Stage 1: Jacobs Lake

Sunrise in Big Water

I woke up at sun rise and go to work pedaling to the start. A ton of empty pick up trucks passed me and I hap hazardly stuck out a thumb hoping someone would give me a ride so I could get on singletrack. There was a surprising amount of traffic once I turned onto dirt of people going to assorted trail heads. I got to state line campground around 11:20 and did some stretching and ate a little in the shade.

At the Northern Terminus

I started up the first hill and it was tough! It was 86* with no shade and a ton of elevation to be gained. I saw a through hiker about to finish only about a mile from the trail head which was a cool way to start. It was interesting I felt like I was on New Mexico style desert, looking at big red rock Utah style desert and marching towards Arizona style terrain. Once up top in the woods the trail became more enjoyable. I was making great progress but right before dark I started to feel weak. I decided it was time to stop and eat so I pulled out my stove. After eating I felt much better. I decided I should stop in Jacobs Lake to get water. I had planned to continue pedaling a few more hours as I originally had planned to make it all the way to the North Rim the first day but the prologue got the best of me and pushed my time off. It was really cold there. I ended up getting a milk shake at the store and as soon as I sat down in their lobby area I was surrounded by a family of 20 making plans for the next day. I decided to grab a spot on a picnic bench at the campground across the street. I planned to pay the next morning since it was pretty late but got woken up at 11 PM by the campground host being asked if I paid. I settled up in the morning and met some cycle tourists who just finished a 4 day trip on roads, paths, and some AZT. The campground closed for the season that night!

First AZT Gate

Milkshake at Jacobs Lake

Stats: 8.5 hours moving time
60.5 miles 6,342k of gain

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Stage 4: Out of the Canyon

I woke up quite sore from the day before. I took quite awhile to get my bike strapped back onto my bag. I decided today warranted 2 pouches of oatmeal. I quickly crossed the bridge across the Colorado River and through the tunnel. I ran into a group familiar with the race and they got some great photos of me and gave great words of encouragement. The day was a blur but here's some of the things people said: Canyon Views "I've seen plenty of men ride bicycles, but I've never seen a bicycle ride a man" -Mule train cowboy(w/Pit Vipers) "Oh is there good trails at the bottom, no? And you found out the hard way" "You must have really wanted a bicycle at the bottom" "I bet you had a blast riding that thing down" "So will you bring your bike to a shop to be reassembled when you get out?" In the end hiking out was just as difficult as down & across. Huge props to the bikepacking lunatics who do the whole thing in a day! I...

Stage 8: Highline Trail

From General Springs I crossed the main forest road and got on what ended up being the rowdiest descent of the whole route. It was just straight down a steep loose telephone line access filled with rocks. I rode most of it but did have to walk a few feet of the descent since I would pick up speed to fast on the loaded bike. The Highline Trail is the most dreaded section of the AZT. I was optimistic by heading South this wouldn't be the case. It turns out starting in 2022 this will no longer be the case. A trail crew has made significant progress on cleaning up the trail. While I still did get a preview of the the past torture fest only a few hills at the start will still so rocky they were not rideable. The parts which have been reworked were rather soft and that made pedaling difficult but it will pack in. They basically ran a zamboni over the whole trail. I met the trail workers and thanked them for their work. I also ran in the ranger heading up the project an...

Stage 2: North Rim

First View of The Canyon First Metal Sign I got going from Jacobs Lake and quite enjoyed the trail. Lots of great scenery and buff trail. Some great views once I got to the Eastern Rim. The day flew by and I got to the North Rim just before dark, I found the backcountry permit office to have closed at 5 despite it having said 6 online. They reopened at 8 AM though. I went down the the campground and was happy to meet another South Bound rider. Chad was scheduled to take the shuttle around the canyon the next morning at 7 but warned me of forecasted overnight rain. He had bought a $6 tarp from the general store there and it was huge so he offered me to cut half of it off. I did and rigged it to some trees and anchored the bottom with my bike. It ended up raining gently for most of the morning so I was very glad to have it. I also met a group of very nice hikers who were doing a 4 day rim to rim to rim. First "No Moto" sign in GCNP I found t...

AZTR Enduro

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