Day two: chewed up and spit out.
Here it is completed...
I had a great idea… so I thought. I headed to Wolverine Canyon to jump on some snowmachine trails from a major trailhead today. I know the canyon. From the parking area you climb 2000 vertical feet over 8 miles and peak at the top of the “W”. It is called the “W” do to the switchbacks. It was my goal to make it to the “W”.
Yesterday’s ride hit the snowmobile trail network on the backside of the “W”. They were icy for the most part and very rideable… I figured the Wolverine Canyon side would be similar.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
The trails at Wolverine Canyon are beautiful. From the parking lot you start ascending through an area called the Narrows. In the Narrows jagged cliff walls line each side of the road-wide-trail. The trail never sees direct sunlight this time of year. With all the snowmobile traffic the trail condition was LOOSE. The pugsley did far better than any bike I could imagine but still the riding was like slogging along… the 32×18 gearing proved to be too much for me so it turned into a ride-walk-ride.
Knowing the Narrows is only about a mile I forged on.
Once I was in direct sunlight I was hoping the trail would be icy/firm so I could cover some ground efficiently. It was not to be… the sun was so intense today the trail was very wet and slippery-snow-mush…. I was able to ride much better then in the Narrows but the riding was trickier then riding rollers with no hands… Whenever I came to a steep pitch I had to G-E-N-T-L-E-L-Y pedal to avoid loosing traction in the deep wet snow.
It was hard, I was sweating like crazy, and I knew the steepness of the trail was backloaded. I made it to the 4 mile mark and turned around defeated. The 8 mile ride took an hour and twenty five minutes…. Ouch.
I have another route planned for the morning… we will see.
Wolverine Canyon Ride Elevation Profile.