RR: San Juan Trail Rookie Run!

[1x1clyde]

I know our RR won't be as epic as Allison's , that group was huge!, but here it goes
Tim, Diamond Dave and I hit the trailhead at 6am and since it was the first time for all 3 of us I was not sure what was in store.
It was still dark when we clipped in


and up we went. After the first 10 or so switchbacks, a little pit stop here:



I was wondering when it becomes fun but actually trying to nail all those switchbacks was a blast...just wish I could have cleared them all!
I have to note that Tim, "Grandpa" on the board, rides a 42lb Yeti ASX -7" of travel with a Fox 40 on the front- and absolutely killed the trail today massive kudo's to you Tim!
Here are some pix of Tim making his way up

Still dark










And the Southern Dandy Diamond Dave Donovan in one of the rare pix from this morning when his middle finger was not up I don't know why he was so angry with me!






A few pix of the view, I loved it when we cleared the marine layer and finally got a little sunshine.






For never being there before I was a little unsure of how much effort to put out as the switchbacks kept coming and coming and coming....but what was the real energy sapper for all 3 of us was the loose marbles, I mean gravel/rock and then the little trough's filled with sand you had to grind up, good times!
I absolutely loved the trail and wish we would have had the time to hit the loop at Cocktail rock but that is next on my list.
The way down was so worth the climb up but already busy with hikers, trail runners and bikers...either way it was blast and those switchbacks were a lot easier coming back
Nice to finally meet the infamous "Sauce" and see that Jose was almost on time!
Sorry Dell I did not leave a trail of beers for you , maybe next time and Justin keep me in the loop on night riding San Juan, I am in!
Hope the other group had fun and can't wait to read their RR!

[Skeeter]

nice RR,
thats the bad thing about starting so early when your coming down all the normal people are coming up

[dstepper]

I agree Neil...great trail. It was my favorite trail of years and I still enjoy it on the weekdays. Just a little to popular on the weekends. During the weekends it is better to ride it late in the day.

Dean

[Ladd Jasper]

Nice report and pics as usual, Neil. San Juan is such a blast, glad you all finally got the chance to experience it.
And no worries on the beers, Joser had us covered!

[grandpa]

Originally Posted by Skeeter

nice RR,
thats the bad thing about starting so early when your coming down all the normal people are coming up

What? I thought it was normal to get up at 3:45am on a saturday to ride.

[Sprockethead]

Tim,

You're a machine riding up SJ with that Yeti. Great Job!

[Dizle]

Dang! I really wanted to do this ride but couldnt make it out there. Nice pics Neil!

[Edog]

Originally Posted by grandpa

What? I thought it was normal to get up at 3:45am on a saturday to ride.

Good seeing you Tim, we goota get Noble Organized soon! I'm sure we can find us some guides.

[grandpa]

Originally Posted by Edog

Good seeing you Tim, we goota get Noble Organized soon! I'm sure we can find us some guides.

Sounds good to me Ian. My weekends are pretty much free except for memorial. Doing the river thing.

[goldrunner]

Edog,
The trail at Noble is marked pretty good. I would be more concerned about getting there. 3RD third time is a charm, in my case.
Good Luck..