Ride Report Durango, CO - Kennebec Pass

Discussion in 'Ride Reports' started by BikeThePlanet, Nov 18, 2014.

  1. BikeThePlanet

    BikeThePlanet Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    Messages:
    2,147
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    H.B.
    For the five of us left on STR . . . Maybe a ride report will spur the return of some lurkers.

    Back country riding in Colorado . . . there is nothing else like it. I called up the local shuttle service, Hermosa Tours, that runs out of the Pedal the Peaks Bike Shop in Durango looking for a ride to some High Alpine riding. I wanted to do Molas Pass to Engineer Mountain, but the only shuttle running was to Kennebec Pass.

    Kennebec Pass is one of the stops Big Mountain Enduro Series. My first thought was, “This is going to be above my pay grade.” However, I figured I drove all the way to Durango, so I better see what all the hype is about.

    Kennebec Pass is 26 miles of single track bliss (well mostly). Plus, an extra 8 or so miles at the end pedaling back to the townhouse I was staying at. Talk about a long day in the saddle. The shuttle ride up was pretty cool. With Durango, once you are out of town, you are OUT of town. It is surrounded by mountains. We took a treacherous rocky road up through some beautiful scenery. Some locals do an annual 4th of July Day ride where they do the route a a loop, no shuttle. Beast mode!

    IMG_1265.jpg

    IMG_1267.jpg

    Once at the top over 11,500 feet, you have views halfway across Colorado. The shuttle driver pointed out Telluride which is halfway across the street. The downside . . . Have you ever tried to breathe with a wet pillow case wrapped around your head? I imagine that to be the same feeling I had just stepping out of the van. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Elevation is no joke. I should have spent more time just admiring the view at the top and exploring a bit, but a beautiful single track through lush green was calling my name.

    IMG_1266.jpg

    IMG_1269.jpg

    IMG_1270.jpg

    IMG_1271.jpg

    Right at the start, 1/2 a mile in, I see this . . . WTF!?!? I thought to myself, "If all 26 miles miles is like this . . . I am screwed. It is going to make two days just to walk out of here." Steep, drop off, loose shale. No bueno.

    IMG_1281.jpg

    IMG_1283.jpg

    IMG_1284.jpg

    [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]Luckily, that was over before I knew it and there was miles and miles of lush green single track bliss.
    [/FONT]
    IMG_1287.jpg

    IMG_1294.jpg

    IMG_1304.jpg

    IMG_1310.jpg

    IMG_1312.jpg

    IMG_1315.jpg

    IMG_1316.jpg

    IMG_1319.jpg

    IMG_1322.jpg

    IMG_1327.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Andy

    Andy Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2012
    Messages:
    267
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Nice RR and pix, slightly envious...
     
  3. BikeThePlanet

    BikeThePlanet Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    Messages:
    2,147
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    H.B.
    [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]On the ride up the shuttle drive mentioned, “The trail starts off with around nine miles of downhill singletrack than there is some climbing before you finish with another 11 miles of downhill singletrack. The DH is so much fun you’ll completely forget about the short climb in the middle . . .”[/FONT]

    Umm . . . No! Don’t get me wrong the DH was a blast and unforgettable for sure, but that climb. That dastardly godforsaken climb at over 9,000 feet of elevation . . . Pure hell. I am not going to lie. I probably walked 80% of that section. My lungs were not happy. Especially the first part. It was super steep, rocky, and loose. Technical climb at elevation. Plus, it happened to be edging towards 90 and the heat wasn’t helping.

    IMG_1333.jpg

    IMG_1334.jpg

    IMG_1336.jpg

    That section sucked. A lot of walking even for an executive member of the HAB Crew. The rest of the way though was much better. :)

    IMG_1344.jpg

    IMG_1347.jpg

    IMG_1349.jpg

    IMG_1353.jpg

    IMG_1355.jpg

    IMG_1358.jpg

    IMG_1365.jpg

    panorama_01.jpg

    [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]I have done some pretty epic rides: Tahoe Meadows to the Flume, Mescal to Aerie in Sedona, etc. This was just as epic, if not more. I can’t recommend Durango enough. Backcountry high alpine riding is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. Plus, Durango is a cool town when not riding.[/FONT]

    [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]32+ miles of riding. Wore me out for several days afterwards, but about as epic of riding as it gets. I wanted to to Molas to Engineer, but no shuttle while I was there. Hopefully next time.

    Here are some videos from a rider I found on-line riding the Enduro event.

    [/FONT]<font color="#141823" face="Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 18px;">[video=youtube;Cz_g7AKT194]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz_g7AKT194[/video]
    [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]
    [/FONT]<font color="#141823" face="Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 18px;">[video=youtube;WHMGoqbOVog]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHMGoqbOVog[/video][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]

    [/FONT]
     
  4. da big hills

    da big hills happy night trails

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,442
    Likes Received:
    52
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Occupation:
    daily night grind
    Location:
    Conejo Valley
    Sweet. Looks like fun
     
  5. dstepper

    dstepper (R.I.P.) Over the hill

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2005
    Messages:
    12,683
    Likes Received:
    34
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Occupation:
    www.themostprogram.com owner
    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Home Page:
    Nice it seems like your riding has progressed very well...cudos!

    Dean
     
  6. doublewide

    doublewide Ride Life....Ride GIANT

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2007
    Messages:
    1,600
    Likes Received:
    22
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    King
    Location:
    DTF
    Nice RR BTP! THANKS! Looks great out there. It's on the list! I've been to Durango but I rode my motorcycle out there so no mtbing for me on that trip. I rode the train though, that was cool!
     
  7. MnMDan

    MnMDan Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2009
    Messages:
    986
    Likes Received:
    19
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    N. Irvine
    Damn fine report. I am envious.
     
  8. chupacabra

    chupacabra New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2007
    Messages:
    1,631
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    Covina
    Very cool. I've never ridden Colorado. Maybe this next summer. Thanks for sharing.
     
  9. launchpad

    launchpad Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2014
    Messages:
    231
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Occupation:
    Unemployed and Living In My Mom's Basement
    Location:
    Orange County but want to move to the Inland Empir
    Very cool. Can't wait to go there sometime.
     
  10. Revalimage

    Revalimage Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2008
    Messages:
    4,548
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Entertainment Production
    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Was great running into you on Sunday - this looks like a budget list for sure!
     
  11. OTHRIDER

    OTHRIDER Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2007
    Messages:
    1,573
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Machinist
    Location:
    The Hills of Brea
    Thanks for the RR. The photos are unreal.
     
  12. ricke24

    ricke24 Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2011
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Occupation:
    Immigration Project Assistant
    Location:
    La Habra
    WOW, great pictures, looks awesome!
     
  13. bikerider

    bikerider New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2008
    Messages:
    619
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    That's a great ride. Looks like you had a lot of fun I did that one 3 years ago and with fall colors. Dying to get back out there and try Molas.
     

    Attached Files:

  14. JSD

    JSD Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2008
    Messages:
    671
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Occupation:
    order desk
    Location:
    Whittier
    Great ride report, great pictures. Looks like an awesome ride thanks BTP
     
  15. ridinrox

    ridinrox Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2011
    Messages:
    2,054
    Likes Received:
    67
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Occupation:
    Realtor/Full Realty
    Location:
    Murrieta
    Glad I did a quick pop in - awesome report and pics. Do you need a best friend (lol)?? All I want to do is explore on my bike!!

    Thanks for the inspiration!
     
  16. kcm

    kcm New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2012
    Messages:
    132
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    wow! thanks for the great RR. How you get the px to upload? I keep getting file too large block.. 2.1 MP .. Great pictures...
     
  17. mike001

    mike001 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2011
    Messages:
    1,037
    Likes Received:
    39
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Nice job! Thanks for the sweet pics and notations.

    One of the best sections of the CO Trail for sure. Jeez, that whole Molas-Durango run is spectacular in its own right. Despite lack of water! Thanks for the memories...

    Keep crankin, BTP.
     
  18. BikeThePlanet

    BikeThePlanet Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    Messages:
    2,147
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    H.B.
    They have to be smaller than 1 MB. I have an action setup for Photoshop to save for web. Preview in OSX has a feature to save smaller files. Not sure what Windows has by default.
     
  19. OTHRIDER

    OTHRIDER Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2007
    Messages:
    1,573
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Machinist
    Location:
    The Hills of Brea
    For years I've used FastStone Photo Resizer. It's a free download (see link) and you can resize and rename (Durango1, Durango2....) batches of pictures quickly and easily. If you had 30 jpegs at 2.1MP it would resize them all to whatever you choose in a minute or so. Your originals are left alone. Just be careful when you choose your destination file or you'll have to move a lot of files.

    http://download.cnet.com/FastStone-Photo-Resizer/3000-2192_4-10319476.html
     
  20. UR2KLOS

    UR2KLOS Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2007
    Messages:
    986
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Irvine
    So you were riding with at least 2 women and all your pictures are just of trees and rocks and stuff. And you wonder why people talk about you.
     

Share This Page

Help keep STR alive, please click the donation button below