schnauzers.ws

A sizeable group arrives and it's off to the prairie.

The first trail starts out as a runway, but quickly changes to doubletrack and singletrack in locations.

It's getting hot on a very exposed trail, until we round a corner and head up a hill to an unusual resting place beneath the trees.

We take a break beneath the shade with views of the town of Palmer Lake and Pikes Peak.

After completing the loop, it's onto the Spruce Run Open Space,

Did you ever get the feeling you've seen something before? The Sound of Music on a bicycle.

This trail is all singletrack. Yes, it's not technical and not even a big altitude gain. Why does it always have to be a 2000' climb? This just brings back memories of riding through the cornfields in Maryland.

Not to keep everything too smooth, there is a short four mile loop along a ridge that rises from the prairie. It actually has a few rocky sections and some hard switchbacks.

And a great lookout spot!

Then it's back down to the prairie and some very fast singletrack back to the car.

Most of the group poses for the "I am hot and you are making me take a photo" shot.

Did I mention it was hot? The last two miles of this trail are back uphill in exposed sun and 93F!

GPS stuff:

This entire area is filled with hidden gems (one of which I rode last summer). Though not as hidden as soon, it was still a very lightly treaded start.

The trail quickly starts out on the climb and I quietly fall behind the rest of the pack

However, Matt is not feeling well today and has slowed enough that I can see him in the distance. Well, at least I won't be too bad off.

This trail has a little of everything as it climbs. The terrain varies from tight twisty single track, roots, loose rocky above timberline jaunts, and an incredibly fun rock garden.

There are thee sections as it crosses a county road and then Boreas Pass road. Each section is a world in it's own. AT some point in the first section, Matt and I are screaming downhill as the others have hammered on ahead. As I come to a fork that looks like it should go left, Matt screams "go right". So, if he wasn't there I would have been lost. Right we go as the trail-blazes point the way until we come to this little obstacle.

It seems like the water is running high and fast today. We start to wonder about the other group. Did they go through it? We don't see other bike tracks, but decide this is the trail and thats the story we are sticking to. The water is ice cold as I'm barely able to stand up while crossing it.

On the other side, it's time for section two and of course, more climbing.

Then we come to what is affectionately called the flume. It's seems to be an old aqua duct that miners must of used for water. As we started riding in it, it seems flat thought it must be going uphill. We we came back, I got the same feeling. It felt like it goes up in both directions. Strange!

Another raging creek, but at least the bridge was OK.

Another road crossing and it's on to section three and the steepest climb yet. The only word to describe it is relentless!

It was pretty much stop and go for both of us at this point, but we were determined to summit.

Just one snow bank to walk through.

And out of the group of thirteen, with eleven hammerheads we are the first to the summit!

Ha! All that speed they had but I was with the guy who knew the trail. We basked in the glory for 40 minutes and still no other riders. At that point weather started rolling in, so we began the fast and fun decent back down. one mile from the top we run into the others (What's left of them as some had bailed after their four mile wrong turn).

At the cold river crossing before section one, Matt set off on the trail while I boogied down the road back to the car. I didn't have it in me to ride up the rock garden I had so much fun coming down. Plus, I wanted to check out the tailings piles along the way.

Twenty miles, 2800' of climbing, and a 10% grade. Ouch!

Up Elk Meadows and midway point of the climb. It gets steeper from this point forward.

I like this trail and most of the stuff in Evergreen. It kind of reminds me of the Poconos trails in northern PA.

One of the many switchback re-dos. It was a good training and skill day.

Just before the nasty steep climb to the top the group stops for the "isn't it great to be in the rockies" poseur pic.

The nasty climbing stuff.

Keith, violating Stu's rule of thumb, "Trust the rocks, not the roots".

Stu, living up to his preachings.

Final push to the top of Bergen Peak and the views that follow.

Weather starting moving in as we headed down the mountain. The downhill always seems more worth the while when you earn it. Thunder started shaking the ground as we reached the parking lot. I don't think we could have timed it better.

I shot some video of the ride which is coming soon.

Here's a link to the GPS data. Yes, we were pathetically slow, but who cares?

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2920396