Black Canyon Trail, or BCT as it is more commonly referred, was to be explored today. This would be my first time cycling in the area and even though most of the group planning to attend had ridden sections of BCT, the newest part heading North from Rock Springs was going to be virgin territory for us all.
We arrived and realized right away that something was different. Not in a bad way, just a change had been made. Little blonde Brooke had converted herself into little brown Brooke. This is of course in reference to her hair color and not skin tone. Although skin tone would have been pretty cool. Just like Robert Downey in Tropic Thunder. Oh well, I guess the hair coloration was a bit simpler. She also had it in pigtails like Micki usually sports. It's usually fairly easy to tell the girls apart at almost any distance, but now that task would be far more complicated.
I'd need to be a lot more careful as to whose butt to smack for encouragement on the hill climbs. Mind you with the confusion I might have had a legitimate excuse getting away with smacking Andy's.
Whoops... I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.
Anyhoooo... the parking lot began to fill with the rest of the compadres tagging along for the ride. My awesome tubeless conversion that had been working all night decided to start to leak and despite my best efforts I couldn't get it to stop. Adding PSI, spinning the wheel and riding it around did nothing to persuade the air to stay within the Continental carcass. I was about to give up when the tubeless master that is Sir Andy simply pointed out my sidewall abrasion. From there he expertly angled the bicycle into precise position and the Stan's sealant instantly fixed the leak.
Whatever.
I'd proclaim Andy as the perfect male with such awe inspiring mechanical abilities had it not been for Brooke leaking out his I-Pod selection a few moments beforehand. Evidently he had deemed the reprehensibly disturbing Miley Cyrus song "Party in the USA" so addictive that it had found it's way onto one of his playlists. Just so everyone is clear about this, it's music such as the aforementioned that can do incredible and irreversible damage to the human body. The repetitive beats and syrupy lyrics slowly seep into one's genetic code, breaking down cells at a molecular level resulting in a significant decrease in strength and overall longevity. It's really a shame to see a friend fall to such a terrible fate. Even his nagging knee pain doesn't seem to register the relationship between Miley and total physical destruction. What other risks might he already be taking just to get his teen idol dance on?
Connect the dots bra! Connect the dots!!!
The trail got good real quick. As in ten feet out of the parking lot good quick. I was smiling already, which was a good sign. It carved and flowed very nicely. Some fun corners led to a rather edgy route back down the other side. Switchbacks abound at this point and Ken quickly departed the group with his usual gravity assisted finesse. At the bottom was the first creek crossing which was made tolerable by a loosely stacked bridge of tree limbs. That particular crossing looks as if it would change after every rain fall, but that just adds to the adventure I suppose.
Across the other side the trail kept winding through the desert. Really well made singletrack in my opinion. The grade was consistent and even though it got rocky in parts there was no section to much to handle. Mostly climbing at this point. A few road sections and gates to open. Some good views of the valley on occasion as well.
Look at his face... the Miley damage is so obvious now:
Now the dust on the roads is powder white and just hangs in the air until the next set of wheels comes rolling along to collect it. Lot's of options to the right and left, but the BCT markings are fairly easy to follow. A couple of ghosts wearing just boots point out the next left turn.
Boot-ay:
At some point you get a grand overlook of the Black Canyon City dog track. All but forgotten now, the stadium sits as a tribute to a time when men were men and money, beer and sweat were all exchanged as little wirey dogs ran frantically in a circle chasing a stuffed rabbit. Strange how that sport fell out of favor.
Kinda like Nascar that barks:
Brady and Keith decided to call it a day once we came a cross a graded dirt road that appeared to lead down into the valley for a great distance. I couldn't blame them, for it did seem that this section of BCT was about to take a serious turn to the boring. As the rest of us descended, it was soon obvious that this veiled trickery was simply hiding more epic singletrack just around the corner. I really enjoyed this section as it clings tightly to the valley wall. Some nice corners and good speed can be found riding in either direction. Climbing out and around we came to yet another gate which presented a perfect stop for a photo opportunity.
It was indeed Micki as now Andooke carves the corner:
Beyond this section the trail makes it's way to one final yet major valley. This is the only part of the trail we found still under construction. At this point I'd really like to thank the trail volunteers and planners for all the work they have put into creating this trail system. Seeing these few corners in progress really shows the amount of work that has gone into negotiating the steep valley walls found throughout the area. Even unfinished it was easy to imagine how nice this part will be once completed.
View down into the creek:
Trail out the other side:
From here things get pretty steep and ugly. We didn't actually make it to Bumble Bee road. I'd guess we came about 3 miles short of it in fact. There is a nasty steep and loose climb to a saddle just before the massive gas pipeline scar that runs up to the Prescott area. We came across some hikers on the way up and decided to call the summit our turn around. After refueling with a curious dog inspecting our snacks, we mounted up and headed back down.
Micki and Andy carving the bottom corner:
I think we were all surprised as to how fast the return route actually was. Much more down than up... even though there were enough climbs to keep everyone honest. Crossing the un-gated barb wire fence was a bit tricky, especially for those with a limited inseam, but we all managed without any damage. A cat claw left it's mark on my right shin at some point. Those plants are just plain evil. There is a very well built rock bridge cutting across the creek towards the end. Decided it was worth some video footage.
BCT from Rock Springs from Elvota on Vimeo.
After that it was just a matter of crossing the creek one last time and climbing back out of the valley. The climb is stout and you can see it coming long before you get to the first switchback heading back up. That said, the pitch is very predictable and all the corners manageable. Another testament to the quality of the trail building crews.
Once at the top it was just a matter of zipping back down to the parking lot. Brooke had taken a secondary exploratory route on the way back and was patiently waiting in the Suby. We filled her in on anything she might have missed and she did the same for us. Bikes were loaded, shoes swapped out and car seats filled. Goodbyes were given and yet another great ride was wrapped up. Even made it back to town in time to eat and ride my current newest fixed addiction into work for inventory. Nice!
The Stats:
Riders: Ken, Keith, Brady, Brooke, Andy, Micki, Steve
Distance: 20 miles
Elevation: 2395 feet climbing
Time: just over 4 hours
I have the GPS file that can be sent to those who might be interested. Just send a message to info@thestickichronicles.com. I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.
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