The Vomit Comet touched down in Durango, CO and I sighed a big relief to be on my feet and into the hot dry afternoon. My plan for the week ? ride the best singletrack Durango has to offer. More specifically, the Colorado Trail. My friend Matt owns Hermosa Tours and I was lucky enough to get a chance to get out and ride with him on the trails that make up his Durango High Country Tour.
Monday was Day one and Hermosa Tours shuttled us up to Bolam Pass and then we rode the Colorado Trail and some other fun trails all the way down to Durango Mtn Resort. The elevation is high and we spent a lot of time above 11,000? and despite the fact that we shuttled to the trailhead, we still did a lot of tough climbing. The descent this day was spectacular with lots of roots and rocks to blast through. It was a longgggg DH and I was loving every minute of it.
Tuesday we rode the trail network from town called Horse Gulch. I was distracted on one corner and my handlebar clipped a bush and down I went. Luckily we were a few miles from the Hospital and I was able to ride to the ER so they could stitch up my elbow. 14 stitches later I was at Steamworks Brewery throwing down beers.
Wednesday my arm was extremely painful so I took the day off from riding. Thursday I sucked down some Advil, bandaged up my elbow and we headed up to ride Bolam Pass to Blackhawk Pass, a secret trail, and down into Hermosa Creek. This day I think was my favorite. The climbing was steady and steep for quite a long ways but the views were completely worth it once you reached 12,000! The DH off Blackhawk pass almost made me pee my shorts I was so giddy with delight.
Friday we loaded up and Hermosa Tours shuttled us to the top of Kennebec Pass so that we could ride all the way down and into the town of Durango. The elevation loss was 5000? on this ride but don?t let it fool you, there was a very tough 4 mile climb partway through. The downhill bonanza took me through thick, forested singletrack, past a gorgeous waterfall and finally onto the rocky singletrack cutting through the lush vegetation alongside Junction Creek.
Saturday was my last day riding and was definitely the toughest day. Molas Pass to Engineer Mtn Trail. Vivid red soil set against vibrant green vegetation was the theme. To see all that beauty we had to climb up to above 12,000 feet and there was a bit of steep hiking as well. The descent immediately rocks your world and is very demanding. We ended on Engineer Mtn Trail and that is pure heaven. Switchbacks, aspen trees, flowers and pure singletrack awesomeness.
This tour is appropriately geared towards intermediate to advanced riders and I can see why. Fitness is a must as all days have a fair amount of climbing at high altitiude. Hermosa Tours is the only tour company in Durango but they also do tours in Gooseberry, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Northern California, Washington, Arkansas, and Southern California. Awesome company, great people. I totally recommend everyone to check them out. Most of the tours aren?t your average mtb tour?.even MBC would like them because they put you up in condos, cook nice meals for you, and give you massages and other nice perks. Hermosatours.net
Monday was Day one and Hermosa Tours shuttled us up to Bolam Pass and then we rode the Colorado Trail and some other fun trails all the way down to Durango Mtn Resort. The elevation is high and we spent a lot of time above 11,000? and despite the fact that we shuttled to the trailhead, we still did a lot of tough climbing. The descent this day was spectacular with lots of roots and rocks to blast through. It was a longgggg DH and I was loving every minute of it.
Tuesday we rode the trail network from town called Horse Gulch. I was distracted on one corner and my handlebar clipped a bush and down I went. Luckily we were a few miles from the Hospital and I was able to ride to the ER so they could stitch up my elbow. 14 stitches later I was at Steamworks Brewery throwing down beers.
Wednesday my arm was extremely painful so I took the day off from riding. Thursday I sucked down some Advil, bandaged up my elbow and we headed up to ride Bolam Pass to Blackhawk Pass, a secret trail, and down into Hermosa Creek. This day I think was my favorite. The climbing was steady and steep for quite a long ways but the views were completely worth it once you reached 12,000! The DH off Blackhawk pass almost made me pee my shorts I was so giddy with delight.
Friday we loaded up and Hermosa Tours shuttled us to the top of Kennebec Pass so that we could ride all the way down and into the town of Durango. The elevation loss was 5000? on this ride but don?t let it fool you, there was a very tough 4 mile climb partway through. The downhill bonanza took me through thick, forested singletrack, past a gorgeous waterfall and finally onto the rocky singletrack cutting through the lush vegetation alongside Junction Creek.
Saturday was my last day riding and was definitely the toughest day. Molas Pass to Engineer Mtn Trail. Vivid red soil set against vibrant green vegetation was the theme. To see all that beauty we had to climb up to above 12,000 feet and there was a bit of steep hiking as well. The descent immediately rocks your world and is very demanding. We ended on Engineer Mtn Trail and that is pure heaven. Switchbacks, aspen trees, flowers and pure singletrack awesomeness.
This tour is appropriately geared towards intermediate to advanced riders and I can see why. Fitness is a must as all days have a fair amount of climbing at high altitiude. Hermosa Tours is the only tour company in Durango but they also do tours in Gooseberry, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Northern California, Washington, Arkansas, and Southern California. Awesome company, great people. I totally recommend everyone to check them out. Most of the tours aren?t your average mtb tour?.even MBC would like them because they put you up in condos, cook nice meals for you, and give you massages and other nice perks. Hermosatours.net
