Aliso/Woods to LCWP back to Aliso/Woods with pix

Rob came up with a good ride for this past sunday. The plan was to start off of the Canyon Vistas entrance to Aliso, hit 5 Oaks, then head up Cholla, then go down Stair Steps, cross the 133 and enter LCWP head up Willow fireroad to Bommer fireroad, across Bommer to T&A (Laguna Ridge) singletrack, back down the the 133, cross the street to head back into Aliso via hike-a-bike up Stair Steps, once back in Aliso the plan was to hit Rock-It then back out to the trucks at Canyon Vistas.

So, we met up at 8:30, it was Rob, Del, Aldo and I. We headed up to 5 Oaks, took a short breather and all made it down 5 Oaks without a hitch, this was a pretty good sign. We then head up to Cholla, rest up for a minute or two then climb Cholla. It was around 9:15 or so and the sun was already pounding on us. We rest at the top of Cholla for a few and then it was up to Stair Steps. Rob and I put on our arm protection and we all dropped our seats, said a few prayers and began to descend. None of us had ridden Steps before, all we knew of this trail was what we had seen from Winston's videos posted on mtbr. The first couple hundred yards were nothing crazy, then you see a sign that says, "Caution, steep trail ahead", with a pictogram indicating a stair case. We knew things were going to get crazy. Rob was first, I was 2nd, then Del, then Aldo, we get to the first steep and rocky and gnarly drop and Rob negotiates the section smoothly and I follow his line, however on about the 2nd ledge/drop my front tire washes out and flats and causes me to go down pretty hard on my right side, luckily i had that arm protection or I possibly could have busted my elbow up pretty good. I'm laying on my side and I see Del coming down, taking the line I took. He had no choice but to lay it down, it was either that or plow into me and risk further injury to me and himself. So, we had a mini pile-up on the right side of the trail, then Aldo cruises by, stopped to see if we were okay and headed on down. I'm not sure if Rob knew that I had crashed, and sucked Del in with me. There was a group of riders hiking back up who were lucky enough to witness the crashes, haha. So, Del was kind enough to help me with my flat and as soon as I was about to put on my front wheel, BLAAAM!!! the tube blows out, it sucked! Frustrated and tired at this point, I told Del I'd just hike down the rest of Stair Steps and I'll meet up with them at the bottom. So, after about a 15 minute hike, I arrive to the guys resting in the shade, Rob then stepped up and changed my tube and we were back riding in a matter of minutes. We crossed the 133, headed into LCWP, signed in, then climbed Willow. That first 1/8th of a mile up Willow is a really steep climb and sucks. We clean Willow and hang a left on Bommer and then head over to T&A. Once there, we rested for a few, dropped the seats and headed down. It was Rob, me, Del, then ALdo. This trail seriously kicks some ass! We all stopped at the famous "rock-roll" and contemplated on if we should try it or not. After about 5 minutes of this, Rob steps up and does it without incident, he does it again and tells us how basic it is. So, I stand at the top of it forever and puss out, then Del says, "im gonna go for it", this is after he picked out about 5 cactus needles from his leg from a minor incident on the upper portion of T&A. Del does the rock-roll twice, both times cleanly, then I said, okay, I HAVE to do this on my Heckler after he did it on his Stumpy. Long story short, I did it, and it is much easier than it looks. I'm sure Aldo will give it a go when his shoulder is completely healed up. We then head down the rest of T&A and clean the other rock sections and head back to Stair Steps. We stopped at the nursery to fill up our camebak's with water then reach the bottom of Steps. Props to Rob and Del who cleaned the steep asphalt road leading to the trailhead. Aldo and I were just zonked and hiked about the second half of the road. The hike-a-bike up Steps purely sucked! It was hot as hell, dry as hell and I was pretty beat. After a milliion years we made it to the top and nixed the idea of doing Rock-It, so we headed down to Lynx and all charged down that and headed back up towards Cholla and out the gate beneath Cholla and back to the trucks. Rob, Del and I hit Wahoo's for some grubb and some excellent scenery! Great ride, I'm very sore today. I'm sure the guys will post there version or comments on the ride shortly.

Here are a few pix:

Rob, Aldo and Del at the top of T&A singletrack.


Rob on the rock-roll.


Del on the rock-roll.


Me on the rock-roll.

 

sweetness

Dayam - I'm bummed I missed this ride. Sounds like it was fun.

Props to Rob and Aldo for sacking up and riding El Moro this morning after yesterday. It was beautiful today.

C

 

Nice report Dino, I was just about to start writing one up and saw your post. The route I planned sounded easier than it was, just the hike up Steps was no fun. Having never ridden Steps before I got to the first very steep rock section where there was a group coming back up. They all scattered to the sides when they heard us coming and I just went for it, somehow I cleaned the whole trail without dabbing once. What an awesome trail, don't know why we waited this long to try it. After I sat at the bottom by the water tank for a good 5 minutes alone I started hiking back up fearing someone had crashed hard or something. Then Aldo comes down and says Bret flatted. So we just chilled in the shade and had a good 20-30 minute break while Bret dealt with his 2 flats (Stan's Bret, that's all I have to say)!!!

The climb up Willow was a bitch as usual. I was on my 6 Pack which weighs a bit under 33lbs and I can't say enough about how the bike does everything so well. I absolutely love it, climbs like a xc machine and descends almost as well as my AS-X.

T&A was a blast as usual, I knew it was time to step up and do the rock roll. After doing it I laughed at how easy it was. Next time I'm going for some huck action off those rocks.

The ride up Phillips rd. was doable, I surprised myself and cleaned it. However Steps was all hike a bike which in the heat really takes a lot out of you. Then we bombed down Lynx, I was so tired and was going so fast I feared of making a fatigue mistake but managed to stay upright. It was a great route, and one I do want to do it again on a cooler day. The 4 downhill tech trails are just too much fun, but you have to earn it them with the climbs/hike a bike that is for sure!

Then there was a LOT more T&A action at Wahoo's afterwards......it helped me forget about how tired I was :lol:

 

Nice! I'm jealous.

 

I think Rob's eyes were closed in that shot.

 

Hey, I was only pointing out the obvious.....no need to be bitter Scott :lol: j/k man

 

Sweet Aliso action, dudes! Either climbing straight up or bombing straight down.

Killer pic with catalina in the background!

 

Great recap, Dino. Was a really good ride and a nice route plan by Rob. Steps was a bit too much for me to handle in some sections, but still an absolute blast. Going down, that is. Up, not so much. Can't wait to try it on the new ride...

Was my first time in LCWP, so that was pure bonus mileage. Even the Willow climb was fun, in it's own monotonous, steep, never-ending way. Like most of the nasty climbs we endure around here though, the payoff, T&A, made it all worth while. Heck, even crashing into the cactus didn't diminish it. Truth be told, plucking spines gave me something to do while Bret contemplated the rock-roll ;-) OK, in fairness we all had to "think about it" for a few. You know, to get our line just right and stuff 8-[. Too fun!

Definitely have to make another run out there soon, guys.


ArrrKelly, check out the left(ish) horizon of the Catalina pic. It was so clear out there even San Clemente Is. was visible--a true rarity.

 

The view from the main divide sunday was also amazing.  Could see the 2 islands, downtown LA and practical the whole coast line.  I know Lance took some pictures...   have anyyou can post???

Those are really good shots of the Rock'Roll drop :clap:

 

I "forgot" to post this pic earlier, my 5 minutes of contemplation on top of the rock, but like Del said, I was just buying him some time to get those cacti needles out of his shin. :lol:

 

Yeah next time I'm going to bring my camera along and try and get some shots of some of the action (or crashes) on Steps :bang: It's just so hard to stop and take pics when the trail is that steep.