Arizona Trail

        Got a bit adventurous and went to check out this sweet riding spot I have been hearing about. It was a 4:40am alarm and a nice ride East to the official Arizona Trail. Turns out it runs just east of Phoenix and I am glad it did cause this was one sweet ride. It's as big as you can take I guess, the start point was Pricket Post and it's a 45 mile section or so with about 12 miles in you reach the peak and drop into a massive downhill and point of no return without a shuttle vehicle. I began on a comfy trail that soon went technical and then a awesome blend of twisty narrow single track with some tech and climbing bu mostly mild climbing. The environment around me changed with every bit of elevation it was really cool. The trail was way less difficult than I expected, plenty of climbing but lots of downs and mellow sections to rest what I needed. As I climbed I got large views of the mountains around me, the change in scenery is welcome, It really feels far out, however there's never any shade offered since I was still in a hot ass desert. A round Mile 9 the trail went thru a nice area that had a bunch of flowers and a really nice easy pedal section before a good climb to a viewpoint at mile 10. I had my fill and reached 10 very comfortably to fit my 3 hour rides time so I headed back for a good run down. There was a lot more pedaling than I thought there would be on the way back, but I guess that made getting up there all the easier which is ok. I was looking to get more savage on my full suspension but so far I am really missing jumpy flow trails from Salt Lake City. Such a good ride, rivaling my other favorite Pass Mountain, but I still have to get to Prescot and Sedona before I make any final decisions!