The Hangover

The Map

So after a triumphant trip to Sedona last weekend, Mick and I decided to return again to explore more red rock greatness.  A trail that had been eluding me was Hangover.  I had heard both wonderful and terrifying things about this trail.  After riding it, I have to agree with both sides.

We started our day with a quick warmup on the Mystic trail.  Next, we zig zagged through the streets of Sedona until we found ourselves at the bottom of Schebly Hill Road.  We climbed the rock strewn dirt road choking on dust from the Pink Jeep tours.  The only one having fun was Mick's dog Taco, who managed to find several places to swim in the nearby creek bed.  After a few miles we found ourselves at the Cow Pies trail head.

Cow pies offers a slick rock playground.  With 360˙ views, it was hard to for me to keep my eyes on the trail.  In short order, Cow Pies led us to the Hangover trail head.  I was excited to finally get to ride this legendary trail.

Hangover Trailhead

Hangover starts with a technical climb that has you gripped from the start.  It took me a few minutes to get into the mindset required to navigate the treacherous terrain.  Next, the trail opens up a bit, but continues to climb.  With each pedal stroke the view changes dramatically, offering endless opportunities to take photos.  Huffing and puffing, we made it to the summit and took a few minutes to catch our breath and take in the scenery.

The view from the top

The "travers" as its called, is the most unique part of hangover.  It requires the rider to navigate a combination of off camber rock and pencil thin single track.  On your left is generally a rock wall.  On your right... well... you don't want to really look to your right, at least not while your pedaling.

Mick assessing the situation

There are a few sections of the Travers that were too narrow for my wide handlebars, and other sections that were loose and unwieldy.  That said, this section is pure magic.  It is the love child of some sick bastards that decided to build a trail literally on the side of a cliff.

After the Travers, the trail opens up again.  What follows is a steep and technical downhill.  This section reminded me a bit of the Highline trail in the Village. After navigating the slick rock faces, the trail delivers a fast flawy section that is littered with switchbacks and rock drops.  This was my favorite part of the entire trail, but unfortunately my GoPro battery died before I reached this epic section.

After arriving at the intersection of Hangover and Munds Wagon Trail, we took a short break.  Taco went swimming in the creek as Mick and I sucked down some water and granola bars.  Once rested we bombed down (and up) the Munds trail.  After 14 miles of Sedona bliss, we wound back onto Schnebly Hill road and coasted back to town.  It was an amazing ride on a one-of-a-kind trail.

The Mach 6 is always the right tool for Sedona

Thanks again to Mick and Jackie for making the trip happen.  Enjoy yet another crappy GoPro video. I'm too lazy to shoot a proper video so this will have to do for now.
Evan

                   


         

Sedona Sweetness

Last night I got a call from my friend Mick, the owner of our local bike shop.  He had just built up a Pivot Mach 5.7 and wanted to take it for a spin in Sedona.  I have been chomping at the bit to test out my Mach 6 on some real trails, so I jumped at the chance.

We met at the Bike and Bean around 3pm and I quickly changed into my mountain bike costume.  Minutes later, we had our butts on our saddles and red dirt under our tires.  Life instantly felt better.

We rode north on the Slim Shady trail.  Slim dished up some technical climbs, banked descents, and rock boulders begging to be dropped.  Next, we hooked into Templeton.  Templeton is more mellow than Slim and offers amazing views while you roll along a slick rock shelf.  Mick and I switched bikes for this section and I can tell you his Mach 5.7 is sweet.   After Mick's dog "Taco" took a short swim in the creek, we rode out the Back O' Beyond road.  Jackie met us on the road and we refueled on water and cashew bars.  

After saying goodbye to Jackie and the kids, we connected in with the Mystic trail.  This was my first ride on Mystic, and it did not disappoint.  The trail rolls up and down like an amusement park ride.  The trail is littered with short steep climbs and punchy descents.  Next, we hit Pig Tail, and Hog Wash.  I don't understand Sedona's fascination with pigs, but half a dozen of their trials have pig names.  Maybe its a hippy vortex thing.  Hog wash reminded Mick and I of a mini Mescal Trail.  The ribbon of single track stays tight against a rock wall, as you rotate around one of Sedona's many mountains.  Hog Wash is challenging, flowy and a bit exposed in spots.

After slaying the hog, we connected with Broken Arrow.  Broken Arrow starts off with a demoralizing climb up a technical rock-strewn path.  Starting your day from Broken Arrow the climb doesn't feel so bad, but after climbing out of the Village, Mick and I were feeling it.  Fortunately, the trail rewards you with amazing views from Chicken Point.  Mick and I snapped a few pictures and then promptly returned to our bikes.  The sun was going down and we still had a ways to go.

Descending out of Chicken Point on the Little Horse Trail is a hoot.  There are numerous rock ledges to boof off of.  The pace was quick and exciting.  The only downfall for this sections, was that the sun was directly in our eyes.  This minor detail made things extra special (i.e. and pain in the butt.)  This section of trail was where I knew I had my Mach 6 suspension dialed.  Up to that point the bike had performed flawlessly.  Bombing down Little Horse at speed, the suspension just sucked everything up.  The Pike fork is a godsend.  It really feels like cheating.

Running our of daylight, we merged onto the Bell Rock Pathway and pedaled are butts off until we made it back to the Village.  We met Mick's wife Jackie back at Bike and Bean.  Jackie was the hero of the day.  While Mick and I were enjoying the red single track, Jackie was keeping the kids busy at the park.  After our ride, we stuffed ourselves at Famous Pizza and then made the 1.5 hour drive home.  It was an epic day that the whole family enjoyed.