Sedona / Flagstaff: Vik's Crew

Ahh, social media, it's both a blessing and a curse. For the most part I really enjoy it as I tend to primarily use Facebook, Instagram and this blog almost exclusively for mountain biking. I've met a ton of great people from all over the place, some in far away lands. That's really cool. Many of whom I consider good friends. Then there is this second tier group, people I'd consider good friends, crack a beer with, if/when we ever met in person. I refer to these folks as digital friends.

Recently, I had the good fortune to turn another digital friend into a real life friend. Vik is from the Great White North of Canada, BC's North Shore and we've been posting, commenting, sharing ride stories online for over 4 years. He was making a road trip south to AZ with his riding crew. Timing worked out and I was able to ride with them for a couple of short days in Sedona and Flagstaff.

They had found a great 'in town' camping spot in Sedona, one I had never heard of: Camp Avalon. It was tucked in the trees above Oak Creek off the Red Rock Loop Rd. We met at Over the Edge bike shop and headed out on a CCW loop through West Sedona.

We immediately dropped down Girdner trail, not one of my favorites, but it actually wasn't too bad on this day. We made our way over to Aerie, which I had never ridden in this direction and was quite surprised how well it rode.

Mini-panorama of Aerie's signature feature.

Vik & Aaron rounding the bend.

Sharon was easy to spot from miles away.

Aaron blasting a wall ride so fast I almost missed the shot!!

Deanna had some interesting stories of growing up in rural Saskatchewan. 

Three others peeled off early and we met up at Famous Pizza for the mandatory post ride grub.

Flyover

Route:

At camp that night I found out that Peter not only used to race BMX, but also rode BMX Flatland back in the early to mid-90's. We had a lot in common from those days and was cool to hear his perspective while riding in Newfoundland. He had great bike handling skills on the red rocks of Sedona thanks to those BMX days.

The next day we met up with Dave, one of Vik's local friends, who organized some shuttle rides for the group in Flagstaff. I wasn't sure how long I could hang around that day as I needed to get home before dark.

We managed to arrange our shuttles for the classic ride down the AZT from the ski resort. It's a short 6 mile spin or so, but super fun and great for out of town riders. Dave had an interesting encounter with a hiker in the parking lot while we readied ourselves for departure. It was incredibly packed with people wanting to take in the fall colors, we knew the first half mile or so would have plenty of hikers on the trail. However, this lady walks up to Dave and begins randomly lecturing him about proper trail etiquette. He was sitting on his truck bed putting his shoes on when she laced into him. He took it in stride and we informed this lady that we were well aware of the current conditions. I just don't understand the gall of some people.

Anyway, we got going and chatted with all the other non-judgmental hikers out there. A half mile later, we had the trail and the downhill to ourselves.

Aspen Corner break. Aaron, Peter, Dave & Vik.

Bobbi had some AZ ties, having gone to school at NAU.

Our ride took a bit longer than anticipated after Dave's tire punctured on two occasions barely a quarter mile apart! Gah!!

I rode ahead to find a photo spot. Here's everyone carving around a tree...exciting!!

Dave leads the charge.

Vik hot on his heels.

Peter not catching air.

Sorry, no wall ride here, Aaron.

Sharon & Deanna coming through the shadows.

Sharon's hunter friendly kit.

Deanna's turn.

Bobbi coming in hot!!

Bill rounding out the pack.

Bill couldn't get over how long the downhill was.

We were somewhere on the lower portion of the ride when I stalled out squeezing between a tree & boulder. I think my front tire knobs gripped the rock and I couldn't quite keep my momentum & bike going down the trail. The next thing I knew I was tumbling over the bike and down off the trail. I think I did two complete barrel rolls before stopping. Luckily only a little bit of road rash, but mostly just dirt all over my clothes. First time I had ever wrecked on that downhill.

Bill, not following my lead off the trail.

We finished up the ride at Snowbowl Rd. It was now early afternoon, but I knew traffic was going to be messy on the way home. As much as I wanted to do the next ride, I had to get going.

Flyover

Route:

Digital friends no longer, it was a great time meeting/riding with a bunch of like-minded people and perhaps one day soon I'll see them again on their turf. I hear the riding in BC is all right. 

Ripsey: Catclaw Killa

My employer had arranged for a Day of Caring, a day where employees could give back to the community instead of coming to work. Some coworkers went as groups to the animal shelters, food banks, etc. All fabulous ways to give back. Being an outdoor enthusiast I wanted to give back in that regard. The Arizona Trail was an obvious choice. Each year the trail gets choked with catclaw in the desert lowlands, so why not spend the day out on the trail trimming back this pest so other trail users may enjoy it more?

Which section to work on? So many choices. I preferred a loop and something nearby. The Ripsey segment came to mind. There are a few notoriously overgrow sections and a bunch of loose rubble on the main climb. I wanted to do some light tread work as well.

Being a Tuesday, I wasn't able to wrangle any other friends out there. I set off around 8a from the Kelvin trailhead, loppers stuffed in my pack and plenty of cold drinks for the long day ahead.

My Osprey Escapist 20 has seen better days!!

I was surprised to see a new bridge being constructed over the Gila River in Kelvin.

Best trail in the land.

The only traffic I encountered were 3 cement trucks and the construction foreman in a pickup.

Beehives in the desert??

The bustling Tecolote Ranch Rd. I wouldn't see another person the rest of the day.

Vague area connecting the jeep road to the AZT.

A little over 2 hours into the ride, I arrived at the AZT.

First order of business was to get the AZT carsonites vertical again. Both sign posts had been knocked over probably due to wind.

The first 1/4 mile or so is on jeep road, no trimming needed there. Almost as soon as I entered the singletrack the catclaw encroached. For the next two miles or so I'd ride about 50 feet, stop, take off my pack, get out the loppers and trim back the catclaw, put the pack back on and ride another 50-100 feet and repeat. It was slow going, but I vowed to stop anytime this pest was close to the trail. It was a lot!!

Here's a before/after shot of some fairly typical terrain out there.

No more scratches here!! At least for a little while. I then came to one of the trouble spots. The trail crosses a large wash and has a bunch of vegetation. It was so bad I couldn't see through the trail corridor.

This took 45 minutes to clear 50 feet of trail.

I was averaging about 1 mph with all the trimming!! I eventually dumped out onto the jeep road section and made my way over to the descent into Ripsey wash. I was expecting the worst over there.

One of Rob B's masterpieces.

The infamous green gate of Ripsey that was never green!! Note the El Freako & AES stickers!!

There were only a few random plants on the way down.

Then there was this section, yikes!! All clear now.

The tree on the left had overgrown so much the trail was obscured causing me to ride straight to a dead end. I made a trail barrier with the clippings. 

It was now 4:30p and I still had 9 miles to go!! I decided to end my day and push through the remaining catclaw so I could finish around sunset. I'd like to get back out there to finish the job soon. There is plenty left to eradicate.

Not sure why the hose was pulled out of the tank, maybe to clean the tank?? Hose was still dripping and plenty of bees were enjoying it.

The Big Hill inching closer.

One of my other goals for the day was to brush the trail of loose, baseball sized rock on the initial switchbacks of The Big Hill. There were plenty of rocks to sweep, hopefully it's a better experience. It'll still be tough, no doubt.

Mount Lemmon from the flanks of the Big Hill.

Ripsey ridgeline in golden hour & gusty winds...FUN!!

I love the raw ruggedness of this area.

Racing fading daylight to the switchback attack section.

I wasn't fully on my A-game going down the attack section, dabbing on 3 or 4 turns, but I did get to the bottom before darkness settled in. I flicked on my lights for the final couple miles back to the trailhead. I then cleaned out the cache box of empty containers and dropped 10 gallons of water for public use. It felt really good to get out there for the sole purpose of making the trail experience better. I'd love to incorporate more trail days into my schedule as they are always in need of work.

Flyover

Route:

As a side bonus, I decided that this area really needs to become part of the Arizona Endurance Series. It would be the perfect way to get new riders out to this remote stretch of prime desert. The route I rode on this day would become the short version while a longer version will include more dirt roads and a spin on the Boulders segment of the AZT.

Here's the down & dirty on the new AES Ripsey ride. Come on out in early March!!