Fifty Plus (50+) - Riding The North Rim - Grand Canyon - my vacation I need a vacation from

It's taken me awhile to post this thread - I have been so tired, needing to recover from the trip. I signed up for it 6 months ago and no matter how much time, I'm not certain I could really be prepared for it. It was literally the hardest thing I've ever done!

The reason I'm posting this in the 50+ s that coincidentally everyone on the trip was over 50 years old. I asked the Guides and apparently that is unusual. I have to say it was the guests (and the guides) that made the trip. It was a great, opinionated, interesting, mature group of strong, hard riders!

I reserved the trip through Western Spirit. Plug for them... I would do a trip with them again. The guides were wonderful and they know how to take care of guests. We had a world renown restaurateur on the trip and even he raved about the food.

We all met in St. George for a 3 hours ride through the wilds of Utah and Arizona to the beginning of our rides, the later part of the Arizona Trail. The first day was very promising. The sky was beautiful, I was fresh and alot of the trail was downhill. We rode through one lovely meadow after another, splashing at times through snow melt-off. There were some steep climbs but like I say, I was fresh.

That evening we set up Camp at Locust Point.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/CampingintheWoods.jpg
I am not a wilderness camper so the first couple of nights took some adjustment. When one of the guides explained the "groover" I was ready to ride back to town!!!

The next day we did another part of the AZ trail. OK maybe it was the elevation (9000') or the fact I am old and out of shape, but it was a hard day. The total ride was 24 miles but I cut it half way. I turned back first and I was followed by several others although half of the group did the entire ride. Bless them. Although we had more lovely meadows, the trail was either up or deep steep rocky, gnarly stuff. There was alot of walking!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/AZTrail-ThroughTheMeadow.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/NorthRim-MTB024.jpg

The next day offered alittle rest... we did a 5 mile hike and then visited the Grand Canyon Lodge. We then did a mostly downhill ride into our next camp at the Rainbow Rim. The Rim is a fantastic trail but very hard for me. I do alotof singletrack riding but not stuff that is loose with steep dropoffs. I was basically scared most of the time. I did the entire trail (15 miles) on Thursday but came in 2 hours behind everyone else. It was alittle disconcerting to rim on the rim of the Canyon:
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/RidingNearTheEdge.jpg

The last night before we left, we had a lovely campfire right on the Rim of the Canyon:
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/NorthRimOnTheEdgeCampfire.jpg

The last day of riding was out on the North or East end of the Rainbow Rim. This was my favorite. Still some scary Canyon views but also loads of lovely meadows. The elevation finally was not bothering me and I rode the entire trail without walking.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/ForestTrail2.jpg

Anyway great trip, great company, great outfitter - but =whew= I am tired! Here's a parting shot:
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/North%20Rim%20Grand%20Canyon%20June%202010/DSC_2292.jpg

Do not ride off-road . . . however:
Did the road ride from Jacobs Lake to the Grand Canon Lodge and back (2 days riding) on our tandem a couple decades ago.
It was early spring (Memorial Day) and temp was 70 degrees with snow still in the shady spots under the trees.
A fantastic and quiet ride with minimal taffic and lots of wildlife.

Far out! Not my kind of riding but I might have to consider it sometime! Thanks for the pictures and report.

Great pictures and description of the ride. I'm sure I would have been crawling along the canyon rim as heights are not my favorite thing.

Good stuff, Pam. You deserve a nice rest and some PIE.:thumb:

Great report and pictures. I was there back in 1980 and would love to go back and do a ride like this. The views are beautiful.
I ride road most the time now but really enjoy a nice single track.

Great report! I've been thinking for a while about doing this trip. Maybe next year.

I've done a one day mtn. bike ride in the Red Rocks area of Las Vegas with Western Spirit and it was a very good experience.

Did Western Spirit provide the bikes for your trip? Also, were you or any other of the people doing the trip as a single?

Thanks again for the report.

That looks like a wonderful experience. I have never done off-road riding (except rail trails and towpaths) and don't intend to start, but I envy you for having done it.

Beautiful. Thanks for the pictures. The North Rim is truly spectacular.

Nice one Pam.

Great report!
Did Western Spirit provide the bikes for your trip? Also, were you or any other of the people doing the trip as a single?



Many people rented bikes from Western Spirit - they offer Spec. XC's - we did note another company - Escape Adventures - offered Spec. Stumpjumpers - a better upgrade. We bought our own bikes, since we were close enough to drive to St. George. As guests we had people from Northern CA, AZ, Chicago and as far away as Ireland (he was a professional poker player staying in Las Vegas at the time).

I came with two friends. There were 3 friends there celebrating 50th birthdays. Also two other friends came together. Everyone else came as singles and in the future, I would not hesitate to do so as well. Strange, all the men were married but there without SO. Of the women, only my one friend was married (there were 7 guys and 5 women). Mmmmmmmmmmm... there was alittle hanky panky going on but it was innocent.

Here's one last photo since many people came for the view...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o288/bcipam/IMG_2548-1.jpg

Great pictures, but what was your average speed?

Just kidding. The third picture from the top reminds me of why I don't go mountain biking any more.

It looks and sounds like a fine excursion, but why in the world are you tired?

I wouldn't be tired.

Just dead.

Thanks for posting the photos. It sounds like you had a fun and challenging vacation. I imagine that it would be hard to get used to riding so close to the rim, especially on loose and rocky trails. I take it the trail in the third picture must have been worse than it looks in the picture. It looks like something that would be no problem for a Stumpjumper.

Still some scary Canyon views

Thanks for posting; this looks like a great trip. would love to do something like this.

As for the scary routes along the Canyon -- I read somewhere once that fear of heights can grow worse as you age; has to do with changes in your inner ear and a feel like you are falling (vertigo) when you look into a canyon. I've always had a *tiny* bit of vertigo, but 2 years ago when I was hiking w/my son along some canyons I suddenly found I was *much* more wobbly about heights than I ever had been in my past. I am now getting that even on paved highways when descending on my road bike -- I have to be careful not to look over the edge or it bothers me.

So, congrats for making it past the canyon-edge paths; they would give me pause.

That is the sad thing... for times you travel inland, in the forest and then all of sudden here is the Rim, and gorgeous views. I could stop and look at them but if riding, I had to focus on the trail or even look inward to avoid the weird spacial issue with looking over the rim into the canyon. There is something about looking straight down for a mile that is unsettling.

I tried to take photos of the steep gnarly trails but you know, grades sometimes flatten out in 2 d photos. Just trust me when I say alot of them were puckery. I just walked up the steep stuff but attempted to ride down them and would do ok until the wheel washed out and then I went on foot. It was a real test for me and my little bike (a Santa Cruz Superlight) with 4" of travel. I had one really close call - I was coming down this steep hill... it was very rocky and my front washed out, the bike went down and almost over the edge. Luckily I just jammed my right shoulder into the side of the hill and was able to catch myself (heart thumbing, out of breathe!). Another guest I was following tried to stop, had no place for his foot and he tumbled over the edge (in a forest area) and rolled several times. Thankfully he was not hurt. His friend, a new MTB rider took several really bad falls. Every inch of his legs by the end of the week were covered with bruises, sratches and cuts. They were ugly! One of the guests had an Enduro with 8". I was jealous! That's a good bike for these trails.

That is a ride that some of the roadies ought to try sometime. Mountain biking is hard and it is not just the terrain. You have to look at the trail and still find time to look at the views. And with views like that- I think I would be adding to the scars on my legs.

Stap - love the Avatar! Yours????

What a great adventure.

Stap - love the Avatar! Yours????

Grand daughter but decided to change from the Meringue I used to have as it stops the weight loss that some are trying to achieve.

I Haven'yt done any serious off road for about a year now but the Tandem got out a few weeks ago. Makes me realise how much I miss the Vibro Massage and the mud packs.

I didn't realize that trail was so close to where I live. Thanks for the pictures. I have to go try what Pam did. Thanks Pam!

If you do I want a report!!!! And photos!

. . . and elevation on North Rim is 8,000 ft (1,000 ft higher than South Rim).
If you are not acclimated to higher altitude, some folks have issues for a day or so.
If you want to see the scenery, it's best to stop and look.
Had one fellow on a South Rim trip that tried to rubber-neck and do 40 mph . . . wrecked a bike and had some road rash.

I have ridden down into the grand canyon twice. Both times on mules. I think in that kind of terrain a mule would suit me just fine.
thanks for the report and the great pictures.

Nice pictures. My brother and i ran down to the bottom and back up the same day. We went down the south rim. It was 1970, we did not trust the mules. It was one tuff hike out. Back then heights did not bother me, however now it does. Good report, if the food was good then the trip was a winner.

. . . and elevation on North Rim is 8,000 ft (1,000 ft higher than South Rim).
If you are not acclimated to higher altitude, some folks have issues for a day or so.
If you want to see the scenery, it's best to stop and look.
Had one fellow on a South Rim trip that tried to rubber-neck and do 40 mph . . . wrecked a bike and had some road rash.

Wow! Didn't realize it was that high! Thanks for the note.

Was everyone using full suspension bikes or were some on front suspension only?

Was everyone using full suspension bikes or were some on front suspension only?

Everyone had fullies and frankly I can't see doing it on anything but but of course, I'm sure, they are some hard core folks who do. The trails were just so rocky and gnarly, you needed the suspension to smooth things out.

If I had it to do again, I might trade my 4" travel bike for something more "all mountain" with 5 " of travel. Of course, that makes the climbing even more difficult. Part of my difficulty descending was the bike would just to start to rattle out of control. I guess I should have adjusted the shock... but oh well. Next time!

Pamestique -
Talk about good timing! Thank you for posting this trip report - that exact trip is the gift I want for my up coming 50th birthday (not an original idea after all is it?! :p)

Can I ask you a few questions?
In the picture of the trail that runs close to the lip of the canyon, it looks like there is a little bit of a shoulder between the trail and the drop off. Is that as close to the edge as the trails get, or are there sections where there is no shoulder, just the trail and then the void? I can deal with is pictured - but a trail and the void, maaaybe not!

Did you have to rent the camping equipment? Or did you bring your own?

When you guys turned around on the 24 mile ride, was there a sag wagon you could take, or was there just a shorter trail to ride to the next camping spot?

Thanks!
MissJean

Pamestique -
Talk about good timing! Thank you for posting this trip report - that exact trip is the gift I want for my up coming 50th birthday (not an original idea after all is it?! :p)

WS is offering a discounted trip in Bryce/Zion for 1/2 price I think sometime in July. You might want to followup on that.

Can I ask you a few questions?

In the picture of the trail that runs close to the lip of the canyon, it looks like there is a little bit of a shoulder between the trail and the drop off. Is that as close to the edge as the trails get, or are there sections where there is no shoulder, just the trail and then the void? I can deal with is pictured - but a trail and the void, maaaybe not!

I cannot lie, there are parts where the trail is right on the edge, I mean right there. I walked through those parts. But there is less that than the other. Also, some of the forest trail is very narrow, hardly wide enough to get a foot now if you need to stop. Once you go, you must commit to the descent or just start out walking. I surprised myself what I could do since I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

Did you have to rent the camping equipment? Or did you bring your own?

I brought all my own, especially a nice comfortable pad. But WS rents camping gear as well as bikes.

When you guys turned around on the 24 mile ride, was there a sag wagon you could take, or was there just a shorter trail to ride to the next camping spot?

All of the trails were out and back (except the first and last day - which were the shortest). Because it is very narrow singletrack, there is no sag wagon. You start out at the campsite and the guides are riding out there with you (so no one to drive a truck). You have to decide when to turn back to finish the ride which is why I turned back at 7 1/2 miles versus 12. There were only two camp spots (which was nice). You ride to the first spot on Monday. Set up Camp. You ride out and back Tuesday. Wed. break down Camp and travel to next site. That afternoon (after a hike and visit to the lodge) set up Camp of North TImp Point. Ride out and back and back to the same camp. Friday, break down camp and ride out.

Thanks!
MissJean

Let me know if you have any other questions

Great pics, Pamestique. Our bike club is riding from the north rim east to Page, then around to the south rim, this August (all road btw). I dont think I can go, but, after seeing this post I may try to work it in!

WOW! That sounds like quite the adventure. Although I am a roadie at heart, and the roads around the Canyon are in nice shape, those grandpas with motor homes scare me! Still should be beautiful. If you go please post pics.

WOW! That sounds like quite the adventure. Although I am a roadie at heart, and the roads around the Canyon are in nice shape, those grandpas with motor homes scare me! Still should be beautiful. If you go please post pics.

I will Pamestique. I am going to ride in 2 weeks in the White Mtns of eastern AZ.. so I will try to post some pics from it. and, btw, most of us going from our club are 50+ (57, 58 in July)

I am also looking forward to wearing bibs on both days. The first day I will wear my new Pearl Izumi bibs the first day. that is 60+ miles from Pinetop to Springerville. I am kind of considering wearing my Performance bibs the first day, then the PI bibs the second day, since it has a 15 mile 6% climb to start.

I am also looking forward to wearing bibs on both days. The first day I will wear my new Pearl Izumi bibs the first day. that is 60+ miles from Pinetop to Springerville. I am kind of considering wearing my Performance bibs the first day, then the PI bibs the second day, since it has a 15 mile 6% climb to start.

Do the PI bibs climb better? :P

Do the PI bibs climb better? :P

they feel better.... mainly the insert feels better