Mountain Biking in Moab

Mountain Biking in Moab

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The sun peeked over the red Rockmasas as we loaded up the truck at
the crack of dawn, eager toget out on the trails around Moab.
We had been looking forward to thistrip for months, ever since the winter
snow started falling in Colorado. Wehad been dreaming of the desert, dirt,
and endless blue skies of Moab.As we drove into town the night

(00:24):
before, the sunset lit up thesurrounding sandstone cliffs in fiery orange and red
hues. We couldn't wipe the smilesoff our faces as we pictured the epic
trails we would soon be riding,Arches National Park, the Klondike Bluffs Trails,
the famous Slick Rock Trail. Thisoutdoor paradise had so much incredible mountain

(00:48):
biking we weren't sure how we wouldfit it all into one long weekend.
After cramming down some breakfast burritos fromone of the local cafes, we headed
straight to the world Whole Inchilada Trail. This was the grandaddy of all Moab
bike trails, a twenty seven mileepic ride incorporating elements of several different trails

(01:11):
that descend over five thousand feet fromthe Alpine high country near Burrow Pass to
the searing desert floor along the ColoradoRiver. The top section traverses through green
meadows and aspngroves, technical rock gardens, testing our bike handling skills. Early
on, after an hour of lungbustingclimbing, we reached the top of the

(01:34):
route and were rewarded with incredible vistaslooking deep into Canyonlands National Park. The
next section of trail throws nearly everythingat you, tight switchbacks, technical slab,
rock, loose scree precipitous notches,an endless series of challenges for even
the most skilled mountain biker. Wetook our time through here, wanting to

(02:00):
make any mistakes with potentially dire consequences. Crashing is not an option in terrains
so unforgiving and exposed. Three hoursinto the ride, we stopped in the
shade under a towering wall of sandstoneto refuel. The September desert air still

(02:21):
packed a powerful punch even in theearly morning. As we scarfed down snacks
and drained our water packs, wegazed out at the amazing canyon views unfurling
below. I couldn't believe terrain likethis existed. It was like mountain biking
on Mars. Strange bulbous towers anddeep red fins of rock rose from the

(02:44):
sage brush, casting long shadows acrossthe dusty single track. After a quick
break, we continued our long descentdown the Enchilada. The trail now mellowed
out into fast and flowy single trackthrough pinon juniper forests and sandstone slick rock.
We flew through bank turns and launchedoff small ledges, hooping and hollering

(03:07):
at the thrill of this geologic rollercoaster. Thigh burning climes were rewarded with
long descents through otherworldly scenery unique tothis high desert canyon country. The last
section of trail brought us close tothe Colorado River, the landscape now dominated
by a cryptobiotic soil crust and stubbygreasewood bushes. The trail tunneled through a

(03:31):
narrow slot canyon, providing periodic shadeand respite from the blazing sun. After
over five hours in the saddle,we finally reached the end point Shuttle parking
area, totally exhausted but pumped onthe epic trail adventure. The whole Enchilada
definitely lived up to the hype.The next two days we explored more of

(03:55):
the classic MOAB rides, like thefamous Slick Rock Trail and the Vertigo inducing
a Maasa Back route. Slick Rockconsists almost entirely of roller coastering across bare
Navajo sandstone, offering heart stopping viewsat every point along its twelve mile length.
Amasa Back incorporates steep slick rock climbswith punchy technical descents down rock ledges

(04:19):
along the cliff rim high above town. The exposure levels keep you laser focused.
You definitely don't want to take abad line or clumsy fall up here,
with thousand foot precipices dropping sharply intothe canyon below. On our final
day, we saved one of thenewest trail systems for last, the Midnight

(04:43):
Loops, located on the slopes abovethe Colorado River just north of town.
This zone offers over twenty miles ofbuffed out single track through sand, slick
rock, and desert vegetation. Wespent the entire day working our way across
the network of staff loops, sessioningrock drops and kickers along the way.

(05:03):
The trails here are gravity fed downhillflow trails almost like a bike park,
tucked back into the silence of thehigh desert. Burmed switchbacks, perfect dirt
jumps, even progressive multi tiered lines, down stepped slick rock. The Midnight
trails have it all, and wetook full advantage. As the sun dipped

(05:27):
low behind the fins of Castleton Toweron our ride out, I couldn't think
of any place I'd rather be.Moab truly is one of the greatest mountain
bike destinations in the world. Aswe drove north from town, headed back
to reality, we were already dreamingand scheming about when we could get back
to this red rock paradise. Mywheels have been spoiled by the sandstone single

(05:54):
track of Moab.