Gila Bikepacking Day 1

The recent warming trend seemed to good to be true. Winter had never really started in November and now that it was in December, I figured it was time to jump on an overnighter.

At less than 1.5 hours from my house, the Gila River and AZ Trail is the go-to place for a quick weekend of bikepacking.



We camped out Friday night and begin to ride early that morning.



We headed down Cochrane Road, toward the Gila River, soaking in the view of the Gila Canyon and other notable sections of this incredible mountain range.

The Gila River at the lowest I have seen it.

With no major rush, we did in out-in-back on the Arizona Trail, Gila Canyon segment. This is quite possibly the greatest piece of singletrack in the state. If you add in some Ripsey and Boulders segment, you are in for a 100-mile odyssey of singletrack that should be on everyone's bucket list.

















We biked to the second high point, ate lunch and turned around for the descent.

It's hard to imagine how this place never became wilderness, it is so incredible.

Max and Aaron on the Arizona Trail

I might have overstepped my previous "no rush" comment. At the least, the pace began to pick up as the day went on. With Max and Aaron on the front, it is hard not to imagine that "no rush" quickly became "quick spin."







With the first day completed, we set our eyes on Ripsey and Area 52 for Day 2. That night, it was easy to dream about the Gila 100 that will be added to the AES schedule for 2013. Brutal, yet incredibly scenic singletrack for a little less than 100 miles, one-way.

More on Day 2 on next post....

CDO Epic Video

Scott posted this up yesterday from our trip this past Saturday. Pictures to come.

Fall (break)

I was off the bike for the entire month of September because of an injury. It was a bummer, although rest is sometimes good for the soul and body. I got to spend a lot of time focusing on different aspects of life outside of the bike.

This past week, fall break kicked in at work. I took the camera on some of the rides in the Tortolitas and 50-year trail. A few shots from the recent rides.

Mogollon Rim Day 2

Waking up to watch the sun come over the horizon is always one of my favorite parts of bikepacking. We had a tough descent down to our campsite (Day 1 on the Mogollon Rim). Some much needed rest was in order.

This tent is great for 2-3 bikepackers!

We were slow to break camp, eating and taking pictures.




A must-buy when you are bikepacking....mmmmm. This small packet tastes so good and is so easy to carry. Change out those gross GU packets for one of these next time you are riding. I promise you will love it.





When we finally packed up everything, we started off on Highline. The trail was beautiful for the first few hours.












Even an occasional technical obstacle to wake you up!





The trail, as we had been warned, quickly turned very, very difficult. It became steep in some sections...rocky in others. Trying to make this ride doable in 2 days, given our stamina, might have been a bit of a dream. I left my camera in the bag for most of the incredibly rocky sections.



It was slow moving for the rest of the day. We hoped for the best and continued on some of the most difficult sections of Highline.

At the bottom of Pine, pressed for time, we had to pull the plug to get back to the top of the Mogollon Rim. John hitched a ride to the car while I waited for him below the rim. Was it a failure? Yes, in some ways. Nobody wants to have to hitchhike back to the car, but there is the ever-looming job that always starts on Monday.

The route still needs to be completed, possibly with more time. I will post up a GPX of the route here soon for those that wish to complete the route. There are some great views to be had on the Mogollon Rim. I highly recommend finding a route that fits into your schedule and ideal bping trip.

I am looking forward to more bikepacking trips with John S.

Star Pass TT

Changed it up this Tuesday and headed to Starr Pass for some Techy riding with Mi Ranchito to follow.

Vernie, Patrick, Jonathan and I headed up Wagon Wheel as a storm came in from the south.



Not changing out my tire from last week's TTT was a bad idea, very bad. More flat issues. I figured I could use it for a few more rides before it finally died. Time to move on and boot it for another ride.





Session...that is the name of the game. How many times can you fail before you finally get it done?

















Great riding on some sweet trails with some fun friends....I love it!



See you next week back at Rubio's, 5pm. Bring some lights and an appetite.