AZ-Boulder Death March Ride!

The Group started out strong! And then we explained what type of trail we were riding and we lost 3 riders out of the parking lot.


The singletrack trail starts climbing straight away, winding through car-sized boulders for about 1.5 miles, which feels like 4 miles:



You can easily take out a knee or hand on the big boulders if you don't pay attention. I think we all scrubbed knees and pegs on these rocks as did Mike Sr. on his Honda450R:


Rider off in the distance working up the trail:



I told you it was steep:



My buddy Kyle and his Beta 525 struggled on this 90-degree turn up-hill with a big rut/rock right in the middle of the trail:



He ended up giving the bike a lot of throttle and shooting it 3' up the trail, it landed on the wheels and stayed perfectly balanced while I caught it! lol



Kyle continuing to 'work' the clutch and try to get the Pirelli Trials tire to grab the loose granite climbs:



Mike Jr. working his Honda 450R up the hills:



Eric was doing great on his small KTM 250 smoker, also the first time on this trail for him:

This was a tricky spot, the trail funneled into a rocky stream and then went up the otherside climbing some shelf rock. Once the tires got wet it was slippery and created some bottlenecks:

Mike Sr. appreciating the beautiful rocks and views while waiting for his Honda Homie to show up:



Doug had the largest/heaviest bike in the group; a XR 650 farkled to the max. He was not happy with his aftermarket alloy clutch plates that faded pretty quick and vowed to come back with a smaller bike:



This climb was long, maybe 350 yards with lots of loose mellon sized rocks and slippery granite marbles in a narrow ditch. You had to keep momentum otherwise you'd slip back 10 feet and have peel-out again.



A shot from my bike looking down part of the trail:



Ahhh, finally some flat ground at the Lion Shack. We regrouped here and had some lunch and admired the pristine shape of the old cabin used by hunters and cattle ranchers:




The ST trail leaving the cabin was a slice of AZ heaven! Smooth and fast for 2 miles...

View of Bartlett Lake:




Shade Spot near Log Corral Trail



Mike and Mike enjoying the awesome Saguaro Cacti along the trail.



Gila Monster we found on the trail home. He was fairly calm and didn't want to move much, just lounging in the wonderful 70 degree temps.

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Fuggy! Looks like you got a new scoot!

Great ride report, except for the picking up the back half of the gila monster by the tail. I bet he didn't like that much.

Yeah, traded the old DRZ in for a newer KTM 450.

We thought moving the Gila off the trail was better than running over him with a tire.

I bet you love the new ktm for that type of riding so much more.

You're right about the lizard. Didn't know you were moving him off the trail. Sorry.

Awesome video. Looks like riding around the shoreline of Bartlett is way more fun than Pleasant... different terrain.

Dayum!!! I know a few sick bastards (present company included) that would LOVE to come visit! Awesome trail & pics! We keep going to Utah. Guess we should look a little further south & west

Friggin' amazing!

Awesome single track!

Great RR!

You picked the right day with temps in the 70's to do those trails.

Props to the gent on the BRP for squeezing it through those tight spots.

Does anyone have GPS tracks for this ride? I have a friend asking where this ride was in more detail.


Thanks
Bill

madd skillz killer trail :eek1

Thanks for RR! Love this. Can you let me know where so I can come enjoy next time I'm out AZ way?

Fuggy, when I first starting reading this, I thought it was from yesterday. That would have been insanity. I think this sort of riding maybe over until next fall so your timing was terrific.

Thanks for the comments guys...

This particular trail is one of the more 'technical' trails in the area. I'd guesstimate there is close to 100 miles of singletrack trails that network these hills...... which are also being scrutanized by the Forest Service. Since many of the trails are not marked or signed, it really helps to ride with people that are familiar with the area and carry the necessary survival items (tools, tubes, levers, anti-venom, etc). We had a guy break a chain 20 miles away from any type of 'road'. Luckily I had a master-link otherwise it would have been a long walk since riding two-up on this terrain is near impossible. The first time I ever did this ride it was with a group of 12 experienced riders on nice enduro bikes and 4 ended up turning around due to mechanical failures/exhaustion. Weather is also a key factor since there isn't much shade or water in this desert. Most of us carry close to 100oz of water in the camelbacks and half of us ran out of water before we reached the finish (nice 70 degree breezy day over 60 miles of riding).

Looks like fun stuff! One of these days I'll actually make it out for a ride with you!

SIGN ME UP!!!

Knarlier the better - that's why I ride a 300exc off road.

I was going to send an e-mail but then remembered you were out of the country. This would have been a good group to ride with since there were several 1st-timers.

Nice RR fellas!

pretty cool saw this on Pirate