Figuring that the Super Bowl and cloudy day would keep the crowds away, I made a run at South Mountain yesterday. Arriving at the Pima Canyon entrance, it was obvious that I was wrong. There must have been 200 cars on the access road and in the parking lot. Fortunately, a few football fans must have already left, 'cause I was able to park pretty close to the trailhead. Not knowing my way around, I opted to follow the gravel road that continues up into the park. after about a mile, the road ended and two trails led off into the hills. One was marked "National" and the other was marked "Mormon" with the second m scratched out. Having heard tales about National, I chose Morxon. It was mostly climbing, but not too severe. Being a geezer, I wheezed along as much as possible and pushed the bike where needed. I met up with National after a mile or so, then followed it until I figured it was a smart time to turn back.
These are some very cool trails, but in many places simply more difficult than I am willing to ride. Some interesting erosion is taking place along the way. A couple sections have turned into a single rut about 2 feet deep and not much wider than the width of my pedals. I don't know how it would be possible to recover those areas, since the rains probably wash any loose stuff away and continued use will just make them deeper.
I was surprised at the amount of traffic on the trails, both foot and bike. Looks like folks are loving it to death. It must be a circus on SoMo when the weather's good.
1 comment:
Mormon up and National down makes for a pretty cool loop. Fair amount of hike a bike on National but it's really worth it. Of course National coast to coast is one of the most notorious rides in the valley. The west portion of the trail is much less traveled and really cool. It only has one super sketchy nasty shaley section too(far worse than that one just off T100 BTW). Desert Classic and the loops are also well worth checking out. If you ever get the chance to ride with Paul B. jump on it, he's a great trail guide, AZ Spring Fling comes to mind.
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