Day 47

Lake Powell UT to Boulder UT

7-6-14

Day 47

Again the crew was out early and on the road by 6am.  It is cooler in the morning and we knew we had a difficult day with the unpaved Burr Canyon Trail and its steep switchback. With our narrow 32mm tires should we encounter loose sand or gravel it could be a problem for us. Heavy bikes and narrow tires will sink in to the road stopping the bike.

First order of business was to climb a few thousand feet out of Glen Canyon where Lake Powell lies. Yesterday afternoons 3000’ downhill ride to the lake will have to re-paid. The sunrise brought out all the colors in the surrounding rock formations surrounding the lake as we left.

At mile 35 the pavement ended and the 16 mile stretch of unpaved surface started. For the first four hours of the day we did not see a single car or person until a park ranger drove by kicking up dust.

The gravel road was passable but very touchy with 32mm tires. There were plenty of soft spots to spin the bike out. The narrow tires and loose gravel made it difficult to stand up on the pedals when climbing. Once the back wheel starts to spin it is time to jump off the pedals before you crash.

The switchback was very intimidating when we first spotted it. The road twists like a snake making its swift 1600’ vertical climb to the top of the mesa.  Loose gravel in a couple of the sharp corners had us off the bikes and pushing.  It take less effort to ride the overweight bikes than push them. Lucky for us we were able to ride 90% of the 16 miles of dirt road and switchback.

Half way up the switchback once again we saw the Park Rangers truck.  This time it stopped and the Ranger knowing we were working hard in the heat offered us bottles of water that we gladly accepted.

 The crew knowing we had no services for 70 miles had a full load of water on board. Now our 75 pound bikes weigh even more.  But even with all this water all you can do is “sip” what you have, no guzzling. If you start chugging water you will be out in a few hours. Thirsty we chugged the Rangers water saving ours for later. After seeing us down the water she said she would swing through again in a couple hours with more water for us. She knew the level of difficulty this climb offered and the toll the dry blazing sun can take.

Just as we cleared the gravel and returned to the asphalt the Ranger appeared again with bottles of water that we gladly accepted. Even with all the extra water from the Ranger we were all out of water by the end of the day.  Without the extra water we would have been in trouble today for sure.  The hot dry air sucks every drop of moisture out of you.  Breathing hard when climbing quickly dries your mouth and throat making them constantly beg for water.

Tim spotted a carved out boulder just past mid-day that offered us a speck of shade to hide under and sip some of our water.  It felt good to escape the suns burning rays even if for a few minutes.

The beauty of the Burr Trail is hard to explain.  You’re riding in the bottom of canyon with jagged walls of red rock towering many hundreds of feet above you. Enormous boulders the size of small houses litter the landscape at the base of the canyon. These beasts have broken off the near vertical walls and tumbled to the ground. Every turn in the road has a new and exciting view of nature’s best.

The gravel, blazing sun, and 7400 feet of climbing made for one of the more difficult days of riding so far. We were glad when it was over but ready for more.

74 Hot Steep Miles

Weather 97 degrees Sun

7410 Feet of Climbing