|   Squaw Peak/Rock Canyon in Utah: epic ride | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 2:55 PM | | Squaw Peak Located in Provo, UT at the north side of Rock Canyon
3000 ft. elevation gain from my house.
Left at 7:00a.m., from my house. Nice and cool. Got to the Rock Canyon trailhead at about 7:30 since I had to pick up some Powerbars at the Creamery on 9th.
This picture was taken at the end of the ride just so I'd have room for more pictures on the way up. |
| Going up! | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 2:57 PM | | Once reaching the trail that heads up to Squaw Peak from Rock Canyon, it was pretty much hiking from here. It just goes straight up the side of the canyon. Too steep to bike, at least for my out-of-shape body. Some sections were ridable, but 90% of the way if was my two little feet and my heavy Bullit goin' up the trail. |
| Sweet singletrack (3 pics) | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:00 PM | | The trail is way steeper than the first picture shows. Too bad I didn't take any pictures of the gnarly rocky sections and drop offs. I only had 12 shots on my camera so I was limited in what I could take. These are the more "scenic" shots of the trail.
 |
| View of Mt. Timpanogos | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:01 PM | | Mt. Timpanogos 11749 ft. |
| WooHoo! Reached the top! AWESOME views! | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:04 PM | | Arrived at the "summit" (it's only about 7876 ft. high) at about 10:50 a.m. I was so friggin' tired and beat but the VIEWS up there were well worth the effort. The wind was blowing nicely, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Just me, my bike and a deer that passed me by on the way up. Well, there were a few hikers I ran into down closer to the canyon, but for the most part I was surrounded by peace and solitude. Btw, all the hikers were very friendly. Most were just amazed to see that I'd even attempt to hike up all the way up there with my bike. See the next pics for more views and read about the best part of the trip: The DOWNHILL!!!! |
| Vertigo anyone? | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:06 PM | | What a sweet drop!!! Below you'll see Rock Canyon trail. If you look hard enough, you'll also see BYU Campus, Cougar Stadium, and the Provo Temple, just to name a few. |
| Downhill, baby!! | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:08 PM | | Throw away the awesome views, serenity, and cool breeze, and this trip was STILL worth it! Cause the downhill KICKED BUTT!!! Super steep, super fast, and super technical. Funny cause it only took me 25-30 minutes to get all the way back down to my house. But it was so awesome that it didn't even seem like I was short-changed at all.
My arms the whole way down were burnin' from the lactic acid. That 8" rotor did a much better job than the 6" one I had when I did this trail last year.
On the way down I ran into one group of hikers, and good thing my trusty Hayes slowed me down fast enough for them to move out of the way. I came to a slow rolling speed and said hi. Another group of friendly hikers.
When I got back to Rock Canyon I HAD to stop for a minute to let my forearms and hands stretch and recover as much as possible. Then I got a nice treat on the way down Rock Canyon: 3 river crossings!!! Nice way to cool off.
Got home and was beat. Jumped in the shower and cranked it to cold. I kid you not it was so refreshing it felt like I was doing a Sierra Mist commercial: "Yeah, it's kinda like that.." What an awesome way to end the ride. |
| being the worry wart that I am.... | Stine
May 18, 2002 3:17 PM | | all I could think of when I saw this picture was..."man, I sure hope he made sure his bike was secure!" If it slipped from it's position...ewww, I don't even want to think about it!
lol
Cool pics. On the other "vertigo" picture, is that the start of the trail you see below?
I like your bike by the way. |
| Actually, the wind was making it sway back and forth... | azonicbruce
May 18, 2002 3:57 PM | | but if it did fall it hit the other rocks jutting out about 4 feet below that you can't see. Not good but still better than falling a couple THOUSAND feet.
Oh, yeah what you see in the picture is the very beginning of Rock Canyon trail, which eventually hooks up with Squaw Peak Trail.
I don't know distances since I don't have a computer. Maybe I should look it up on the net. |
| Great photos, | AK Ken
May 18, 2002 10:34 PM | | looks like a heck of a way to spend the morning. Nothing like being able to see your destination from home, and vice versa, eh? The only hard part is connecting the dots!
Enjoyed your post, thanks.
Ken |
| Sounds like a great hike.....er, ride. | KRob
May 19, 2002 7:17 AM | | The best downhills are those you earn. It makes them feel sooo much sweeter. Thanks for the pics and write-up. Reminds me of my days at the Y. |
| I'm so jealous | cboy903
May 18, 2002 5:12 PM | | Very nice pics. Here in NYC, the only "peak" I see out the window is the Empire State Building. |
| great pics! | daev
May 18, 2002 7:34 PM | | Reminds me of when I used to explore that area - on my motorcycle about 14 years ago before they closed everything off... Rode every single trail I could find in that area, even tried to ride it up that trail once or twice, but its a little rough in places. I've hiked it several times - my favorite is in the fall when you have brilliant colors everywhere - just be careful during deer season. I visted with my mtn bike a while back and enjoyed those trails even more, but seeing how popular those areas have become made me feel sad - spring and fall are the worst. Loved those mountains a lot! (but disliked about everything else there)... |
| I am very jealous !!!! | A.C._Chausson_RULES!
May 19, 2002 7:34 AM | | I live down here in Florida and it's very flat. all of our trails are human made and look nothing like the west. I need to move! Anyone wanna trade places for a few months?!?! |
| Excellent. Did you actually ride from your house? | Biking Viking
May 19, 2002 8:44 PM | | There's something divine about going out in your back yard, looking at that peak in the distance and think:
"I rode there from from here on my bike".
Great post.
BV |
| Yes, I did. It's not too far to the canyon... | azonicbruce
May 19, 2002 9:51 PM | | 4-6 blocks maybe. But the road is steep enough to make you want to stop and take a breather once you get to the canyon! |
| Awesome! | mugg
May 20, 2002 5:53 AM | | Great pics! Nothing like seeing mountain peaks first thing in the morning. Thanks for the passion hit. |
| re: WYMOUNT looks the same as it did 10 years ago | orjlh
May 20, 2002 8:25 AM | | I lived there in the late 80's early 90's. Squaw Peak trail was and apparently is still a great ride. |
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