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

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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!!

Brown's Ranch: 'Splorin & Tourin'

I was in the mood for some Brown's Ranch cruising. Jen was the only taker after I posted about a 6-7 hour ride. Apparently that tends to scare off the masses for some reason.

Jen hadn't ridden much in the area so I promised to show her the good stuff after we explored some of the trails in development.

Right out of the gate, we met a friend. I hadn't seen a rattler in a few months. I need to get out more...

We made our way north & west and found some rocks with yellow tape. Hmmm. Let's see where this goes!!

We looped through giant boulders...

Zipped along fast cruisers...and crisscrossed our own tracks a few times.

I kept referring to my Strava app since I was recording our ride. It's easy to see where you've been, which was very helpful as we wound through this seemingly endless maze of trails.

X's...

or O's??

Some trails looked official, others were more primitive. All were fun.

Giant mesquite next to a wash.

Trail treat!!

Back out on the main system trails. They felt like superhighways compared to the other trails.

Dropping off a small ridgeline on Renegade.

Tight squeeze!!

Four Peaks off in the distance.

6 1/2 hours later, we were done!!

Thanks for coming out Jen, now you know enough to be dangerous up there!!

Flyover

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Maricopa Trail

I made a second trip to Brown's Ranch less than a week later to check on the progress of the Maricopa Trail, MT. Rumors had the trail almost completed to the Bronco trailhead. I figured if it was close & flagged I could connect the dots. What was that saying about assuming...

The Michelin Man basking in the sun.

I made a quick outer loop on the system trails before leaving the preserve at the Tonto National Forest boundary. Time to see how far north the MT goes.

New signage.

Spur trail leads to the ranger station.

Dirt sidewalk for a bit.

The trail was mostly wide, but the decomposed granite was very coarse and thick in sections.

Temps began to rise as I closed in on the mountains.

The trail climbs and winds near cool boulder outcroppings.

Expansive landscape to the east before diving into a sandy wash, complete with HAB up & out.

Awfully steep grade over loose terrain for new construction. Push it.

A short downhill reprieve before the serious HAB begins.

The trail shares this wash for a bit.

Rugged, yet mostly rideable.

Combine steep, loose, soft terrain in warm conditions and I was getting worked over.

Then I came to this. End of the line. I pushed about 45 minutes or so it seemed for this?? Yes. I did.

What a vantage point though!!

The McDowell Mtns. looking paltry in the distance.

No flagging. No bushwhacking to the Bronco TH. Time to return the way I came, at least for a bit.

I took the first dirt road crossing as my bailout. It was now hovering around 95º.

This short dirt connector brought me over to Seven Springs Rd.

A few miles of pavement and I was able to tie back into the Brown's Ranch trails for a quick exit to the car. It'll be interesting to see how this trail develops with use. I'm not so certain it'll pack down, so much loose decomposed granite. Time will tell. I'd probably only ride this section when it's part of a bigger ride plan, but who knows. Either way, it's nice to have a trail option heading north instead of being relegated to the road.

Flyover

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