RR: Chino Hills Northridge

[DirtRider]

Well I got the approval from my home based ride support team [wife & kids for those unmarried without kiddos out there] to take a quick ride before picking up my oldest from football practice.

Soo, I decided to try Northridge again to see if I could make it all the way to Telegraph canyon... as i got ready for the ride, i was trying to get the head trash out so i could enjoy the steep trail. I put the brain bucket on and started up the ipod and garmin and off i went to the trailhead.....

As i started up the trail i thought hey this isn't sooo bad... i was in a positive mood and enjoying the tunes... nothing like a little Exploited and GBH to motivate you while you ride in the granny gear.

About a mile into the ride my garmin says low battery and then shuts down.. guess i forgot to charge it...LOL that was bad because now i don't have a clock to make sure i make it down in time to pick up my son...

After cleaning the first set of hills I made it to the first level spot and still felt good.

as i entered the middle hills, i actually saw 2 other riders ahead of me... i thought how in the H am i catching up to somebody on this trail... but sure enough as i started getting closer it was really 2 other riders enjoying the same pain... but before i could pass them, 3 other riders passed me...

a little further up the middle killer hills i approached a Cow on the side munching on some grass... i thought to myself can she smell the Cheeseburger i had for lunch and will she shank me because of it??? so i tried to hold my breath as i approached but began to feel lightheaded...LOL she gave me that evil eye like i know who you ate at lunch look. i kept to myself and passed her as quickly as i could...

well i only had to stop 4 times on my way up this trail and I made it to Gilman peak where i saw the 3 riders that passed me resting with their feet up swaying in their hammocks. LOL i actually asked for some guideance on the easiest way to Telegraph canyon and they were happy to help... I didn't feel like i could handle the technical single track down Gilman peak so i headed over to Sycamore and down to Telegraph canyon and back to my car.

Very fun trail and most importantly i finally got the head trash out that has been keeping me from this trail!!! now i just need to work on cleaning the entire trail and keeping my garmin charged!!!!!

Thanks for reading my first attempt at a ride review. See ya on the trails............

[spookydave]

I ride that route after work. If you ever want to go let me know. I'm old and slow so you'll have someone to flog. lol

Gilman single track is really fun and not very technical. Just slow down a little and you will be fine.
But the pain on Northridge is at the very end right before the single track down to 4 corners.

Oh, and when you ride Northridge at night those cows can scare the crap out of you. Well they did me anyway.

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by spookydave

I ride that route after work. If you ever want to go let me know. I'm old and slow so you'll have someone to flog. lol

Gilman single track is really fun and not very technical. Just slow down a little and you will be fine.
But the pain on Northridge is at the very end right before the single track down to 4 corners.

Oh, and when you ride Northridge at night those cows can scare the crap out of you. Well they did me anyway.

I'll remember that next time i know ahead of time that i'm going to ride... i'm middle aged and slow so i'm sure it would be fun.

So it seems that i missed pain at the end of the Northridge since i took Sycamore down... i'll have to try to make it to the end to experience the last set of hills this coming saturday morning.

I always see other riders out when i'm in CHSP... i usually wear a red shirt and i ride a gun metal grey mongoose so if you see me say hello!!

[Sprockethead]

Thanks for the entertaining RR DirtRider. Yeah, there's not much about Northridge to get excited about. Just a lot of steep climbing. Dave's right, the last section is tough, steep and loose. If you keep at it, the reward is well worth it. You'll feel a great sense of accomplishment. The last downhill is McDermott. It's pretty steep towards the last section, especially when the plants get overgrown. That makes for a exciting downhill. Hope to see you out there.

[KonaDupee]

Thanks for the amusing RR, dirtrider. North Ridge is a favorite for a fan of climbing like me.

However, a word of warning: One of the single tracks leading down from Gilman is apparently off limits for bikes (not sure *which* one it is, or if it's simply the only single track option from the top). A buddy and I must have ridden it ten times before another rider warned us.
So, keep an eye out when you're up there. Although I've never had a nasty run-in with the park rangers, many others have mentioned that they really can get on your case.

[Letyrides]

I did this Thursday after work. It had been about 2 years since I had climbed Northridge. We made it up to Sycamore and then headed back because we were losing light. I stopped twice but my pace was really slow. Great RR. Definately hope to do it more often to get some climbing in. I had an encounter with a small bobcat that darted in front of me just after Gilman and a tarantula, haven't had the pleasure of running into any cattle. [FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]

[spookydave]

I've popped out of the Gilman single track right in front of a park ranger before. Didn't say anything to me.

There are no signs saying bikes or no bikes and the trail looks to be used big time. So I donno.

I climb it on my Tracer and go all the way to 4 corners. When I climb it on my Bullit it's only to hit the Gilman single track then take Telegraph on up to 4 corners.