BCT: High Plains Drifter 100

The weather held in check for another week, actually cooler & overcast, and I was given a rare second chance at knocking out a big dumb ride. One thing the week prior taught me was the section of Black Canyon Trail, BCT, heading south from Rock Springs was slow going. So, instead of going for the whole enchilada, I decided to switch things up a bit and do the northern portion. No small feat as that alone was just over 100 miles, but I felt confident I could not only pull it off, but finish before sunset. Of course this meant starting at 3a once again. Let's do this.

3:03a rollout on a Saturday. The benefit would be twofold.

I settled into a good groove early, legs were firing right away. I was really digging the solitude under the cover of darkness on an otherwise very popular OHV road.

5a on the Antelope Creek climb, still not one vehicle.

The eastern glow of sunrise approaching. Top of Antelope Creek by 5:30a.

Storm clouds?? There was a 10% chance...

Right before sunrise I finally encountered the first vehicles, two off-roaders coming my way, they slowed, waved and all was quiet for a while.

I love riding from pure darkness into a new day.

It was about 6a as I arrived in Spring Valley. Right on schedule.

There's a gas station on route and I was craving a chocolate milk & donut. Score. As I was getting my morning fix it began to rain. Hmmm. Didn't bring any rain gear. The clouds were telling me it would quickly pass, so I headed out under a light rain. It lasted about a mile.

Rain + Sunrise = Rainbow!! This was a short bit along SR69 linking the gas station to Old Sycamore Rd.

It's a relatively fast rip along Old Sycamore Rd. to Orme Rd.

I had two more vehicles pass by on Orme Rd, a hunter in a pickup truck and a rancher pulling a horse trailer. 42 miles of dirt & 4 vehicles on a Saturday morning. I guess starting at 3a has its benefits.

Orme Rd. winds around, climbs a bit, but puts you way out there.

The official start of the BCT off Orme Rd. Nondescript. This is the only signage & a small dirt pullout.

It was 8a on the dot and I was stoked about that. 42 miles down, about 62 to go and I had almost all day to ride the BCT. I was feeling really good, best I've felt on a long ride in quite some time and the temps were hovering in the upper 50's. Perfect.

The first couple miles of BCT follows a jeep road, not too exciting, but the views are nice.

The jeep roads drops down to here, Russian Well, and just beyond the singletrack begins.

To say the northern reaches of BCT doesn't get a lot of traffic is a bit of an understatement. That's the trail.

While vague in stretches, the trail rides great.

Did I wormhole to Narnia??

First Agua Fria crossing, rideable.

Now the trail is easy to follow.

The green XM or XB gate, this marked the turn for the Copper Mtn. (seen in the background) Loop (CML), but first I had to do a 3 mile out-n-back on the BCT to the Copper Mtn. exit. You know, to keep it legit and bag ALL the BCT miles.

A nicely graded climb leads here, cool rock formation on the CML.

This is such a fine addition to the BCT. It makes a nice 12 mile ride from the Big Bug TH off SR69 all by itself.

Not sure what to do here. Should I close the gate?

I was now eight hours into my ride, first trail users.

The earlier threat of rain had moved on.

More fantastic singletrack to wind down the CML.

I reached the Big Bug TH right at noon, good time for a lunch break.

The first group of mountain bikers all day had just ridden past me heading north. There were a few others at the trailhead, but otherwise it was quiet. All fueled up, I was ready to press on towards Antelope Creek. I was now a bit over the halfway point and feeling really good.

The BCT contours around a couple of hillsides to the west of Spring Valley.

The first couple of miles are routed great on solid tread.

A couple more miles of good jeep road help calm the body after a series of bone jarring downhills over lava rock.

Crossing Antelope Creek Rd. right at 1:30, some 8 hours after my pre-sunrise pic.

Probably my favorite section of the entire BCT: Antelope Creek.

Mariposa Lily.

This section is cool too as it winds among the rocks before a long downhill near Bumble Bee ranch.

Yeah, this qualifies.

I needed a water refill, Bumble Bee Creek delivered.

There were a couple of motos down near the creek zipping around, but they took off as I arrived. I was grabbing a snack while topping off my water (I opted for my 1.5L lumbar pack instead of my 3L backpack on this ride, so glad I did since water was readily available) below the bridge. I could hear razor after razor and side-by-side zooming overhead. It was a superhighway!! Glad I wasn't sucking dust or getting run off the road at the moment, but I did need to ride about a 1/4 mile of it soon enough.

There was enough break in the road action for the dust to settle and snap this required shot. Somehow I made it to the turnoff without a vehicle buzzing by me.

The next mile is probably my least favorite mile of the BCT. It's a one mile grind up an uneven jeep road. Not particularly steep, but steep enough. Once again it tripped me up near the middle. As I neared the top two riders approached, but waited until I cleaned the climb. We began chatting about the day and what we were riding. The reaction I got when I mentioned I was at mile 88 was priceless. I really wasn't trying to impress them or anything, but they could tell I had been out for a while. They wished me luck on finishing and rode off. I was still feeling good, but was ready to wrap things up. Still 16 miles to go.

I really like this section too, the views of the Bradshaw Mtns. are so dramatic.

That's Maggie Mine Rd. on the far hillside, the first climb/descent of the ride during the wee hours.

Almost every drainage had water, this one could almost be a swimhole.

Beginning the Stagecoach descent.

Another iconic spot along the BCT. That switchback has stumped many a rider over the years. I think I've only cleaned it twice.

Arrastre Creek crossing. Shoes are getting wet. Dry ones at the finish!!

0-for-1 on the switchback today.

My biggest issue on the day? This. Musk Thistle. It was everywhere, extra thick here. Catch it just right and ouch!!

Somewhere about the 5 mile to go mark I think I mentally checked out of the ride. One of those things you do subconsciously because you know it's 'only' 5 more miles. Easy, right? Nope. I was starting to get hungry, but kept telling myself it's almost done, grab a burger after the ride. So, what did I do? I stopped taking in calories. Dumb. My energy levels took a nosedive and I became sluggish over those final miles. Note to self: If you're still riding, keep eating.

Last water crossing, again the Agua Fria River.

One of a handful of angled rollover gates along the trail.

The final climb, an 8 switchback attack!! Cleaned 'em all as storm clouds began to build.

The end is in sight at the white tank!! Barely one mile to go!!

Done! And still daylight!! That was the other benefit of starting at 3a. Finishing at a reasonable time.

Strava link. Once again cheated by elevation gain. See Garmin Connect below - straight from the GPS.

A few minutes after finishing, a buddy, Mike, rolled up with bikepacking gear. He had ridden from home for an overnighter along the BCT. How cool!! We were both hungry and met back up at the Rock Springs Cafe in hopes of at least grabbing some pie. Nada. Closed. Then it started to pour!! I guess those final storm clouds I saw were closer than I thought. I wished Mike luck as he debated what to do and headed home.

The final 5 miles notwithstanding, I felt absolutely fantastic all day. The best I've felt for a long ride in quite some time. Everything clicked. Not sure if I'll try the full north-south thing anytime soon, but I plan to come back if the weather holds to knock out the southern version from Rock Springs. (Spoiler alert: it was two weeks later, post coming)

I'm so glad this one came together, felt really good to knock it out. It was such a good ride I'd definitely do this one again.

Garmin Connect Route:

Plan B > Plan A

I've had this really dumb notion of a ride on my mind ever since I pulled off a dirty century on the Black Canyon Trail, BCT, back in April '14. It's been simmering on the back burner ever since. Thing is, the timing has to be absolutely perfect. Weather temp is a huge factor, forecast on Sat? 71º. Check. Could I pull off a big dumb ride physically? I thought so. Check. Bike working?? Check. River levels low enough? Check. Was my head mentally in 'the game'? Check? Yeah, check. It was GO time.

The plan, you ask? Stage from Rock Springs, ride the BCT south to the Carefree Hwy, turn around, ride the opposite sides of both the Boy Scout & Little Pan Loops, toss in the Tech Loop returning to Rock Springs. Refuel & top off water. Then head north on the dirt roads all the way to the northern terminus at Orme Rd. jump on the BCT and take it all the way back to Rock Springs...oh, and slap on a full Copper Mtn. Loop because it's there. And try and complete this nonsense in under 24 hours. It's something like 165 miles and 15000' of gain. I did say this was a really dumb ride, right?

I set my alarm for 1:00a, left home around 1:45a and pulled into Rock Springs a little before 3a. I geared up and rolled out a few minutes after 3a. I was quite proud of myself actually.

aka: Rock Springs TH.

I quickly descended to the first water crossing of the ride and didn't bother to take off my shoes. I figured my feet would dry out quick enough during the day and I've never had an issue with wet feet in the desert. One thing puzzled me though, where is the trail on the opposite bank? I couldn't make it out with my light. I knew where I should cross, but I wasn't seeing an opening. Only after crossing the Agua Fria I realized why. There was so much storm debris washed along the banks, the trail didn't exist!! I had to scramble over a series of down trees, bushes, etc. Then all the river rock. Bumbling, stumbling...

Finally, up on smooth-ish trail, I could resume riding. The Skyline climb went by smoothly and my feet were already feeling partially dry.

Top of Skyline. It absolutely dumbfounds me why some asshat destroyed the rock art bicycle that had been here for years. I believe it's been resurrected since this ride, but really??

Next up was the Cheap Shot segment, another favorite of mine that I hadn't ridden since that 2014 ride. Shameful, I know. I was making okay time, a little off the pace I had hoped, but not by much as I reached the top of the Little Pan Loop still under the cover of darkness.

The next river crossing was approaching some four miles away and this time I would prefer to keep my shoes dry. I was a bit caught off guard by how rubbly this section of trail had become, the pace wasn't picking up as I had hoped. Somewhere in here my shifting had become a bit wonky, it worked, but no matter what I did with the barrel adjuster, it was a bit of a chore to shift gears. More annoying than anything, but not something I was looking forward to futzing with for 24 hours. Not five minutes later as I neared the final few turns before the Agua Fria crossing, I felt my front tire getting soft. Ugh.

Sure enough, a slow leak in the front tire. Dammit.

I decided I'd mess with it after I crossed the river since this was a short hop over the water, but a longer walk across the wide river bottom. On the other side I threw in some sealant and got it ready to roll. The sky was now beginning to show hints of daylight. I was hoping for a quick change in scenery and mood. I started the climb out of the river valley and felt my tire going soft again. Okay, it's going to be one of THOSE rides. Meh.

Bottom of the Little Pan Loop. Decision time.

Daybreak at the bottom of the Little Pan Loop. I pumped up the tire once again and weighed my options. I was now quite a bit off the pace I was hoping for, couldn't fully trust the tire and that shifting...screw it. I called it off. Decided it was not going to happen on this day and I'd just make a traditional Little Pan Loop ride out of the day. It's a good ride all by itself and one I hadn't done in well over 7 years. Happy with my decision and quite frankly a bit relieved, I guess I wasn't fully on board mentally. That'll get you every time on a stupid huge ride. Anyway, I vowed to enjoy the rest of the ride back to Rock Springs.

Looking down on the Agua Fria and the upcoming third water crossing.

I think I'm going to get my feet wet. I had dry shoes & socks in the car.

Back at the top of the Little Pan Loop and onto the Cheap Shot segment once more.

Such a beautiful, calm morning.

The Owl Clover were out in force!!

I think I startled two mountain bikers who were riding towards me, I'm sure they assumed they were first out on the trail this morning!!

High above Black Canyon City.

Layers upon layers of hills, canyons and yes, rivers!!

The debris field I had to pick through in the dark.

I met another mountain biker here as he was putting his shoes on after the water crossing. He informed me that the trailhead was closed. Huh? He said a county park ranger was taping off the trailhead per a Governor's mandate related to COVID-19. I assumed I'd be able to get out of the lot without too much fuss and thanked him for the heads up.

Sure enough the taped off trailhead when I arrived.

As I put my riding gear away the park ranger came up to me and said he just got word that the closure was a mistake and the trailhead would remain open. He seemed a bit miffed about having to take down all the police tape he just put up!

I found it interesting that I was already done with a Little Pan Loop ride and it was only 9a. My front tire ended up holding air just fine the final 12 miles or so of the loop. 

Route:

I still wanted to ride. Maybe something closer to town with an easier bailout if my bike had other thoughts. I shot the Red Rock Chica, RRC, a text to see if she was around. Our schedules rarely line up, but she said she could ride around 11a for a couple of hours if that worked. That would give me plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and mess with my shifting.

We planned to meet at Fraesfield trailhead at Brown's Ranch, but we'd ride across the road for a bit of McDowell Regional Park. Calories down, shifting working much better and air still in my front tire, we were off for a spin.

We had barely crossed over Rio Verde Dr. when we ran into a couple of familiar faces: Walt & Deanna!!

Heading south towards Rock Knob, Tom's Thumb visible up on the ridge.

Lots of cool boulders to ride around in these parts.

The desert floor was a carpet of yellow.

Hangin' Loose in Owl Clover.

There she goes, the ol' endurance legs kicking in. 

As always, the two hours cruising around the trails with the RRC went zooming by. I wasn't completely exhausted yet and she gave me a good idea to ride around Granite Mtn., plenty of wildflowers clinging to a waning spring. It was a good opportunity to scope out the area and return the following day with the Mrs. for a leisurely hike.

Lots of boulders on Bootlegger trail.

Beginning a CCW loop around Granite Mtn.

Poppy patches a plenty.

It was amusing to me how well my bike was riding compared to the morning's effort on the BCT.

Well, hello there. Another rider had stopped to warn me of this guy's presence.

The south side of Granite Mtn. was splashed with color. Poppies, Lupines, Owl's Clover, Firecracker Penstemon and Brittlebush.

This is one of my favorite areas of Brown's Ranch.

This is a really fun section of trail and mostly downhill back to the car!!

I tacked on a small side loop to give me over 55 miles on the day between the two rides.

While I enjoyed most of the Little Pan Loop on the BCT, the afternoon ride with RRC at the McDowell's & Brown's Ranch was much more enjoyable. Sometimes Plan B is better than Plan A, especially when Plan B wasn't in the plans at all!! Thanks for coming out, RRC, maybe we can ride some high country in CO this summer!!

Route: