JEM, Hurricane, UT, April 28, 2006

JEM Trail near Hurricane UT. Filmed on April 28, 2006.

Gneiss Ride at Blackhawk

Today I rode a 12 miles on the first half of the Blackhawk trail up Payson canyon. The trail was a mix of everything possible—mud bogs, rocks, logs, and rutted horse tracks. Despite the obstacles that tended to slow you down (and definitely keep you on your toes!) there were quite a few straights.

The trail was also evenly mixed with even grades, with very few extreme slopes, fairly evenly distributed up and down. Some areas were a little tricky, with a flat and winding trail, often covered by grass. Large rocks (made of gneiss) sporadically appear. While locking out my rear shock with my right hand, I ran into one of these rocks while locking my front wheel. The end result was a more surprising than painful endo, softly landing on the dirt and giving a good head butt to a fallen log (another testimony to wear a helmet!).

The best part of the trail is the awesome views. Frequently I was surprised by the wide openings, where I could see mountains many miles away. However for the future, I think I’ll wait until the end of the summer to ride it again, to let the horse tracks smooth out and also let the mud bogs dry up.