Trail Time by Brad

Okay this weekend I chose some familiar grounds to tread on and one of my all time favorite trails, Buffalo Creek/Pine Valley. The trail system is between the towns of Pine Junction and Deckers just west of Denver off of Hwy 285. (sorry Dad and Rick, I did not bring my fly fishing gear)

Just about 1000 feet of elevation change.

The trail system is inside the Pike National Forest with some trails weaving through the old Hayman Fire burn area. Coincidentally, this weekend marked the 5 year anniversary of that very tragic record setting wild fire (http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/hayman/).

The day was perfect for riding. Around 70 degrees with not a cloud in sight and this ride would remain sunny and dry. I opted to ride the south half of the trail system and parked at the usual Buffalo Creek Ranger Station. I was not surprised when I pulled in and saw a number of other riders had the same idea. Maybe I should have went fishing instead of riding.

Entering Pike National Forest from Buffalo Creek Road is pretty easy. Starts with a very gradual 3 mile climb that parallels Buffalo Creek all the way to Gashouse and Baldy trails heads. The constant hum of the gravel road put me in a trance and I dreamed of landing a monster brown on a #16 Olive Caddis fly or where I would build my dream mountain retreat.

As the road wound its way gradually toward the upper sections of the forest, it started to get warmer and I began to notice how intense the sun was. Buffalo Creek was looking pretty good for a quick dip.

Unlike Centennial Cone, Buffalo Creek was sparsely populated by wildflowers. It even seemed less green too despite the generous amounts of moisture this area had received this spring as well. I did manage to spot a few beauties along the road. More prevalent were the bright yellow butterflies and rainbow colored humming birds that whizzed around me with that unmistakable buzz.

As I climbed farther up, the air was thick with that great dry pine smell. That smell instantly reminded me of where I was at. I wish I could bottle it up and take it with me everywhere.

Buffalo Creek

Solid rock!

Gotta watch out for those falling snags!

Buffalo Creek

After about 45 minutes, I finally made it to the "real" starting point. My path today was going to be Gashouse to Baldy to Miller Gulch to Sandy Wash.

As you can see, the scenery changed dramatically once at the trailhead. The remnants of the Hayman Fire are still present but signs of life (and green) have begun to emerge from the ashes.

Beside the fear of getting knocked unconscious by a falling snag, Gashouse rocked. Almost rollercoaster like with its numerous ups-and-downs and side-to-side as the trail cleverly snaked it way through the burned pines.

More burn areas

By this point I still have not seen one person yet. Being all alone out in the middle of nowhere can sometimes feel a tad intimidating but at the same time, empowering. I sprinted up Gashouse and eventually made it back out of the burn area and into better smelling trees.

Baldy was much of the same but with a few technical sections thrown in for some injury opportunities. Luckily my card was not drawn this time and I made it through without a single reminder of my last ride. Yes, it is rideable but just barely and it took me a couple of tries.

Up through Baldy to Miller Gulch. Miller was great. Nice wide fire road with great hills but was mostly downhill with very little pedal effort. Had to watch out for those sneaky water bars otherwise one could shoot you easily 3 feet into the air.

Made it about halfway through Miller toward Sandy Wash before I was hailed to stop. Three guys were pulled over along side the trail looking a tad confused and tired. Before they said one word I knew they were lost and wanted to find the easiest back to their car. Two of the three guys were from Europe with a great British accent the other was apparently a local who either had too much sun or hadn't ridden these trails in a while. A quick peek at a map I had stashed in my pocket and they opted to follow me out. They were in for a real treat, I saved the best for last. We cruised down Miller for another couple of miles taking turns hitting perfectly spaced water bars for some two wheeled air time. When we finally hit the Sandy Wash turnoff, a breathtaking view greeted us. (Sorry no pics, I was having too much fun and forgot I still had the camera) We took in the view for a couple of minutes and started off again. I forgot how fun and fast Sandy Wash was.

Before we knew it we were back at the parking lot and reminisced for a couple of minutes. I bid them good day and was off again. I forgot how fun it can be riding with others but I'd still rather ride alone enjoying the views and sounds.