Gila AZT / GET, day 1
We started riding at Freeman Road. After contributing a few gallons to the water cache we coasted off down to the Boulders.
Always a pleasure cruise, especially with the 90% chance of tail wind. We rolled the dice and got a nice one to gentle us on our way.
On to power line riding. This area is really growing on me. So much vegetative diversity.
Next comes more singletrack. Stuff that wasn’t built for our ’05 thru-trip. Yet somehow the catclaw has already reclaimed a bunch of it. They seem especially prevalent at the apex of turns, allowing for maximum bloodshed.
Ripsey looms. “The Big Hill.”
First we drop…
Then we climb.
And top out for miles of glorious ridgeline cruising.
“Scott, this is really unique.” I nodded in agreement. Few people get out to ride this supreme section of trail, and I was feeling particularly spoiled, simultaneously enthused and laid back.
“I was waiting so long I decided to sit down and eat an apple.”
Oops. Too many pictures?
Naahh…
Unfortunately, we eventually had to descend off the ridgeline, on precipitous switchbacking trail.
Such a shame.
4wd dropped us towards the Gila River,
Where we found grand master Brett’s water cache, mostly cracked and empty, but with just enough to top off for the evening / night.
We descended to the fording spot, but all of the rocks were under water, with a swift current.
Lee gave it a shot, but we decided to make tracks for other options.
Cross your fingers and hope not to die.
We had just enough daylight to follow Brett / AZT flags through some brush, along a fenceline swath and right to… freshly built trail!!
First admiring the sunset over the river.
The moon was behind us, in perfect position for singletrack riding.
We flipped our lights on when in deep shadows, but otherwise it was moonlit bliss. The trail is wide, well contoured and very easy to ride. The air was still, warm and pleasant. Couldn’t have been happier with person, place and time.
We stopped to listen to the river rushing below. Stopped to eat dinner. Stopped to watch a train creep along the sinuous tracks, lighting up the river corridor.
Then we stopped to make camp, right on the trail, thus ending what can only be described as a perfect day on the trail.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Speechless.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Nice new zoom lens, I see. Good work. That full moon was something else, too.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
wow
how cool
December 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Absolutely incredible, breathtaking scenery. I am envious.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I loved that section from Freeman Rd up and over Ripsey. Great time to do it too – weather is perfect.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Man that looks tasty.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Damn Scott. That is something else. That catsclaw comment made me flash on the last time I rode up there. I had the worst catsclaw encounter I’ve had yet. There was a bushy one hanging over a turn through a little wash dip. I tried to just english my body away from it, gambled and lost. It grabbed me, snagged a new wool jersey, ripped skin on half a dozen places, and took a while to extricate. I think I broke the worst branch, and I called it some bad names. I’m going to have to ride that all the way to the Gila. Thanks for sharing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:09 am
[...] Exploring the Gila River / White Canyon, along the Arizona Trail, with Lee Blackwell. Simply cannot wait for everything 2009 has in store. [...]