Marc and Nikki's Moab Adventure

Better to blog late than never.....  our most excellent May adventure details!

Our last roadtrip adventure has been so long ago….  it was wonderful to get in the car and drive until we were in the land of sunshine and rocks with bikes and climbing gear. 

Friday night saw us on the ferry heading off into the great unknown of Moab. Vancouver was cold and rainy as we drove through, and we continued on through the night alternating shifts until morning. Breakfast somewhere in the US, and more driving - into Moab around dinnertime Saturday night. YAY! Sunshine, red rocks and dirt, dry desert climate - foreign and lovely. 

Sunday morning we started by heading into the bike shop to get some direction. Hearing we were from BC he immediately recommended we start with Amasa Back, down Rockstacker and Jackson Trail. We purchased a map and guidebook and off we went. On the way to the trail I read the guidebook, which basically stated that only crazy fools ride Rockstacker and Jackson Trail…. uh oh. Up Amasa Back - a great climb that I highly recommend to anyone that hasn’t just driven for 24 hours and lives at sea level, and out to a great arch on top of a giant lump of red rock. This ride was also the first time I’ve almost been knocked over by strong wind, which was quite exciting. Down Rockstacker, where I quickly decided that 1. the bike store dude thought we were from the North Shore and brought BIG bikes, not Superlights, and 2. if I thought every time I walked my bike or fell off it was a personal insult to my riding ability I was going to die in Moab. This realization made walking nasty switchbacks with huge rocks less distasteful, and I could ride the other 95% of the trail without wounds or a broken bike. 

Jackson trail was amazing - narrow fast trail with giant dropoff on the left to the Colorado River below…  “death on the left” became a fairly common theme. The trail ended at a flooded creek crossing, so we headed up-creek as instructed until we hit a rock wall going straight into the creek. Since the creek was still extremely deep (I believe up to a tall man’s armpits since we met his group later in the week and they “waded” through) we went up and over a most exciting hike-a-bike on a cliff wall. I managed to not fall in the drink and we found the proper crossing and headed back. 

Monday morning dawned overcast after a night of high winds and rain, and we headed to town as thunder and lightening played in the mountains. After being reassured that Moab really doesn’t get rain and it should all clear shortly we headed to Slickrock trail, just in time for another thunderstorm at close range. We sat in the car and fumed for a bit, and watched several groups come off the trail wet and grumpy and then drove around to watch the weather for a while. After another 15 minutes the skies cleared and we were on the trail, watching the amazing clouds all day while riding bizarre rolling rock. The first two “lookouts” were awesome, and the trail to the second one had a section so steep I couldn’t get my bike back up it, although I had ridden down. We skipped the third lookout and headed around the trail, trying to clean as many of the uphills as possible. I realized when my left leg wimps out I skid down on my right elbow sliding next to my bike until the rock hill levels out, and maybe I need an elbow pad for my right arm…. but the day was great. 

Tuesday we rode up Poison Spider, another amazing trail - and I started trusting the uphill friction better and climb well. The “fool’s variation” is to come down Portal trail, where a sign clearly states that three riders have died here, please walk your bike. A great trail, with the most amazing drop straight down 1000 feet or so to the Colorado if you mess up, so we rode carefully, walked the really sketchy bits, and had another awesome day. 

Wednesday had more thunderstorms in the forecast, so we decided to wait with the Porcupine Rim shuttle and do a longish xc day instead. We parked the car at an intersection just out of town and rode up to Flat Pass, through the cattle field and up a road which became progressively more rocky and ledgy. Several creek crossings, sand, great views and about 3 hours later we were back at the car, had lunch and headed down Pipe Dream, a new trail on the other side of the road from Flat Pass. Pipe Dream is fast and flowy with sudden switchbacks and dropoffs, and amazing rockwork! It feels fairly flat, with short uphill and downhill bits and overall runs fast and edgy. We headed back up the pipeline road, calling it a good day all around and time to eat and relax. 

Thursday - the long anticipated Porcupine Rim shuttle! The shuttle van had 3 “celebrities” in it as the driver repeatedly informed us, but I couldn’t get myself to ask them who they were since they chatted and ignored the advertising. The driver also offered $20 to anyone who could keep them in their sights, which did have some appeal, since I will do a lot for $20. Marc had to work on his bike for a few minutes, so we were behind everyone else leaving. Snow up higher meant the shuttle goes as far as LPS these days, so I know there’s more trail for us to explore next time! It seems any decent Moab trail needs some evil switchbacks to start a ride, and LPS was no exception. But after the initial entry - what a trail! Fast, rocky, smooth with small drops, nasty dropoffs, great views, bigger drops and sharp corners, long open sections that are ridiculously fast, short powerful uphills - the trail’s got it all! Halfway down we met the downhillers as they were checking out some “easy 4 foot drops” and declined to try it as well, and Marc tried to stick with them as they started up again. I was almost as fast, but Marc and I dropped behind as we hit more bumpy rocky sections and our poor bikes bounced like ping pong balls. Caught them again on top of a steep uphill, lost them again - but by now we were in full race mode and were ripping down the trail. I kept hucking rocks because I couldn’t see what the drop was like, and remarkably, living through the experience. Unfortunately this reinforced my belief that this was a good idea. The downhillers succumbed to a flat tire, so we passed them and continued on down progressively more technical terrain to exit the fantastic trail after about 1 hr. 20 min…. Luckily the road back into town takes a few minutes so the adrenalin had worn off a bit. I don’t know if the driver owes us $20, or how we get it - but it was fun! 

Friday - time for a day off to go climbing! We started on what I later dubbed “mall rat wall” - and left as soon as possible. Looking Glass rock in the middle of nowhere was definitely an experience - 2 rattlesnakes, one on either side of the start to the climb, exposed 5.4 climbing with 2 bolts per pitch as protection, but as I reminded myself, I think we’d been riding 5.6, so just don’t trip and you’ll be fine. Some leftover gear from where a previous party had bailed, and after 3 pitches you wriggle down through a keyhole slot to rappel 180 feet through the middle of a giant arch. I’ve never been scared on a rappel before, but I had to stare at the rope for a bit because looking around made me dizzy and panicky. Awesome ! I took lots of pictures of Marc squeezing through and rapping down. 

Saturday - running out of time! Having ridden most of the recommended trails, we decide to go back to Slickrock and run it in reverse. This is supposed to be much more difficult, and I have to agree. Marc changed from super laid-back ‘n relaxed mode to climb-like-a-maniac mode, and although I rode almost every up I felt quite ill from the effort. I think we were riding for an hour and a half, which is really not long enough for that whole trail. 

Then we went back to Arches National Park (our dinner spot) and perched on Owl Rock after climbing the 100 ft 5.8 to get there. MANY tourists got photos, and the lady that got Marc standing on top of the rock at sunset with the almost-full moon just above him probably has a very very cool picture. I rapped off but couldn’t get a picture of Marc on top because the wind was ripping the ropes sideways, and I worried they’d wrap around rockbits and we’d never get them back, so stayed and held ropes until Marc was down. Another plan for the fall….

Sunday we headed to the Top of the World, and much to our surprise this involves a LOT of climbing. Not interesting ledgy difficult climbing, no - the boring continuous crappy climbing that suits me quite well. The ride from the first parking lot to the top is 10 miles and several thousand feet of elevation - for the most amazing view of the week.

Downhill was unfortunately disappointing since it’s the jeep road and gravel road out, and the loose rocks made it dangerous but boring. I hucked a ledge - only to square my front tire into the rock in my landing zone, my only endo for the week. Marc’s tubeless tire ate a stick, and we got another snake picture, and missed a snake picture as well as a giant anthill picture. 

We decided to drive back that night rather than Monday morning, which was wise since my car is stupid hot in desert temps and night driving was very comfortable. Another 24 hours, 2 snowstorms, one ferry, 2 hours of sleep (3 - 5 am I refused to try to drive) some more great landscapes and we’re home again! Very happy to see our pets and get a hot shower, sleep in my own bed - and repack for next weekend!