RR: Chantry/Mt Zion/Sturtevant/Highway to Hell

[SheDevil]

I don't really even know how to start this ride report.

I know I'm new...and I've never hidden that fact from anyone. Maybe it eludes a few people who don't know me...but really, this August it will be my first WHOLE year on a mtb. (I'm a roadie convert)

One day I was reading ride reports and I came across the pictures of this ride...and besides all of the beautiful scenery there were swings in a forest. I thought...wow, how cool does that look???

Joe Truth.

Joe is a champ of a rider...he's got some damage to his legs for sure...but after this ride and seeing what his backyard looks like...now I know why. He was nice enough to lead us...and his description of this path was.... "oh it's about 10 plus miles...and there's a mile and a quarter HAB...oh and how do you feel about exposure???" I'm thinking...well, I ride 8 miles like it's nothing...and I have pushed my bike before....and, I can walk the exposure if it's too nerve racking.

The exposure was the ENTIRE ride. The trail was the width of my handlebars most of the ride.... and the "oops I rode off the trail" factor would be anywhere from a 20 foot to 500+ foot fall. Most of the ride was uphill on a half sized singletrack...and I've been in clips for 2 months now??? Needless to say, I was walking a LOT. If I wasn't walking for fear of death...I was walking because the damn hill was too steep. The mile and a quarter HAB was just icing on the "I royally suck" cake.

I took a bunch of breaks...half of them because I tipped over and it seemed like a reasonable spot to just catch my breath. The classic moment a few hours and half dozen stops into it... Dusty is picking up rocks and hucking them off the side...I said "what are you doing?" She says "throwing rocks"...I say "stop it"...she says "don't tell me to stop throwing rocks"...I say "what are you 12??" She says quietly..."well I'm not exactly use to walking more than I ride...I thought this was a mountainbike ride." I say "well there's not much we can do about it NOW is there."

We finally reached the summit...and he says "oh now it's all downhill girls". He's a damn liar. (mountainbiker=liar) Ok he wasn't a liar...but it was just more freaking exposure and I was so exhausted by the time we got to the top I couldn't focus on the ride down. Mind you...our fun little uphill section took us somewhere around...4 hours?? Yeh go ahead and laugh. I rode a lot of the new "downhill" with one foot dragging the wall face.

We reached Sturtevant camp....and Joe says "Hey Kell...this is where the swings are, do you wanna go see them??" You're damn skippy I wanna see them....I did this ride motivated by the swings and I plan to SWING until I'm ready to throw up (which at that point was no problem). So we layed our bikes down and walked up another hill to the swings.

We managed to do this ride in a record amount of 8.5 hours...I remember at one point where Dusty turns to him and asks..."Have you ever taken this long on this ride?" and Joe responds...."yeh one time but I had laid down on the trail to take a nap." I knew I was losing it when I looked at him and said..."what are you narcoleptic?" Yeh...didn't get his joke. Then when I got it, I was too tired to take a swing at him.

Needless to say we didn't pack a lunch....so I was fueling off of Gu and Powerbars (bad), and I ran out of water 3/4 of the way thru....but managed fine. Well fine in the way of a lot of cursing...losing my temper and rewinding the same Sound Garden song on my shuffle a lot.

Dusty and I were laughing so hard on our way home I had to pull my truck off the road probably 3-4 times just at the sheer hilarity of the stuff we get ourselves into.

In dead silence I mutter "Well you know they say you should get 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day".....



.....and through tears and some snorting she replies..."Well if we do this again tomorrow we'll be good for the month!"


If you see this guy on the trail....don't follow him.


My only smile of the day....and it was more along the lines of..."Are you freaking kidding me?"










Nope...not much exposure here.


Artsy exposure.


The only guy slower than me.



Snack Break



Nurple in the Stream


SWINGS



Classic swing shot of me looking like a slab of meat just trying to sit upright.

BTW....Thanks Joe for showing us this ride...it was really beautiful....and once I get the feeling back in my legs and left elbow I might consider .....

haha...... Nevermind.

[art23rockpile]

Nice RR, Kelly... way to go-for-it! That's a great ride.

Believe it or not, the exposure on that route is fairly average (from what i've experienced), compared to other trails up there. Some are much worse.

Good job on leading the ladies, Joe. Did it really take 8 1/2 hours (I think you, Candido, and I did it in 3hrs.)?

[JoeTruth]

I will plead the 5th on this one but will say, thank you for coming out and checking out some cool scenery, girls. Now you know and can stop wondering what it's like up there. Next time you get the urge to swing, drop into your neighborhood parks and utilize our public park system playgrounds. No need to HAB for miles to do that.

Now, where's the exposure you speak of, Kelly???

[Hanzo]

Nice write up Kelly! Exposure is different to everyone and the SGs does have its share, but like Art said there are other places that are worse(Middle Merrill, Kenyon Devore, Strawberry etc).

Kudos to JT for patiently showing you around.

[SheDevil]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

I will plead the 5th on this one but will say, thank you for coming out and checking out some cool scenery, girls. Now you know and can stop wondering what it's like up there. Next time you get the urge to swing, drop into your neighborhood parks and utilize our public park system playgrounds. No need to HAB for miles to do that.

Now, where's the exposure you speak of, Kelly???

I got your exposure mister funny man.



Really the exposure was an issue because it leaves little room for error and when you're not a pro at being clipped in....it's not a great idea. It was a ton more work than it should have been just because of that. I know what I will be buying this week for rides like that....

[RustyIron]

Wow. Yesterday I hiked some of the same route you guys did. It was my first time in the area and sure looks like some great riding, but those rocky sections with serious exposure would make me get off and walk. Nice pictures.

[art23rockpile]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

I got your exposure mister funny man.

Umm, hehheh... exposure, cool!
Now where's that "Thanks" button when you need it?

[Sewellymon]

Welcome to the San Gabs

I think Zion Loop's exposure ranks up there pretty hi. It's saving grace is most of the exposure is while descending on moderate terrain. My opinion is exposure pedaling uphill is way more dangerous because it is easy to blow it and get sent off the wrong side.

[davidB]

upper winter creek?


anywho, if i wasn't in fontana that morning i would have joined ya and warned you about Joe.

Soooooo many great trails up there that i haven't gotten to yet.

[SheDevil]

**thanks**

[R2D2]

Possibly the funniest RR ever!!

Thanks for sharing your pain. Thank god you have a great sense of humor!!

Congrats on your EPIC ride!!!

[ShinKen]

whooahh! lady that's a big step up!! u could have asked if this was nice enough for ya!!

looks like u had fun anyways!!

[SheDevil]

Originally Posted by ShinKen

whooahh! lady that's a big step up!! u could have asked if this was nice enough for ya!!

looks like u had fun anyways!!

Jose...I did ask...but I figure you have to test your limits to know where they are...

....I have them squarely aligned now thanks.

[JoeTruth]

Obviously, what I said above was very tongue and cheek. Dusty and SheDevil were great company and amazing troopers. Even with the uneasiness, Kelly did not stop cracking jokes. I think the word of the day was "whatever". "Kelly, how are you doing?", "Whatever, Joe".
Up until meeting Dusty, Kanga had the biggest and heaviest bag I've ever seen. Well, Dusty's bag takes the cake, hands down. Everything but the kitchen sink (and lunch) was in there. Amazing!!!

I wish I had a video camera on the Zion HAB when Kelly and Nan were bickering over Nan throwing rocks trailside. It was like two 7 year-olds going back and forth. "Nan, stop throwing rocks", "Don't tell me what to do, I can do what I want, Kelly", rinse and repeat.
I think I got Nan excited when I sliced open that prickely fruit and ate the pistachio like nut inside. She went off after that. That was very funny!!! Truly a classic moment! BTW, girls, I did not get sick and am still alive. Imagine that!!!

David, shut-up!