sbt in pixels

What a great trip.  Gotta get back up there~

From South Boundary Trail 2012

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south boundary trail

heaven on earth

What with all the training, racing, shredding under our treads this summer, it seemed like a good idea to finally pull the trigger on one of the more renowned trails in this great state.  

new mexico high country

 

knobbies

 Yup, South Boundary Trail was marked into the calendar to coincide with the changing season in the high country above Taos, NM.

she wolf in her natural habitat

For the uninitiated, the SBT is a spectacular ride in any season.  You'll start by heading up in Angel Fire at around 9.5K, cresting at 10.8K over Osha Pass in the first 1.5 miles. Whew!  

there was much suffering here

Once peaked out, riders are then rewarded with a gradual descent thru mixed conifer forests, aspen groves, verdant meadows in and around Garcia Park.  In the last 3 miles closer to Taos, the forests transition to mixed oak, pinon, juniper, with plenty of babyhead-littered rock gardens and rockledge steps threatening an OTB round every turn.  Considering the shortest run drops 3500' in over 22 miles, the SBT has earned EPIC status from locals and traveling mountain bikers alike.

carving turns in the aspens

Sounds like just the challenge for our crew, no?  

Caroline, our twelve year old racer on a borrowed 29'r, 

10 yr old Will the Thrill on his 24" 36-pound (yes you read that right) Schwinn, 

Sweetness on her venerable 4" dualie, 

and this here blogger of indeterminate age and questionable judgement. 

Add to the mix, another gung-ho family of consummate shredders, now we have a par-TAY!

  

cast of characters

 So Sunday am has us huffing up that first ridge, leap-frogging each the other as we slowly gain first the aspen groves, then the pass itself.

But a moment atop Osha Pass, before the kids point their rigs downhill and the fun begins.  Dam, but those kids have some skilz!  

shredder

Caroline now drafts the wheels of passing pros, gives them a run for their money.  

getting his game face on

WTT, irregardless of hauling a veritable metric ton of weight in that Schwinn, can still outclimb a goat on the ups.

On the downs?

 he lets his visage do the talkin.

Ah, Mrs Wulff now, she channeled her inner she-wolf, gritted her teeth bared her fangs in the rock gardens and never looked back. 

descent

 Back at the parking lot, ride done, the kids all swap stories with some of their fellow veterans of the SBT, some 20 years their senior.  Cya on the trails Dude!  

el nogal plunge

 Gotta love it~

Hearty thanks to the Matlins for hosting and helping get the the SBT D-O-N-E, done.

trail's end

river of no return

Well it's true the fly rods have been neglected of late.  :-/

bike down...

With both kids getting into the mtb racing scene read: thank you Jesus! ;-] we have been fairly booked with races and riding, where in past summers we were out chasin fins.  Segue to last weekend's Frazer Mountain Madness, held you know... in Taos.  That same Taos that serves as gateway to all that is good and righteous in our great state.

...fish back up

So, coming off a race on Saturday, and seeing how we wuz in da 'hood, I took advantage of the locale to take off into the high country, bringing only the Yeti for company.  See, I had an eye on a neglected two track that just might serve to connect two points of a squiggly blue line.  Between those two points?  The River of No Return.

A man, a bike, a backpack.  Here then, is our story.  Told in images, until the good stuff runs out.

and in between.

Fair warning, you might wanna get that something cold from the fridge, freshen that bowl of popcorn, this may take a while :-o

Race's end

Those climbs on Frazer Mountain Madness? Hallucinogenic.

Those downs now- turned the Yeti into a sled.

I for one- just happy to have survived, lemmetellya.  But then they give you free beer to apologize- aw, that's so sweet you guys!

EDIT: Still more evidence 90% of success is just showing up. I'd like to thank my wife, kids, members of the Academy.... ;-)