Hot Water Hill

It’s quite the hill, at ~3000 feet above the Tucson valley floor.

Not frequently climbed by bike. At 3000+ feet of climbing, in under 5 miles, it’s not hard to imagine why. Oh, yeah, and there might be a couple of rocks, loose or otherwise, in there.

GA trail is without a doubt the best approach trail to Hot Water Hill. Supremely rideable.

Fighting my way through a rock garden I got stopped dead by a hatchet-y rock. I saw the top of my front tire’s tread, bending around the rim. Low pressure = muy bueno, and no pinch!

Breaking a chain is not a good way to start a 3000′ granny gear climb. A quick fix by Jay, though, and it held for the rest of the ride.

After a bit of hiking, we enjoyed the (one and only) contouring section of trail, before succumbing to steepening trail and 2″ of snow. We ditched the bikes and hiked the last 200′ to the top.

The USGS marker, named “CLUM.”

A juniper at the top – water vapor and pollution (?) blanketing the valley.

The dogs were going ape-wild in the snow. Not a normal thing for T-town dawgs.

The view is pretty unique, as it’s the highest point for some miles, sandwiched between the Catalinas and Rincons.

There’s that contour-ish section. Once back on the bikes, the descent was entirely rideable, if a little dicey…

… and it seemed to never end. It’s rare to get that gluttonous “shuttle monkey” feeling while descending a trail you fought tooth and nail for every foot of elevation on. Awesome.

We both agreed it was “hot” on the way up. It must have been all of 55 degrees. As the sun set it was cold, but that didn’t stop Stan from taking a swim on the way down.

I sucked down a post-ride slurpee (it’s been years since I’ve had one of those!), and dialed up some post-ride vibrations courtesy of King Crimson and Porcupine Tree. In post-ride euphoria, time seems to quicken. This is noticeable while listening to well known tunes. Besides running faster, the music cuts deeper, reaching further.

Or so it seems to me.