So this past weekend was the first Downieville trip of 2006 for me and it was friggin' killer. Drove up and camped Friday night, then did SBTS Epic No. 6 on Saturday:
http://www.sierratrails.org/pages/events.html
The first part of the ride was a gorgeous rolling singletrack along the Yuba river. Conditions were perfect: No dust, lots of fresh green all around, beautiful moist dirt, exposed rock. No extended climbing but a lot of short ups and downs along with fantastic views, some techy climbing, some exposure.
I ended up in no man's land for a while after waiting for a friend with a mechanical and then working my way through the bunch. At one point I was riding alone and came around an uphill bend, then got stopped short by a rattling rattlesnake in the middle of the trail that was coiling up ready to strike...it was a slow blind turn and I didn't see it until I was about a foot away. I almost back-pedaled off the hill! After it cruised away I could see it was easily a 4 footer. No bites.
About 1/4 mile later, one of the ride guides stopped us short when he spotted a large bald eagle cruising up the river. We watched in awe as it came to roost in a tall pine over the water. It ain't everyday that I see a rattlesnake and a bald eagle on a ride!!
After the halfway point we did a brutal acsent that climbed around 2,000 feet in two miles. Lots of loose rocky switchbacks and relentless steep pitches that went on forever. It hurt. A lot. Then we rode a rolling ridge line with killer views for a while before dropping back to the start point via a super tasty, long singletrack descent. After a freezing cold dip in the river, much food, beer, and typical camp silliness ensued.
The next day we rode up First Divide and Third Divide, then down Second Divide. I found First Divide surprisingly fun to ride up and Third to be not as bad as I expected. It still hurt, especially near the top, but having only ridden down these trails before I expected more pain.
Over the course of the weekend I also got to meet Sanjuro, only we didn't realize it until today.
Sorry no pics. But for those of you who ride up there regularly, don't wait for the shuttles to Packer Saddle to open. There is plenty of fantastic riding up there right now. Spring is here!!
http://www.sierratrails.org/pages/events.html
The first part of the ride was a gorgeous rolling singletrack along the Yuba river. Conditions were perfect: No dust, lots of fresh green all around, beautiful moist dirt, exposed rock. No extended climbing but a lot of short ups and downs along with fantastic views, some techy climbing, some exposure.
I ended up in no man's land for a while after waiting for a friend with a mechanical and then working my way through the bunch. At one point I was riding alone and came around an uphill bend, then got stopped short by a rattling rattlesnake in the middle of the trail that was coiling up ready to strike...it was a slow blind turn and I didn't see it until I was about a foot away. I almost back-pedaled off the hill! After it cruised away I could see it was easily a 4 footer. No bites.
About 1/4 mile later, one of the ride guides stopped us short when he spotted a large bald eagle cruising up the river. We watched in awe as it came to roost in a tall pine over the water. It ain't everyday that I see a rattlesnake and a bald eagle on a ride!!
After the halfway point we did a brutal acsent that climbed around 2,000 feet in two miles. Lots of loose rocky switchbacks and relentless steep pitches that went on forever. It hurt. A lot. Then we rode a rolling ridge line with killer views for a while before dropping back to the start point via a super tasty, long singletrack descent. After a freezing cold dip in the river, much food, beer, and typical camp silliness ensued.
The next day we rode up First Divide and Third Divide, then down Second Divide. I found First Divide surprisingly fun to ride up and Third to be not as bad as I expected. It still hurt, especially near the top, but having only ridden down these trails before I expected more pain.
Over the course of the weekend I also got to meet Sanjuro, only we didn't realize it until today.
Sorry no pics. But for those of you who ride up there regularly, don't wait for the shuttles to Packer Saddle to open. There is plenty of fantastic riding up there right now. Spring is here!!
