slickrock in the rain

When we got up Monday morning at 7:30, it was only raining lightly and the forecast was "cloudy with occasional rain."  We didn't really want to MTB in the rain - not the least of which was to avoid potentially damaging the wet trails - but we needed to do something.  We looked at our maps and books for a hike and decided to wing it by going up to Sand Flats Recreation Area (BLM land managed by Grand County) to see what we could find.

Good thing we packed these ponchos

The guy manning the entry station ($5/day or $25/annual pass) told us that any of the trails could be hiked, even the ones denoted as for MTBs or 4x4s.  Pretty much every trail at SFRA is famous/infamous (e.g. Hell's Revenge, Porcupine Rim, parts of the Whole Enchilada) but we decided to hike the Slickrock MTB Trail ... and then proceeded to sit in the car at the trailhead parking lot for an hour, waiting for the rain to stop.  Finally, at 10 a.m., we just decided to go because if we didn't hike in the rain, we weren't going to get to hike.  We put on our ponchos and headed out.

Atop the slickrock

The Slickrock trail is a 9+ mile lollipop: out for 2 miles, around a 5 mile loop, back for 2 miles.  There were a few MTBers out there but not many, not in the rain.  Despite its name, slickrock is a grippy surface for hiking and MTBing, and even wet wasn't particularly slippery.  I can't imagine riding it, however.  It is way above my skill level, going up and down very steep inclines, crossing sandy washes, climbing fins and skirting cliff edges with views of the Colorado River and the town.

Colorado River view

It continued to rain consistently until about noon and although temperatures were in the 40s, we were both overheating and sweating like crazy underneath those ponchos.  We chatted with a couple of MTBers but really didn't see many people until we were within three miles of the trailhead, when the rain had stopped.  Then lots of folks started heading out, on foot, on MTBs and on dirtbikes - fair weather fans all of them.  I can't imagine how busy this trail must be in good weather.

That moment when the sun came out

We hung out back at the truck for about an hour after we got back, people-watching, until it started raining again.  Back at the motel (with Pearl, Lumen and Barry in residence as office dogs), we got cleaned up - and covered the room with damp gear to try and dry it - and then went to Woody's,  where the bartender finally recognized us.  The sidewalks were drying as we walked down to the Moab Brewery for dinner at the bar.  We sat next to a couple of old local guys and had a great conversation with them, talking about the area, fly fishing, pictographs, traveling in the desert Southwest and, of course, the weather.

And then it clouded back up

After that, there was just enough time for a chilly cocktail back on the motel patio, as the temperature dropped quickly.  We couldn't believe this time in Moab had almost come to an end.  We couldn't believe it had rained the whole time.

And the temperature dropped

Hike stats: 9.1 miles; 3:06 moving time / 2.9 m.p.h. and 3:28 overall time / 2.6 m.p.h.; 2,000' of climbing