Sovereign Singletrack ~ Share it!

Although mountain biking helped put Moab on the map most of the trails we ride were not originally designed or built with mountain bikers in mind.  A lot of the traditional Moab trails are old Uranium mining roads, ranching roads, or otherwise.  It hasn't been until the last few years that there has been a concerted effort to build trails with mountain bikes in mind. 

Many of the trails in Moab are shared with Jeeps, OHVs, hikers, and occasionaly equestrians.  Wondering what the etitquette is for shared trail use?  You can check out the sign on the right used for non-motorized trails.   It could be added that motorized traffic yields to all other trail users. 

For example, on the Sovereign Trail today we encountered several dirt bike riders.  They yielded to us and as a result it made sense for us to let the dirt bikes pass because they were traveling faster than us.  The riders were polite and allowed us plenty of time and space to clear a path and it made the experience easy for all.  The Sovereign Trail is one of the awesome trails in Moab that we have dirt bikes to thank for creating.  Clif Koontz, Director of Ride with Respect was integral in the development and maintenace of this fun trail.  Clif provides really great advice for dirt bikers on the trail tips page of his website - http://www.ridewithrespect.org/

Moab's most famous trail, the Slickrock Trail, was originally a dirt bike trail.  The technology of the suspension we enjoy on mountain bikes was driven by dirt bikes - check out the history of Fox Racing Shox - http://www.foxracingshox.com/company/.  I'm not saying you have to love dirt bikes or want to ride them I just needed a reminder on the trail today (more from my dog walk with the jeeps than my mountain bike ride with the dirt bikes) and I felt compelled to share.

I've found it helpful to remember that we are all out on the trail to play ~ to enjoy ~ to have fun. The only difference is we're using different tools to do so. Usually, a "hi" or "hello" will relax me even if I'm not having warm thoughts towards the other trail user.


IMBA, the International Mountain Biking Association, shares the following advice on multi-use trails:  http://www.imba.com/resources/risk-management/shared-trails

All users can benefit from remembering Leave No Trace principles:
http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php

Flashback to 1997

March of 1997 was my second mountain bike vacation to Moab.  It was Spring Break and I was riding a Trek 830 with no suspension.  I had coordinated the logistics for myself and 19 other people to come to Moab on Spring Break.

The vessel we were traveling in was a converted school bus painted baby blue with dancing mushrooms on the outside.  On the inside were 18 bunks and a couple of tables near the driver.  There was a double bed in the way back where I slept with my boyfriend at the time.

The drive from La Crosse, Wisconsin was supposed to take around 23 hours and it ended up taking us 3 days.  Instead of facing a storm that was pushing east on I-70 we headed south thru the pan handle of Oklahoma ~ around ~ and up thru Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Needless to say, once we arrived we were all eager to stretch our legs either hiking or riding.  A small group of us, four I think, wanted to ride Porcupine Rim.  We didn't realize most of the climb would be snow covered.  We hadn't asked any of the locals for advice and, besides, we rode it this time two years ago without snow.

That day, sometime in March 1997, we walked at least 4 miles through the snow with our bikes.  Each time we attempted to ride we found ourselves sliding without control in the snow and mud.  Back at camp later that afternoon we all had to replace our v-brakes because we had worn them down to the metal.

Since this experience I've seen people ride on snow gracefully and I have determined it is a combination of the water content of the snow and the type of tires they are using.  It seems that when the snow is more dry (airy) it is easier to ride and I know there are plenty of people that live in ski towns that refuse to put their bikes away for the winter.  Studded bike tires ~ super wide balloon tires ~ packed singletrack ~ one way or another they find success.

Yesterday, my friend Wendy & I had made a plan to ride Porcupine Rim.  We received beta from at least 3 people that LPS (Lower Porcupine Singletrack) was rideable and clear.  We were able to ride a fair amount of it but the other parts were snow covered or muddy.  Our guess was the snow was less melted, making it easier to ride, and the ground was frozen for the others where it had turned to mud for us.  

The Snotch, LPS March 5th, 2011

We survived with mostly dry feet, muddy bikes (nothing like the North Shore) and eager for more Porky  runs this year.