So after last weekend trip with LT and Moe, Bec and I took a trip to Moab ourselves to ride some mellower trails and even do a trail run.
We made it to our campsite after work around 12:30AM Saturday morning and nabbed a few hours rest before hitching a ride with Coyote Shuttle to the top of the Magnificent 7 Trail AKA Mag 7. Again, these guys were awesome.
This weekend’s weather was different than my last trip. It was bluebird and around 85 degrees, exactly what you would expect in the desert in late April.
One of the cool things about this trail is that it passes the Gemini Bridges. Moab is primarily known for Arches National Park (which I’m not a huge fan of, but that topic is for a later post). We learned that the main difference between an arch and a bridge is how they’re formed. Arches=formed by wind; Bridges=formed by water. Makes sense to me!
While drastically different than the Whole Enchilada Trail, I still really enjoyed it. It was just as scenic and way less people. And from the picture above, it seems that Becca enjoyed it too.
After our ride, we cruised over to Mill Creek to cool off and drink a few beers, although a bit crowded we were entertained by people cliff jumping into 7′ of water (not the best idea in my book).
Afterwards, we found what would be the best car camping site we’ve ever had. It was along a canyon and featured and giant firepit, “kitchen” complete with a rock to prepare dinner on, and then an upper deck to do some stargazing. And don’t bother asking, I’m keeping this one a secret.
So sometime in the past few weeks, I convinced myself (with Becca’s help, who’s also doing the race) that doing a 50mi ultra-marathon would be a great idea. Back in high school as a sprinter (100m, 200m, 400m) I always thought that the long distance guys were crazy and had a few too many screws loose…look who’s talking now.Looking back I’m not really sure what I was thinking since the furthest distance I have ever run is 15 miles. Oh well, maybe once the training runs get longer I’ll begin to regret it, but I really couldn’t complain about this 10 mile run in Dead Horse State Park.
After a quick snack and some shade, we decided to go for a quick spin on the M.O.A.B. Brand Trails before hitting the road back to Boulder. Not a bad weekend!
Here’s what you can expect from me this summer.
– Lots of biking
-Even more running to prepare for the Pagosa Springs 50mi Ultra Marathon
-All on sweet trails, with a craft beer afterwards
The race is a little under 6 month away, so lets hope we can both stay healthy on the trails.