tacos, beer and bikes

Oh, wow, Pow Mow - what nice MTB trails you have!

On Saturday, we ventured further afield than we have for a while, making the trek all the way up to
Powder Mountain in Eden to check out their MTB trails.  Their trail system is fairly new: begun, I believe, in 2015 and trail construction is ongoing.  We hadn't been to PowMow since 2013, which is actually the only time we've been to PowMow.  Although the resort is definitely changing with new development, it still has an isolated, old fashioned feel which I hope it holds onto as long as possible.

Part of what makes Powder Mountain unique is that it is a ski mountain in reverse: all the lodges and parking are at the top of the mountain.  This means that at the end of the day, whether you are skiing or MTBing, it's an uphill finish.  Something to keep in mind.

Paper Airplane feature (which I did not ride)

We parked at the Hidden Lake lodge and I poked my head into the rental shop to grab a trail map.  The kid working there recommended the 6.33 mile Brim Trail loop, as well as Paper Airplane and Baggage Claim as connectors.  He said most people drove out to the Brim Trail trailhead but we opted to leave the truck at the lodge and ride out to the Brim Trail.  See above re uphill finishes.

Although the trails are fairly well marked with flap poles, it's a little confusing to find the trails from the parking lot.  We rode out of the lot and back down the paved road just a little ways, before turning left (more pavement) where we found the start of Paper Airplane.  The first thing we noticed about this trail: a lot of down.  It was a little loose and rocky, in part because they do some of the high school MTB racing there which can really take a toll on the trails.  We passed the Paper Airplane feature - so cool! - and continued on down the 13+ switchbacks of Baggage Claim.  At one point, H's tires slid in the dusty dirt and he nimbly unclipped and jumped over the handlebars to land on his feet.

The Brim Trail is fantastic

At the bottom of Baggage Claim, we hopped on the Brim Trail which is, without a doubt, one of the nicest trails I've ridden.  It was a little dusty but not too loose, with reasonable climbing and not many rocks, crossing through aspen glades, open meadows and pine forests.  In the summertime, the flowers in the meadows are likely spectacular.  There was a breeze going the whole time and since we were riding at around 8,800+ feet, the temperature was very, very pleasant.  Super-nice riding.

What else could you possibly need?

Since I was going pretty slowly (panting for breath at the elevation), I suggested to H that he go on ahead around the loop.  I figured he could do the loop twice, lapping me, and then we could ride back up Baggage Claim and Paper Airplane together.  He took off and I continued on, happy at my own pace.  I got a little lost towards the end of the loop where it comes out onto Bobcat Ridge (?): the trail had turned to a jeep road and the meadow was crisscrossed with unmarked jeep roads.  I finally figured it out when I saw other riders, following them back to the Brim Trail trailhead parking lot. 

I finally found the connector to Baggage Claim and Paper Airplane on the far side of the lot and then began the slog back up to Hidden Lake lodge.  All that down we had at the start had to be gone back up now and the sustained climbing coupled with the loose dirt and rocks did me in.  I ended up pushing my MTB up most of the way.  What I thought was weird was that H wasn't coming up behind me.  He hadn't lapped me on the loop so I knew he wasn't ahead of me - I couldn't figure out where he was.

H covered a lot of ground

H had gotten lost too, in nearly the same spot I did.  He did the loop the first time but never found the trailhead parking lot, going off-trail through a meadow to reconnect with the Brim Trail for the second loop.  After the second go-round, he tried Doctor's Dozen in the hopes that it would bring him back to where he wanted to go.  But it didn't, leading him down way too far, which necessitated a brutal climb on the loose dirt access road back up to Hidden Lake lodge.  When he got up there and I wasn't there, his heart sank because he really didn't want to have to go down again to look for me.  Luckily, I got to the parking lot just then, saving him from any more climbing.

We cleaned up and then headed into the lodge for beer and tacos at Tacos, Beer & Bikes!, on their last day of the season (the MTB trails will stay open but the lodge is closing to switch over to winter operations).  We each had a beer and incredibly tasty jackfruit tacos with a homemade pineapple-sriracha salsa.  Delicious!!  It was a terrific day and I would guess we'd be back next summer for more tacos, beer and bikes when it's all so good.

H's ride stats:  20.62 miles with 2,100' climbing