Winter blur, part 1

We’ve got a plan for the next few weeks. It’s one of the best plans possible: Ride the Arizona Trail!

While I knew that I needed to get out on ‘the trail’ this spring, things were not quite right for a full bore race attempt. A growing tracking business stole much of my focus, and riding was turning more to touring and maximizing enjoyment vs. going ZOOM! Getting a cold and having to sit out Camp Tucson was the final straw. “Hey Eszter, why don’t we tour the AZT?” “Sure, let’s do it!”

So that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll be tracking on the AZTR tracker:

http://trackleaders.com/aztr14

We have the deadline of being back in Tucson just before the AZTR starts (April 11), so I can organize SPOTs, answer frantic emails, give people floor space to crash on and a ride to Parker Lake. That gives us not quite 3 weeks. A solid vacation, ah. Feels like I’ve earned it.

The last couple months have been a blur. I’m generally not a fan of feeling busy, but work does that sometimes. And I’ve been riding a lot, too. I guess if I cut riding out, I’d have plenty of time to relax. But that’s not going to happen while I’m still the boss.

Here are some moments when the blur came in focus, however briefly.

AZT reroute layout, day 2. I had about 24 hours after getting off ‘the Camino’ to catch up on the computer, go on an ice cream date with Ez, and then get packed for most of a week in Kearny, AZ.

It was a project that I did not have time for, but absolutely could not say “no” to, either. And so I got to fumble around on steep slopes, look good for drainage crossings, look for good turning platforms.

More than anything, I got to be outside all day and on Ripsey Ridges’s northern flank. That was the best part.

I’m quite happy with how the trail turned out. I think it’s going to have a ‘Gila Canyons’ type feel, with Ripsey scenery. I do quite enjoy the old ‘switchback attack’ descent off Ripsey, but this one will be even better. As to when it actually will get built, I don’t know. But I’ll look forward to it, even if it does mean the old trail gets buried by mine tailings. All I really know is there isn’t an immediate plan to start that process, and it could still be 10 years off.

I always enjoy work that isn’t at the computer, since sometimes the computer can feel like you’re just reorganizing bits. It was fun to get up early, hit the trail early, and come back to Kearny tired from a good day’s work. We checked in at the General Inn, where the hotel registration is at the bar, at the same time as a number of other 3-4 person ‘crews’, all likely doing something related to the mine. We were all ready for dinner, and ready to kick off the boots in the motel room.

It didn’t really pan out that way for me, though. I got a big dinner, and even got to talk some AZT with the pizza owner. But at the hotel it was frantic email and tracker negotiation every evening. I don’t recommend trying to do two jobs at the same time.

Unless your other job is riding your bike. This worker can’t take an entire wakeful day on the computer, no matter how much chaos exists on the computer and how much I might care about it. That’s what the local trails for. The rockier and rowdier the better.

Yep, that’ll do.

Once Iron Dog settled down enough, I was able to join the rest of Southwest Trails for a final day on the Ripsey Reroute. It was great to have Mark Flint out for this one.

We had to scrap a few ideas on the final drop to the Gila River, but it all worked out beautifully in the end.

Eszter grew impatient with my endless time on the computer, or on the trail. I did too. I tried to advertise well in advance that it was to be a busy time, but even I didn’t realize just how busy it would get. I tried to satiate with some local adventures, like these new northside Tortolita roads to explore.

Just because someone rode something and posted it to Strava doesn’t mean it ‘goes.’ Ooops.

The back track resulted in us ripping down Primo as the sun chased us to Rancho Vistoso. With some tail wind, we were able to win that most excellent race.

Even if you find intriguing dead saguaros on your local loops,

and even if you find gorgeous evening light, it’s just not enough. The heart yearns for more.

How about a big day on the bike, mostly new to Ez? Time to loop around the Santa Ritas, a yearly tradition and always a good beatdown.

Up Box Canyon.

And to the wide open views of the Arizona Trail.

These little guys were everywhere. People were not. We ran into one thru-hiker, and that’s it.

I never in a million years would have expected Arizona to be like this.

The flume is a good way to travel. A rare piece of contour AZT.

We decided to try Hog Canyon, which proved a great connection, despite the stench of dead cow. There was a friendly rancher at the key spot where the ranch has the gates unlocked but marked “no trespassing”. He came over and opened the gate for us! That was the best possible outcome of encountering a rancher with dog, right at a no trespass sign. It was also the one I least expected.

It was smooth sailing to Patagonia, but not as smooth in town. Gathering Grounds was closed due to emergency plumbing issues. The fudge at “Ovens of Patagonia” was a nice consolation, but the slow mexican food at the cafe down the street got a little tiresome. I was aching to get back on the trail, even though there really was no hurry. The food was delicious, too. Taco tour!

I love the western side of the Santa Ritas. It’s the old route of the AZT 300. One of the most quiet and peaceful places I know of. Except that after you hit the forest boundary and turn onto Bull Springs road, it may be quiet, but the gazillion baby head rocks make it anything but peaceful.

Much to my delight, Bull Springs was graded and upgraded. The spot in the above photo is right where Kurt Refsnider sliced a tire in an early edition of the 300. You’d have to really try to slice a tire out there now.

Instead of baby head brutality, there are dozens and dozens of table top jumps (erosion control bars). Drop the saddle and try to keep it on the road on the landings, OH YEAH!

I knew there would be nothing smooth about the rest of the route. Elephant Head is not the remover of obstacles, but the bringer.

It’s a gorgeous route, put even better with falling light and the headspace only a big day on the bike can bring you to.

“Wow, is this for real?”

It is, just barely. Seeing Elephant Head under crimson red meant we would ride around it, on the final miles of singletrack, in the dark. Perhaps the best moment, when the blur truly froze and became real, was when we sat down and gazed up at it in the moonlight, fudge in the belly, before continuing on into the night.