Any one have Trail #62 GPS data? I'd like to have it to add to my ride since it was overwitten.
WTF did I ride in Prescott?
4
Headed to Prescott on Saturday looking for a good day in the saddle and thought I had one planned out that connected 62, 9854, 299,Spruce Mountain Road, 297, and 305. Seven miles up and ten down. I was really looking forward to Smith Ravine and 305 since the reviews were effervescing with praise. Made it to 297 no problem after about 3 hours but then all hell broke loose. Cosmic forces at work put me at the trailhead with some dirtbikers and after conversing with them made me believe that they had come up Smith Ravine. They said the TH wasn't signed b/c they clearly weren't allowed on this trail. This would turn out to be true. They turned and headed back the way they came and I followed thinking they were going back down 297. Wrong. They came up 9854 off of which this trail splits, and yes, it is not signed. I took this trail thinking it was right and it royally sucked. I ended up back almost at the 62 and 9854 intersection after 6 miles and 2.5 hours. I was looking for a 1hour burn down 297 and 305. I though my climbing was over. I have never cursed a trail so much. I was worked when I got the the 297 TH and to have 2.5 hours of mostly HAB after was intolerable. I was back to where I was about three hours ago. I wanted to turn around many places but I had dropped in so far down from the 297 TH I didn't want to. My question: does anyone know this trail? WTF is it and why was it not on my maps from the US Forest Service? It looks like I went up/down Sawmill Gulch and up Benjamin Gulch. Mucho pain. Mucho HAB. I was spent when I started it. Has anyone else been on this trail? Anyone familiar with this torment? To say I was dissappointed is an understatement. I wanted my sweet downhill to the car! All I got was pain and HAB. Here's some GPS so you can help me out. Came down 7 Mile Gulch but would have much rather come down 297 and 305.
Smith ravine is to the left. 7 Mile Gulch is to the right. 299 and Spruce Mt. Rd. are up along the ridge. Inbetween is POS trail #1 (my name). You are looking to the west. I added Smith ravine for reference. I rode up 62 as well but I was out for so long (6 hours) that my GPS started overwriting earlier data. That's why its not there. Lynx Lake bottom right corner.
Here's a 2D to help orientate youself a bit. North is up. It is spun 90 degrees CCW from the 3D. 7 Mile to the north. Smith ravine to the south. POS #1 is north/south in the middle.
I would steer anyone away from this trail unless they are your mortal enemy or you just hate yourself. Either way you enter you have to go up to get out and for mortals it is not ride-able. Anyone have experience with this trail?
Totals for the day: 18 miles, ~8500 ft of climbing, 5 hours, 53 minutes. no sweet downhill. (7 Mile might count but I just wanted out by then.)
If I didn't see these bikers, I probably would have been all right. Three hours of riding and probably only a 5 minute window of meeting them. They were up and out and I followed like a lost sheep.
However, the rest of the ride was excellent. All in all, I'm looking forward to getting it right. The rest of the loop was excellent. Here's some 299.
Smith ravine is to the left. 7 Mile Gulch is to the right. 299 and Spruce Mt. Rd. are up along the ridge. Inbetween is POS trail #1 (my name). You are looking to the west. I added Smith ravine for reference. I rode up 62 as well but I was out for so long (6 hours) that my GPS started overwriting earlier data. That's why its not there. Lynx Lake bottom right corner.
Here's a 2D to help orientate youself a bit. North is up. It is spun 90 degrees CCW from the 3D. 7 Mile to the north. Smith ravine to the south. POS #1 is north/south in the middle.
I would steer anyone away from this trail unless they are your mortal enemy or you just hate yourself. Either way you enter you have to go up to get out and for mortals it is not ride-able. Anyone have experience with this trail?
Totals for the day: 18 miles, ~8500 ft of climbing, 5 hours, 53 minutes. no sweet downhill. (7 Mile might count but I just wanted out by then.)
If I didn't see these bikers, I probably would have been all right. Three hours of riding and probably only a 5 minute window of meeting them. They were up and out and I followed like a lost sheep.
However, the rest of the ride was excellent. All in all, I'm looking forward to getting it right. The rest of the loop was excellent. Here's some 299.
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And as a final piece to my therapy, heres a color visualization of HAB. This is a speed shaded view of the ride. Green is moving. Light blue is climbing slowly (riding) and the dark blue is HAB. Evil, evil HAB. The average speed for POS Trail #1 was about 2.4 mph. Length: 6 miles.
Coming up Benjamin Gulch was real sucky....
Coming up Benjamin Gulch was real sucky....
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Mind if I ask a few questions also on this thread? We were riding in the Prescott area this last week and came into a few problem areas.
1. Anyone ever ridden the Martin Trail 103 from 89a on Mingus, just west of Jerome? It drops down to the Powerline, the could be used to connect to the Great Western Trail/318A, then on to Perkinsville or Jerome. We tried to connect this via an old forest road that has since been changed into a residential area. We are hoping to take the Martin route instead of the route we took that was west of the Mingus.
2. Is riding up Trail 106 on Mingus easier/harder than taking FR 413 over to Black Canyon, then climbing up to the Mingus Recreation Area? The other option would be up 105A. We went up Trail 106 from FR413 last Friday and had to hike a few long sections. We are riding up Mingus from Cottonwood and hope to have the most singletrack possible (rideable at times, but hike-a-bike is ok from time to time then over to Yaeger (Trail #28--which is amazing, BTW).
Here is the route we have now:
The Black Canyon Route from the road up the "pack trail" aka, Black Canyon
1. Anyone ever ridden the Martin Trail 103 from 89a on Mingus, just west of Jerome? It drops down to the Powerline, the could be used to connect to the Great Western Trail/318A, then on to Perkinsville or Jerome. We tried to connect this via an old forest road that has since been changed into a residential area. We are hoping to take the Martin route instead of the route we took that was west of the Mingus.
2. Is riding up Trail 106 on Mingus easier/harder than taking FR 413 over to Black Canyon, then climbing up to the Mingus Recreation Area? The other option would be up 105A. We went up Trail 106 from FR413 last Friday and had to hike a few long sections. We are riding up Mingus from Cottonwood and hope to have the most singletrack possible (rideable at times, but hike-a-bike is ok from time to time then over to Yaeger (Trail #28--which is amazing, BTW).
Here is the route we have now:
The Black Canyon Route from the road up the "pack trail" aka, Black Canyon
I think the gate should have been a good indicator they shouldn't have been there. A lot of these guys know they shouldn't be there and play dumb, why else would you cross a gate that's clearly designed to keep off road machines out but then turn around when you see a mtb? Sorry to get off topicDag Nabbit said:
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