The ride was last weekend, but I've been too busy to post it earlier. 
This is one of those trails that is a must do every year. It's an amazing ride in that it changes so much. The start is at 11,300 feet and climbs up from there but eventually drops to 7500 feet. It tops out just under 12,000 feet which means you are above tree line. That in itself is pretty sweet! The climbing isn't that bad except for the noticeable lack of oxygen. There are sections of "Star Wars" cool singletrack ripping down a mountain through the trees, traverses across high tundra, catching air on the rollers on some ripping double track, lung burning short climbs, single track flying by huge Aspens and Beaver ponds, riding down through a stream hoping that you don't have to put a foot down in the icey water, and on and on and on.
Colorado has had a lot of rain in the last couple of weeks, but the single track gods were on our side. All the storms were either north or south of us all day. It wasn't until we were loading the last bike on the car that the rain finally started to fall on us. We started just before 10:00 and it was shorts & tshirt weather even up high. There were a few other riders starting when we did but we soon stopped playing leap frog and never saw another rider on the trail. We didn't waste too much time hanging out just because we could see all the storms gathering strength and didn't want to get caught in one. We did stop at one point and pull out sandwiches and a red bull. The last 10 miles of trail is amazing. It follows a countour line through the trees along a big ridge. There are lots of short climbs out of creek beds and then back out onto sun baked slopes then towards the end a long sprint through Aspens to make for another 'Star Wars' cool piece of single track. The very end of the trail is down a loose, steep trail just to make sure you are still on top of your game.
What a fabulous ride!
This is one of those trails that is a must do every year. It's an amazing ride in that it changes so much. The start is at 11,300 feet and climbs up from there but eventually drops to 7500 feet. It tops out just under 12,000 feet which means you are above tree line. That in itself is pretty sweet! The climbing isn't that bad except for the noticeable lack of oxygen. There are sections of "Star Wars" cool singletrack ripping down a mountain through the trees, traverses across high tundra, catching air on the rollers on some ripping double track, lung burning short climbs, single track flying by huge Aspens and Beaver ponds, riding down through a stream hoping that you don't have to put a foot down in the icey water, and on and on and on. Colorado has had a lot of rain in the last couple of weeks, but the single track gods were on our side. All the storms were either north or south of us all day. It wasn't until we were loading the last bike on the car that the rain finally started to fall on us. We started just before 10:00 and it was shorts & tshirt weather even up high. There were a few other riders starting when we did but we soon stopped playing leap frog and never saw another rider on the trail. We didn't waste too much time hanging out just because we could see all the storms gathering strength and didn't want to get caught in one. We did stop at one point and pull out sandwiches and a red bull. The last 10 miles of trail is amazing. It follows a countour line through the trees along a big ridge. There are lots of short climbs out of creek beds and then back out onto sun baked slopes then towards the end a long sprint through Aspens to make for another 'Star Wars' cool piece of single track. The very end of the trail is down a loose, steep trail just to make sure you are still on top of your game.
What a fabulous ride!
