Kent was the only brave soul to join me on a scouting ride up north. The route in question was a series of dirt roads linking I-17 at Schnebly Hill Rd. over to the Arizona Trail near Happy Jack. We'd then ride the AZT north for about 20 miles before tying more dirt roads together making a loop.
This would also serve as a shakedown ride on an extended demo from Binary Bicycles, George's personal Super B. I was planning to take it bikepacking the following weekend in SW Utah on the Bristlecone 200.
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Purple & Green, it's a Hulk bike!!
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As soon as we left the I-17 corridor, all was quiet.
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It had rained a day or two earlier, the roads were mostly dry, but some puddles hung around. We did encounter a few feet of sticky mud, so beware, this area turns to death mud when wet!! The little bit we found didn't hinder forward progress.
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One of the few times we had an open view.
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Only short bits of chunky riding too.
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Before we knew it, we had reached the AZT without a hitch!! The dirt road route from I-17 was declared a winner, now it was time for some singletrack miles.
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Kent's first time on this section of AZT.
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So far the bike was riding great, but I knew I'd be swapping out the Ergon paddle grips. They don't cooperate with the screw in my right wrist.
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Sublime singletrack on the north end of Happy Jack.
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Nearing our crossing of Lake Mary Rd.
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Railroad grade riding on the south end of Mormon Lake.
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We took a side detour to Navajo Spring to find the water troughs filled with clear agua.
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Reaching Double Springs CG, near our AZT exit.
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A few miles of forest road would get us over to Munds Park.
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But, first we had another trail to explore.
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I had seen the Crystal Point trail on Trailforks and it had a few positive reviews, why not give it a test run? We'd be approaching it in the preferred direction, that meant a half mile + chunky climb, then a 2+ mile descent. Sounded good to us.
The climb started off mellow, then more rocks and a few power moves. It kept going, with the challenges increasing. It was a blast. I finally got caught on a tricky move not far from the top. The climb was a real leg/lung burner and one I'd love to try again, just not at mile 57!!
Route: