Just got back from a bike ride in Stratton Open Space. My rule of thumb is if there is no snow in my downtown backyard, then there is no snow on the lower trails (Palmer Park, Garden of the Gods, Stratton, etc.) That proved to be true for the most part at Stratton. Trails clear. Weather good. Other riders out. Then I took a trail ducking down a shallow ravine and following it like a luge track. This is my favorite trail, and an interesting one because I am almost positive it is a renegade trail (i.e. a trail built by someone who didn't have permission) but it is also one of the most thoughtfully planned and maintained trails in the area. These were my thoughts as I was flying down, and then I found the ice. Saw it, rode over it, thought "just keep going don't turn," kept going, held breath, fell anyway, sliding off to one side and bouncing down (luckily) into a big pile of pine needles.
This is just to say, that though the weather looks like it will be pretty warm and clear for the next week, the ice still lurks out there, and not always in places where a soft landing waits.
Comment with any other trail conditions.
-Dave
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2 comments:
Your note reminds me of the problems we have living here in the springs knowning what the snow conditions are at Mueller SP or the Crags, or the Fossil Beds - I have driven up and wasted $$$ on gas to find black ice or no snow. Is there a resource to report snow cross-country ski conditions for the pikes peak region?
If there's one thing I've learned in nearly 2 years here, it's "be prepared." My "gear box" seems overstuffed till I need Yaktrax or poles or "mud boots" for a hike.
I hit a little snow and ice in Red Rock and Stratton (Upper Loop) over the weekend, but fared better on Waldo and Wllliams Canyon.
Is good ol' Waldo Canyon one of the better trails to hit in the days / weeks after a snow melt?
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