Back to Horton Creek

It's the day after Thanksgiving. I woke up this morning feeling the affects of too much turkey and pie. My wife was kind enough to take the kids for the morning and give me a pretty big window to go ride.  I decided to except her kindness and head back up to Horton Creek.

The trail was pretty wet from the recent snow, but luckily it was not muddy.  I was able to putter up the trail on my Firebird without too much effort.  Once at the top I strapped on my new 661 pressure suit and full face helmet.  Why all the DH gear you ask?  Well in the last month I have broken (or bruised) my ribs and put a sizable gash in my elbow that required stitches.  I'm just 2 weeks away from a 12 hour race and I really don't want to get hurt again.  I'm not saying the added protection will prevent me from getting injured, but it can only help.  Safety first right?

 Love my Pivot Firebird

 A little snow but no mud

Is this Horton Creek or the Redbull Rampage?  

The decent was fast and fun.  I didn't break any Strava records, but I wasn't really trying to either.  I just wanted to flow on my Firebird and enjoy the nearly 7 inches of travel.  I've been so focused on riding my SS that I nearly forgot how fun it is to ride a full suspension bike.  Jumping the rollers and crashing through the rocky sections had me grinning from ear to ear.  The hour of climbing it took to experience the 20 minutes of downhill was well worth the effort.

I made a quick GoPro video of my ride.  I hate GoPro videos, but given my limited time, it was the best I could do.  Maybe one day I can get the crew from Payson to come up and we'll shoot a proper video.  That said. . . Enjoy.





Horton Creek Near Payson, AZ from Arthur Evan on Vimeo.

50 Miles

In preparation for riding in the Dawn to Dust race, I decided to ride 50 miles to see how it felt.  Prognosis:  It wasn't that bad.  I plan to ride over 100 miles during the race.  I'm excited for the challenge.  Just a couple weeks ago my longest ride was 22 miles.  Crazy!

This is going to hurt

Recently, we received our first winter storm here in Payson. Just days before Thanksgiving I decided to sneak in a lunchtime ride on the T200 trail.  I ride this trail 2-3 times a week and I thought I knew it well.  Although the ground was wet, the granite surface did a great job of wicking the recent moisture.  After changing out of my lawyer costume into my mountain bike costume, I pedaled off into the forest.

I rode the downhill well and even got a PR on Strava for the DH section.  Go me.  Just before you get to the T200 loop there is a couple of gullies you must ride through.  I crested the top of a small roller where I was faced with a quick decent into a stream bed full of small rocks.  Generally, I let go of the breaks, hit the rocks with speed and momentum, and then power up the next roller.  Today when I hit the rocks, my front tire was deflected into a large boulder and I was sent over the handlebars and into the creek bed.  The fall hurt like hell, but after a quick self assessment, I decided I was okay and continued my ride.

When I returned to the car I took off my long sleeve jersey and discovered my sleeve was covered in blood.  I knew I had hit my elbow, but didn't think it was hat bad.  I used some distilled water I had in the car and cleaned the wound.  I then placed two baby wipes over the "scratch" to stop the bleeding. When I returned to the office I placed a large bandage on the wound and didn't think about it again.

That night,  after feeding and putting the kids to bed I decided to show my wife my new bike injury.  I thought I was just being cute until I saw the look on her face.  She said to me, "That looks terrible, you need to go to the hospital."  I disagreed but upon her insistence, I called some of my more experienced friends to get their opinion.  After talking to my friend Hans, I was convinced I should go to the hospital.

At the ER, I was well taken care of.  They cleaned me up, x-rayed me, and gave me 4 stitches.  Now, a few days removed from the injury, I am a little sore but otherwise fine.  However, you can bet I'm going to start wearing my elbow pads for awhile.  At least until I forget all about the injury and I feel invincible again.

 Just a flesh wound

 My version of proper medical care

Waiting for the seamstress to fix me up

Horton Creek

Today, I rode with the Payson ride group.  We met at a convenient store in Star Valley, where we loaded up on drinks and snacks.  Afterwards, we piled into Matt's truck and drove up Hwy 260 towards the Mogollon Rim.  In the truck, Matt asked if I had ever ridden the Horton Creek Trail.  I told him that I had not, but that I had heard a lot about it.  In fact, the day before the ride I asked Mick whether I should take my SS or my Firebird.  Mick suggested the Firebird and I'm glad he did.

We drove about 25 minuted up towards the trail head.  The higher we climbed up the rode, the more the scenery transformed into lush forest.  Fall is quickly changing into winter here, but there remains smalls bursts of orange, red, and yellow leaves on the trees.  At the trailhead, we changed into our riding gear and prepared for our assent. Soon, we made our way onto the dirt trail covered in fall leaves and pine needles.  Paralleling the trail is Horton Creek.  The water in the creek comes from a natural spring that spills small amounts of water into the creek bed throughout the year.   Riding up the trail with the sound of running water and rustling trees is a pleasant experience.  It made me glad I had left my headphones at home.

The trail itself is mostly dirt and rock, with the occasional tree root.  It was a welcome site after riding so much in the desert.  The trail winds through the forest at a steady incline.  There are a few sets of switchbacks that test your lungs, but overall the climb is managable.  After three miles or so, the trail gets steep for one last pitch, where it terminates into the Highline Trail.  At the top, there is a nice flat area near the creek where we caught our breath, drank our water, and prepared for the decent back to the truck.

The decent was thrill ride filled with technical rock gardens, root jumps, and pine tree slaloms.   The boys kept a nice fast pace and did a good job showing me the lines.  I did go over the bars on a slow steep section, but it was a low impact fall that didn't leave a scratch.  Once back at the truck, I was all smiles.  I felt like someone had let me in on a fantastic secret.  I had no idea we had such fun trails near Payson.  Horton Creek is one trail I can't wait to ride again and hope to ride often.  I'm not sure if the winter weather will a make riding up there unpleasant, but I can't wait to find out.

Strava Data.

 Trees- a nice break from desert riding.

Matt contemplating riding his bike over the creek.