There’s still a few trails in COS I haven’t ridden and this past weekend seemed like the perfect time to knock at least one of them off the list. Heizer Trail out of Cascade. The year we were going to ride it was the year Cam crashed and then life got in the way. So despite seeing the line on the map and having a number of friends ride and run it, I’d just never gotten over there.
Of course, if Nick is involved, we are doing things the hard way. That meant making a nice big loop ride. To access Heizer, the loop also knocked out most of another big climb in town. Pikes Peak. We parked in Cascade and headed up to the toll road entrance. $30 later and some snazzy red bands on our bikes, we were on our way. Roads never seem as steep in a car as they do on wheels and we had at least 14 miles to pedal to Elk Park. Nick kept the pace steady but easy as we climbed. It was really cool being able to take it all in at a more sedate pace instead of driving. And for the most part, the drivers were all pretty nice. Sure makes it easy to pass us when we are cruising along at 5 MPH on some the steeper sections! We also saw the guides leading the tourists down the road - they seemed pretty impressed that we were on mountain bikes. Nick and I talked briefly about possibly going for the one and done and riding all the way to the summit. But that wasn't the goal for the day and we'd left the house really late to add another 90 minutes onto an already long ride. The summit would wait for another day.
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| A flash of color |
Finally we reached the modest gate that marked the turnoff to Elk Park. Nick wanted to just drop, I needed a bite to eat and wanted to put on my elbow pads. I've ridden Elk Park exactly
once in my life - many years ago, on my Era fully loaded with bike packing gear. I remembered walking a lot of the descent and traverse back then and that the trail was really intimidating. But that was then, and this was today. Okay, I still walked a few things on the alpine traverse - that left exposure gets me every time. But the rest of it? I wasn't sure if I was on the same trail! It was loose and rocky, but it was fun! We stopped at Severy Creek to filter water. While I was wearing my small pack, Nick had opted for a single bottle and filter. I have to admit, the nice cold water tasted great after the hot climb up the road. After drinking a bunch and refilling bottles, we started pedaling again. The next section of Elk was the rocky traverse, which I wasn't sure about. Again things change. Time, bikes, skill and fitness all color the perceptions of the trails. I really enjoyed the mental and physical challenge of the Elk Traverse this time.
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| Nick filtering water in Severy Creek |
After a soda at Barr Camp, we blasted down Barr Trail for a short bit. I was actually able to make a switchback that Nick goofed up and lead for a while. It's nice being able to follow Nick and see what lines he's taking through some of the rockier sections, but at the same time being able to lead and pick my own lines is also a good thing. But I didn't know where the turn was, so eventually he had to pass me.
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| When on Barr Trail, you stop here... It's just how things are done. |
You know the sign on Barr Trail that seems so out of place? The one on the south side of the trail that points up or down with the number of miles? Yeah, I'd always wondered about that one as well. Now I know. We turned off Barr onto Heizer. New trail time. Nick warned me about the climb out, saying it was a solid 30 minutes of climbing to actually get to the descent. And then we were off. The trail was in varying stages of fun - from steep rutted descents to narrow single track littered with aspen leaves. I wanted to look around more since it was a section of Pikes Peak I'd never been on - but I had to stay focused on the trail. A few punchy climbs and descents later and we reached some new signs. Time for the real climb to start. Nick was right. It was a bear of a climb! As we rode up, Nick was pointing out things - like this is where they drove the side by side in to get Cam - things like that. Great way to make me confident about a new trail! I was already nervous about the descent - the walls of Ute Pass are pretty sheer and we were going to be dropping straight down into Cascade. And holy switchbacks.... I still need to work on steep, narrow switchbacks! There was some walking, some ninja squirrel fighting and finally we made it down. Easy road coast and back at the van!
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| Getting away from it all! |
Super fun loop, lots of challenges. Definitely something to do again.
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