The Maze district of the Canyonlands is across the river and a little south from the White Rim. It's rougher and more remote than the White Rim, and sees far less traffic, and very little bike traffic. We were originally going to do it with car support, then opted to drag all our shit on BOB trailers and go for the sufferfest. This ride isn't a loop, it's a point to point.
This would be the theme of the first day. Fucking sand, sand, and more sand.
Tom was the only one of five of us who went without a trailer. He brought two gallons of water for two days in 80+ temps over 100 miles. No way I could survive with that little water. It worked though, because he was working far less to get through the sand.
By mile two we were already pushing our bikes through endless sand. Me, Alex, and Ryan had four gallons total. The BOB trailers literally felt like boat anchors in the sand. Ryan actually asked if his BOB wheel had locked up, because that's how damn hard it was to ride or push them through the sand.
The first day was largely uphill, very gradually, from the start to the Flint Trail (30+ miles). As a bonus, we had a nice headwind.
Hans Flat Ranger station.
Stoy, psyched to be off the sand for 10 feet.
Stoy overlooking the long descent into the Maze.
These switchbacks were similar to the Schafer on the White Rim, only much steeper and looser. No big deal with an unloaded bike, but with heavy BOB trailers and sand, they were kinda interesting.
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Thread: 100 Miles Through The Maze
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10-12-2012, 07:53 AM #1
Hiding in AK
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100 Miles Through The Maze
Last edited by Trackhead; 10-12-2012 at 08:13 AM.
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10-12-2012, 07:57 AM #2
Hiding in AK
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Off the switchbacks and more up/down riding on better surfaces. Spirits were finally lifted. Up to this point, it was pretty miserable.
Nice riding along a shelf for quite a ways.
The sun setting over an aptly names "Sunset Pass".
Five miles to camp, getting dark, more push-a-pig.
Finally made it to camp, and Stoy reveals he hauled in a six pack. Bravo!
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10-12-2012, 08:06 AM #3
Hiding in AK
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We got up pre-dawn the next day and rode sans-trailers into the Maze on fun slickrock. It felt good to not be riding with 50+ pounds of water and trailer.
Looking east into the Needles District.
Picked up the Pigs and headed out towards Hite. The trailers were a little better today, with only one gallon in the trailer and a 100+ ounces on the back.
35 more miles to go.
Pretty "fast" riding today.
The riding was easy, and the scenery was good all day.
Ryan's trailer broke in half. Turns out he just lost a bolt. Luckily he found it in the sand in the road. Had he not, Alex and I would have had the pleasure of packing it out on our trailers.
The finally few miles to the truck were all downhill. So nice to just sit there, coasting and looking at Lake Powell.
The riding isn't as good as the White Rim because of the sand and somewhat boring views on the first half of day one, but overall it was a great, if not exhausting, experience. We all had fun, but carrying that much water was a chore. It was nice being free of the support vehicle type rides though. It makes you more aware of risk and being in the middle of nowhere.
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10-12-2012, 08:12 AM #4
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that's awesome. one of my favorite areas but i've never been down there with a bike, only the truck. thanks for the pics.
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10-12-2012, 08:15 AM #5
Royale With Steeze
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Nice work. Always wondered about doing a multi-day ride like that.
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10-12-2012, 08:24 AM #6
Me encanta el país alto
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Respect! I've spent a week in the Maze in a vehicle and on foot and I thought about what a bitch a lot of it would be on a bike. Nice TR.
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10-12-2012, 08:24 AM #7
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That's a ridiculous trip with some amazingly epic views. I've wanted to get into that part of Canyonlands... after seeing this, I'm not sure if I want to do it on a bike.
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10-12-2012, 08:25 AM #8
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Nice adventure!
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10-12-2012, 08:26 AM #9
guillotines
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Oh man.......flashbacks of an overloaded bob trailer on beat sandy roads......don't do that to me
Looks like a really fun trip. I miss just pedaling around looking at cool shit in the desert.Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp
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10-12-2012, 08:35 AM #10
Hiding in AK
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I'm grateful to the peeps who loaned us the trailers, but I'll never attach one to my bike again. I'd rather go into renal failure from extreme dehydration............heinous.
Originally Posted by kidwoo
Oh man.......flashbacks of an overloaded bob trailer on beat sandy roads......don't do that to me
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10-12-2012, 08:46 AM #11
over rotated
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cool. That's a pretty sweet looking trip.
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10-12-2012, 10:27 AM #12
pura vida
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have you ever considered a moto? this seems like the perfect trip for it.
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10-12-2012, 10:33 AM #13
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About 10 years ago a group of my friends tried to do the trip you described. We were taking (2) 4 X 4 trucks with us. The Maze had a 100 year rainstorm a week or two before we got there. The roads were trashed. We spent more time repairing the roads than we did riding. We gave up on the bikes and hiked down to the bottom and the huge ghost pictograph panels. That made it all worth it.
There is a visual overload in that area. It's time to go back.
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10-12-2012, 10:40 AM #14
Hiding in AK
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Uh, yeah. I have a moto.....just sick of riding it and wrenching on it. Originally Posted by dfinn
have you ever considered a moto? this seems like the perfect trip for it.
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10-12-2012, 10:53 AM #15
MDW SKPR extraordinaire
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Pretty cool man, looked like a lot of fun but I have to say...
$30,000 in bikes, prob another $10,000 in gear and you guys manage to bring a sixer of Bud? F- for that
Awesome TR though!!! Originally Posted by Trackhead
Finally made it to camp, and Stoy reveals he hauled in a six pack. Bravo!
"In a perfect world I'd have all 10 fingers on my left hand, so I could just use my right hand for punching."
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10-12-2012, 11:29 AM #16
Hiding in AK
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Everything taste better in the context of the situation. Originally Posted by PowerWhore7
And no way we had anywhere near that amount in gear money.
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10-12-2012, 11:33 AM #17
MDW SKPR extraordinaire
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QFT! Originally Posted by Trackhead
I know fuck all about bikes but they looked fancy...how many miles per day?"In a perfect world I'd have all 10 fingers on my left hand, so I could just use my right hand for punching."
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10-12-2012, 12:05 PM #18
Hiding in AK
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50.......... Originally Posted by PowerWhore7
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10-12-2012, 12:32 PM #19
Bearded Sweater Model
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Amazing TR Trackhead. Gorgeous photos. Went through there several years ago (supported, no trailers), and the photos don't give justice to how heinous the sand can be.
Thanks for sharing the trip.
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10-12-2012, 03:29 PM #20
Clever Statement.
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RAD.
I've been thinking a lot about bike packing lately. You may have lit a fire under my ass.
Could you guys have cached water ahead of time?
Thanks for the show.
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10-12-2012, 04:15 PM #21
Hiding in AK
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Yes, but caching water seems lame and contrived to me. Originally Posted by ricorides
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10-12-2012, 05:57 PM #22
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If I was going to go through the trouble of caching water, I think I'd go ahead and cache food, sleeping bags, tent, stove, etc! Originally Posted by Trackhead
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10-12-2012, 06:13 PM #23
Utarded
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Looks like fun, at least most of it
. That sand must've been heinous with the bobs. Riding through it without anything attached is hard enough...
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10-12-2012, 08:25 PM #24
Hiding in AK
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Blow up dolls, whiskey, and a few sheep too. Originally Posted by zion zig zag
If I was going to go through the trouble of caching water, I think I'd go ahead and cache food, sleeping bags, tent, stove, etc!
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10-12-2012, 08:37 PM #25
guillotines
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shit, those things are rad as long as you're not pedaling through dunes Originally Posted by Trackhead
best way to carry shit across singletrack out there
I'm actually kind of bummed I sold mine. I'd buy a suspension one for sure next time though.Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp
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