Grams Light Bikes - Trip report

So I got up early on Sunday morning (well as early as my lazy butt could muster) and headed out the house to the Gold Camp Road parking lot. When I got there it appeared they had a major blowout kegger, there was blue plastic cups everywhere and it smelled like a beer next to my truck.

We had some major rain most of Saturday afternnon and evening and I mean major. Cats and Dogs and huge amounts of lightning. Lots of rocks and gravel were on the Cheyenne Canyon road when I drove up. Yes I am to lazy to ride all the way up the Canyon. Same with starting at Bear Creek park and riding Gold Camp. In fact last time I did Bear Creek up Gold Camp to Stagecoach to Jones Park my friends truck got broken into. They stole my wallet, keys and spare clothes. But they didn't take my Crocs?

Aired the tires up and started the ride over to St Marys. Once I got up into the forest and started to get soaked. All the trees and bushes were wet with dew and from the rain so it did not take long for my gloves, pants, shoes and shirt to get drenched. Since it was also humid out it didn't take long to sweat on top of it all. Ugh. At least the traction was good! I did almost wack myself on a couple tree roots since they were very wet and so was the tire. From then on I watched how I hit the roots. Not something you get real used to in Colorado!

Next the hike and bike portion of the trail started. Although it is some work doing the hike and bike I much prefer it to the Gold Camp to Stagecoach grind. I hate long boring grinds like that, would rather grunt up some short steeps on foot. It starts off with a couple of sections on the normal part of the trail. You can ride sections and then you can't Sometimes you can ride the section but its just not worth the effort, easier to just walk. After a bit you get to the switchbacks. I remember years ago actually riding most of them but now they are more eroded and/or I am lazier. It does seems like those switchbacks never end!

Finally it levels off and you can start to spin again and next thing you know it opens up and there is even some downhill sections. Just before the doubletrack starts (next to the fire ring/campsite) is where the newer singletrack is. Its a pristine and gorgeous single track that follows the creek in the woods. Its very quiet, cool and has a nice flow to it. There are a couple of spots where it crosses the creek and you have to hike and bike but for the most part that is it. Just a long slow grind. Of course the altitude starts to pick up so it keeps getting harder to maintaining that easy spin cause the aerobic capacity gets hit hard. Just before the end of the singletrack there is a quarter mile long rock garden. You might be able to poke you way up it but why bother, easier to just hike and bike (looks like fun going down!!!!). Then its back to a slow grind and next thing you know you are up out of the trees and close the to 4x4 roads.

One of these days I am goin gto just turn around and got back down that trail. It would be a total hoot, not sure what the St Marys switchbacks would be like but it would be just plain fun crsuing and bopping through the forest on that pretty singletrack. Can you tell that I really like that piece of trail!

Next you just go along the doubletracks going around Mt Rosa. Not much work required on the section of the trip. Got to watch out for the road. It likes to pull you down into the deep gravel sometimes, especially when you are not paying any attention. You can ride up on the sides out off the trough but it likes to slide you right back down! Watch it, slip. Eventually you come to the singletrack turnoff for trail. Look for the steel stand up poles.

The singletrack winds along the side of Mt Rosa and drops you onto to FS road. Its a pretty fun singletrack with just a couple of ugly sections. The road is boring but at least its a short crank to the drop off to Jones Parks.

Now the first portion of the downhill starts. A bunch of loose whoop de doos take you to a creek then wraps you around to another creek with one loose dirty rock section beforehand and then once more. Now the long uphill grind starts. Seems like it goes on forever. I thought this was a downhill? We'll it does end on a nice rest picnic spot. Now the long and very fun downhill starts.