other ladies, and enjoyed snacks and drinks. After happy hour, my crew went back to our rooms at the Angelfire Resort to get our stuff organized for the next day and to GO TO BED!
Our bikes locked and loaded and ready to go!Cool mural at our lunch spot.We made it! At the happy hour (Gina on her phone and Jess making a ‘peace’ sign).
Saturday: we all met at the Homegrown tent near the chair lift, then split into our small coaching groups. After official introductions, we got on the chair lift (the “Chile Express,” probably named after New Mexico’s famous green chilies?) to the top of the mountain! The small groups were generally split up according to level, which was based on the questionnaire we all had to fill out prior to arriving at Angelfire. I believe that most of the groups started day 1 with a review of fundamental bike skills, such as body position and braking. It was good we started with the skills, because that gave me a chance to get to know my rental bike (Trek Slash 8, 29″ wheels, 160/170 travel). The temperature was perfect and SUCH a treat after dealing with the Phoenix heat.
Meeting the coaches.All the ladies from my mountain bike group! We had a great group from Phoenix!My first chair lift ride!View from the lift.
After the skills session, we got to do our first run (i.e., descent down the mountain). My group had 6 participants and 2 coaches and during each run, my coaches would stop at a certain point to demonstrate a specific skill, such as jumping. (For those familiar with Angelfire, the trails we rode that day included Ziggy, Combi, Diesel, Turbo Diesel, Sierra, and Jazz Hands. All are fun and feature lots of berms and jumps.)
After lunch, which was provided (box lunch: croissant sandwich, chips, cookie, water), we learned that the lift closed due to lightning (and rain). This is normal because of monsoon season. The lift opens when there are no lightning strikes for at least 30 minutes. If there is lightning within a single 30 minute timeframe, the clock is reset. Turned out that the lift would be closed the rest of the day. Therefore, instead of riding, my group snagged a covered spot and practiced trackstands (i.e., balancing on the bike without moving), played cornering games (ride in a square), practiced front wheel lifts, and learned about suspension. Very productive, educational, and creative!
Some of the ladies from my Phoenix mountain biking group met up at El Jefe’s (the Mexican restaurant right by the resort) for yummy margaritas and snacks and to discuss day 1. Then, I decided to eat some of my own food for dinner back in my room, after which I met up with the girls at the resort’s hot tub to unwind and relax. I was tired!
Sunday: All the small groups went up the chair lift to do as much riding as possible. My group focused on jumping for the morning session. I can’t believe I can jump now! It’s so fun to get a little air on the trail. This day marks the first time I was able to jump on the trail…so exciting! We also played around in the “drop zone,” which includes 4 wooden platforms of varying heights that you can “drop” off of. I’m not quite ready for the bigger drops! After all that jumping and dropping was a very tasty lunch of burgers and potato salad (and a cookie!). Tasted so good.
The 4 drops in the “drop zone.”Lunch! I got an Impossible burger. Yay for vegetarian options!My small group.
Our afternoon session was NOT cut short by inclement weather. However, we DID end early for the clinic’s raffle. All of our names were assigned a number and then randomly selected for fantastic prizes, like Dharco pants, Wild Rye apparel, an Outbound Lighting bike light, mtbvibes jewellery (made by one of the clinic coaches, Joanna Yates), and hats. I won a fun pair of earrings I’ve had my eye on for a while! We all got free t-shirts too. And….that’s the end of the clinic. But wait….there’s more! All of us Phoenix ladies had dinner at the Peruvian restaurant near the resort to celebrate a great weekend (good food! I’d come back). Then, most of us went to the hot tub to relax. That hot tub worked because I was super tired. Ah…bed….
Waiting for the raffle to begin.Me with my earrings that I won, courtesy of Joanna!Look at the little leopard!So. Many. Bikes.At dinner with the Phoenix crew.Enjoying some patio time.El Jefe’s patio (Mexican restaurant beside the resort).
Monday: bonus day! Three of my friends and I decided to stay an extra day to practice all the things we learned. I rode my own bike (Pivot Mach 4) which felt unstable and small after riding a downhill bike! Because of that, I opted not to ride any black trails. I noticed that I did not feel as stable on my bike as I did on the rental Trek Slash 8. Also, the Trek’s wheels are 29″ and my wheels are 27.5″. I felt like the Trek rolled over chunk much easier than my Pivot due to the wheel size. (Note to my Self-Appointed Trainer (SAT): I may be looking for a new bike soon….)
My group took a lot of fun pictures during our first run. We were having a great time riding the trails and enjoying the beautiful scenery. For the second run, my group split into two. Gina and Heidi wanted to check out some black trails and Jess and I decided to ride all of Easy Street, which is a really fun green trail with lots of opportunities to practice cornering. During one break, we met Russ from North Carolina, who took our picture. We were not expecting to see him again, but we saw him at the bottom. Because the others in my group wanted to check out more black trails, I thought it would be good to ride with him, since he seemed to be more interested in riding intermediate/blue trails. So, that’s what we did! It was fun and I played tour guide, showing him some trails my small group did on the weekend.
The lift was closed from about 12:30pm to 3pm because of lightning, so we decided to have lunch at El Jefe to try and wait out the lightning. When the lift opened up, I opted to take the opportunity to shower and pack. I mean….since the others weren’t around, I could take a long shower, haha. We enjoyed a final hot tub session, then went to bed.
Group picture.Being silly on the trail.This little chapel is at the top of the mountain!Showing off my muscles, haha.Cool rock cairn.Me and Jess.Me and Russ.Me with professional enduro racer and one of the clinic coaches, Stefanie McDaniel.Our helmets in formation at lunch.
Tuesday: This day is a blur, as we got up at 4am (NM time) because we planned on leaving at 4:30am. Good thing we packed up most of our stuff in Heidi’s car the night before. I got back to my place shortly after 2pm (AZ time). Yay to seeing my kitties! Yay for not crashing on my bike!
So many takeaways!: It’s hard to remember EVERYTHING I learned, but some of my main takeaways include the following:
2-1-0: This refers to how you enter a “berm,” i.e., corner. You don’t want to brake while cornering. I learned that you should use both brakes just before entering the berm, then just use one brake while cornering, then let go of the brakes to maintain speed and even gain a little speed while exiting the berm.
Inquisitive turtle: As you are cornering, turn your head in the direction you WANT to go. You always want to be looking ahead.
Chicken wings: Keep your elbows bent while riding down steep sections….and while cornering. This gives you room to navigate drops and turns more efficiently.
Pop butt out: This helps to flatten the lower back and straighten the legs a bit to rest them. I found that I was staying in a squat position a lot while riding downhill, which fatigued my legs. Sticking my butt out reduced the pressure on my quads.
It’s been a while since we spent a weekend with our friends Carl and Lifan. We finally scheduled Memorial Day weekend to camp and mountain bike on Mingus Mountain, near Jerome, AZ, because my SAT (self-appointed trainer) was excited to show us some of the trails he’s enjoyed the past year. I was excited to escape the Phoenix heat, which was — and is — ramping up.
Both my SAT and I took Friday off work and we spent a few hours in the morning packing and getting the last details in place before heading out. When we left at around 11am, my GPS said that there was a crash a bit north of us on the I-17. Therefore, we decided to take the scenic route through Yarnell and Prescott to Mingus. Neither of us had taken that route to Prescott before and were pleasantly surprised at how pretty the drive was. We were enjoying the lush trees (yes, in Arizona!) and charming ranch houses so much that we neglected to take pictures. I’m guessing that all of the green is due to the multiple springs in the area, marked by signs indicating “Hidden Springs,” or “Iron Springs,” etc.
We arrived at the dispersed camp area around 2:30pm. (We decided to disperse camp rather than stay at the Mingus Mountain campground because our friends were bringing their dogs and the campground wouldn’t be conducive to letting the dogs roam freely.) After driving up and down the gravel road, we staked our claim to a large, lovely, tree-covered campsite. We had to drive up the gravel road about 5 minutes to get enough cell reception to text our friends the campsite location; we were going “off the grid” this weekend!
We set up camp shortly after this picture was taken.
A couple hours after we set up camp, our friend Ian arrived in time to start making dinner (Impossible burgers and potato salad). Delicious! Pretty soon, it was time for bed. We opted to sleep in the back of our truck and yes, it was pretty cozy. 😉 Good thing that nighttime temperatures were cool (about 8C / 45F).
The next morning, we awoke to see free range cattle grazing in our campsite! I love seeing wildlife. 🙂 While enjoying a leisurely breakfast (vegan blueberry muffins, vegan quiche, gourmet coffee), we discussed how to set up the shuttle for the day’s mountain bike ride. (For the uninitiated, a mountain bike “shuttle” refers to when (at least) 2 people drive 2 cars to where the ride ends. Then, after parking 1 car at the endpoint, both people drive the other car back to where the riders are. THEN, everyone (and their bikes) piles into the car for the drive to the trailhead. This process is adjusted depending on how many riders, bikes, and vehicles are available/needed. It took my SAT and Ian 2.5 hours to set up our shuttle (thank you!).
Watching the cows from inside the truck bed!My SAT and Ian measuring and hand-grinding their coffee beans. Addicts unite!Ian made quiche! Very fancy (and yummy).
Carl and Lifan arrived mid-morning with their lovable doggies, Millie and Nala. After they settled in, we all packed into the truck (yes, all 5 of us in the cab!) and drove to the trailhead. We started with trail #9037, followed by the Black Canyon trail #114, then ended with the Gaddes #110 downhill. I think the word of the day was “adventurous,” because most of us found the first half of the ride to be fairly challenging. Why? Because the trail:
was very narrow singletrack
was overgrown (because the trail wasn’t ridden much by others and therefore not maintained)
featured lots of loose rock
was steep and exposed (i.e., the trail overlooked a canyon. Not good for those afraid of heights!).
So….yeah. That first half was a bit beyond my comfort zone. Oh. Right. I already said the ride was challenging. 😀 We went slowly and honestly, I felt like we weren’t ever going to finish the ride. I fell along one steep section because it was covered in slippery pine needles. After I fell, Lifan, who was behind me, fell in the same spot, then her husband, Carl, who was ahead of us, turned around to come back to us and then HE fell. My SAT tried to encourage us, saying that the trail would widen and that it would get easier…soon….However, before the trail got better, we had to navigate one very short and steep “hike-a-bike” (HAB) section, which is exactly as it sounds! The top of the HAB section was the physical high point of the ride, if not the psychological high point. When we reached the top, we were greeted by very gusty wind and great views. Finally! The trail DID start to open up and it became a bit smoother and easier, allowing all of us to ride much faster. We all reached the bottom safely and were extremely happy to see Ian’s Tesla waiting for us. Hooray! My SAT got everyone Cokes and snacks at the nearby Maverick gas station, as a peace offering, then we went back to camp. Overall, the 12 mile ride took 4 hrs 15 minutes (yes, that includes breaks, but still…) and although it did feature more challenges than I anticipated, it was still great to enjoy the cool temperatures and beautiful scenery with friends. Nothing like suffering together to solidify friendships! Back at camp, we devoured burgers and potato salad (again, but who cares?), with raspberry crumble bars and cookies. Food seems to taste better outside….and after exerting considerable physical and mental energy, haha. After some hangout time around the kerosene lamp fire (there is a fire ban, which means NO campfires), we all got ready for bed.
All 5 of us in the truck cab. Ian is driving and I’m sitting on my SAT’s lap.Took a wrong turn at the start of the ride and ended up at the lookout point.Too bad the wrong turn meant we climbed for nothing.Views were pretty nice!Top of the HAB section. Happy to be done the HAB section.More smiles, now that we reached the easier part of the ride!So. Much. Green.We survived! Check out the Tesla and the 4-bike rack! (My bike is INSIDE the Tesla, because it’s the smallest bike.)
We all enjoyed another leisurely morning on Sunday, with lots of oatmeal, coffee, fruit, and conversation. Our friend (and Ian’s GF gf, i.e., gluten-free girlfriend) Vanessa arrived. Because none of us were looking for another strenuous ride (apologies to my SAT, haha), we decided to do a couple more moderate downhill trails (specifically, trail #533 and a couple of connector trails). We did have to do a shuttle, but this time, it was much less involved. This time, all 6 of us were in the truck: 4 people in the cab and 2 people, plus 2 bikes, in the back of the truck. The rest of the bikes were on the bike rack. My SAT and I elected to “take one for the team” by riding in the back of the truck. It wasn’t too uncomfortable, mainly because the drive was short and the 2 borrowed pillows from Carl and Lifan helped to cushion our aging knees. 🙂 The mountain biking this day was really fun, with enough flow and technical sections to provide (appropriate) challenge and lots of smiles. 10/10, I totally recommend.
Relegated to the back of the truck!How many people can one truck hold?Fun ride with good people.
After arriving back at camp, a few of us tested out our solar shower. Verdict: 2 thumbs up! It felt amazing to clean up a bit. We made tofu tacos for our last camp dinner, then hung out in Carl and Lifan’s Sprinter van with their dogs to end our last evening together. All too soon, morning came, and we all parted ways. Thanks for a great weekend everyone!
Our solar shower. Fill the black bag with water, let bag lie in the sun for several hours, hang from tree, and voilå! Nala, left, and Millie. Two tired doggies cuddling in the van.
reluctantroadie 