Last week Robert and I and five friends (Andy, Biff, Cal, Cody, and Jeff) went on a mountain biking trip on the Aquarius Trail in Utah. Although it was a great trip, it was very difficult for two reasons. I had visited my dying father a few days before we left; I’m so grateful that I got to tell him how much I love and appreciate him. My stepmother Marian urged me to still go on the trip even though we knew Daddy didn’t have much longer. Daddy died during the night before the ride started. Still, I think it was the right decision for me to go. All week I thought of Daddy and Marian and the many travels they enjoyed across the country both on Daddy’s Honda Goldwing and later in their motorcoach.
Additionally, the riding turned out to be a lot harder than any of us expected. I’m the least experienced mountain biker of our group. (Mountain biking is much different from the paved road and dirt road riding that I usually do.) I really struggled with the single-track portions. Add to that some epic climbs, not to mention riding between 7,500 and 10,000 feet in elevation, and that was some of the hardest cycling I’ve ever done. I’m not sure how much of what I felt was the difficult riding vs. grief. It was surreal. Either way, I’m glad I went and (barely) completed each day’s ride successfully. Also, being with my friends at camp each evening was very enjoyable and consoling.
The Aquarius Trail spans about 190 miles from Brian Head to Escalante, mostly in Dixie National Forest. A company called Escape Adventures maintains five “huts” along the trail. The first is on private property, and the remaining four operate under a lease agreement with the US Forest Service. The huts are repurposed shipping containers that are solar powered. Each hut has two bunkhouses that sleep up to six people each, a stocked kitchen and adjoining shower area, and a separate pit toilet. Large containers of water are provided for drinking, cooking, and showering. The sink in the kitchen, the sink in the pit toilet, and the cold-water shower have foot pumps. We also heated water on the propane stove to use in a shower bag (definitely better than the cold-water shower!). Each rider is given a sleeping bag liner to carry from hut to hut throughout the week to use inside the sleeping bags provided in each bunkhouse. Each of us also got a pillowcase with a map the Aquarius Trail that we got to keep as a souvenir:
(Side note: Robert and I both agree that Cal is a great roomie.)
Other amenities such as a propane fire pit, picnic tables, folding camp chairs, a hammock, and even a guitar make camp life quite pleasant. It’s definitely a step up from tent camping although it’s not quite glamping.
Many people ride the Aquarius Trail self-supported. However, Robert had the wisdom to sign us up for a guided trip with Escape Adventures. A guided trip costs more, but it’s well worth the expense. Our excellent guides Bobby and Casey transported our gear, maintained our rented mountain bikes, cooked delicious meals for us, and were just generally super guys to be around. Bobby has been leading outdoor excursions in the Southwest for more than 25 years and has boundless knowledge of the local terrain and natural history. I can’t imagine riding the Aquarius Trail without guides. Following long days on the bike, it took a lot of energy just to maintain semi-cleanliness, deal with our sleeping quarters, and eat – much less cook, clean up, and do bike maintenance.
Andy, Biff, Cal, Cody, Robert, and I flew into Las Vegas on Saturday. We stayed on the outer edges of the city at a hotel next door to Las Vegas Cyclery, which is owned by Escape Adventures. The next morning Bobby and Casey picked us up in a van towing a trailer. Our rental bikes were stowed on top, and the trailer had food and other supplies for the week. We picked up Jeff in Cedar City, UT. He spends his summers in Colorado, and so it was easier for him to meet us on the way to the start of the ride. After a several-hour drive, we finally arrived at the start of the Aquarius Trail at Brian Head, UT.
Day 1 – Brian Head to Hatch Hut (33 miles)
It was cold when we started! We donned cold-weather riding gear for the mostly descending route. This was the coldest riding we had all week. We really lucked out on the weather. It didn’t rain at all, and even though it was cold at night and first thing in the morning, it warmed up quickly when the sun rose.
Also, we definitely could feel the altitude, especially the first few days of the trip. All of us were sucking wind. I found that simply slowing down helped a lot. Sometimes I even stopped completely for a few minutes to rest, and that worked wonders.
Most days had a separate e-bike route with less of the technical single track. In fact, some portions of the Aquarius Trail don’t allow e-bikes. Andy (72 years old) had rented an e-bike. I’m a big fan of this type of use of e-bikes because our older cycling friends can keep riding with everyone else. I had planned to ride with Andy on the e-bike parts of the route because I wanted to minimize the amount of single track I had to do. As we started out on the first day, Andy said he would ride with me on whichever route I wanted. So, what did I do in my infinite wisdom? I said, “I’d like to try the single track.” That was a mistake.
Although the day’s route was mostly downhill, the single track was extremely rocky. I had to get off and on my bike numerous times, which wore me out. Bobby hung back with me to make sure I was OK. At one point I started getting teary, and I figured I should tell him that Daddy had died the night before. He was very kind and asked if I would like a hug. I said yes. Truthfully, I didn’t enjoy the first day very much, but I finally made it to the Hatch Hut. Getting cleaned up and having a delicious meal of salmon, mashed potatoes, and asparagus helped a lot.
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| Hatch Hut - bunkhouses to the left, kitchen and shower area to the right |
Day 2 – Hatch Hut to Butch Cassidy Hut (28 miles)
The next morning’s ride started with an eight-mile climb with an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet. Fortunately, I did OK on the climb, and even more fortunately, the rest of the day was mostly descending or flat. We had a delightful lunch stop next to a reservoir. I felt better emotionally, too, and even took a few pictures, which I didn’t feel like doing during the previous day’s ride.
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| Beautiful view during the first climb of the day |
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| Andy and Robert at a picnic table at the top of the first climb of the day |
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| The boy pulls down his cycling cap and covers up his eyes. |
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| Chilling by the reservoir after lunch (Cal, Jeff, Cody, Biff, and Andy) |
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| The reservoir |
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| Jeff and Biff taking a dip (brrr!) |
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| Me riding down the nice descent after lunch (photo by Robert) |
Because this was the shortest day of riding, we had a little more time that afternoon at the Butch Cassiday Hut. Robert and Cody decided to chill at camp while Biff and Jeff rode the nearby Thunder Mountain Trail. Casey took Andy, Cal, and me on a hiking trip to Bryce Canyon! Robert and I had hiked at Bryce Canyon in 2001, but I figured I should go back while I had the opportunity. I’m so glad I did because this four-mile bonus hike was a highlight of my trip. The hoodoos are one of my favorite physical features of the Southwest.
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| Andy |
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| Queen's Garden Trail. This hoodoo resembles a famous statue of Queen Victoria. It also resembles the sorting hat in the Harry Potter books. |
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| Wall Street Trail - it has an impressive climb. |
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| Cal doing his caveman impersonation |
Day 3 – Butch Cassidy Hut to Pine Lake Hut (37 miles)
The regular mountain bike route for Day 3 began with the Thunder Mountain Trail that Biff and Jeff had previewed the day before. The fact that everyone chose to start on the e-bike route instead is an indicator of how insane the Thunder Mountain Trail is. I had seen videos of it on YouTube. You have to ride a very narrow trail that drops off on both sides. Uh uh! I wouldn’t even want to walk on the thing.
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| Biff cooking his socks and shorts over the propane stove to try to get them dry before the ride starts |
So, we began by riding several miles on a paved bike path. Soon we turned off onto a dirt road that led us to Casto Canyon. Beginning at this point, the regular mountain bike route and the e-bike route were the same for the rest of the day. Casto Canyon had a significant amount of single track that weaved back and forth across a dry streambed. Bobby described being out there when the river flows during monsoon season. It’s amazing to imagine how it goes from dry streambed to dangerous river over the course of a year.
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| Dry streambed that we crossed multiple times |
The single track and climbing (about 1,500 over eight miles) were tough, but I did enjoy the visual contrast between the red hoodoos in Casto Canyon and the grey igneous rock formations toward the end of the climb.
Just as the next descent began, we met the van and stopped for another delicious lunch that Bobby and Casey prepared.
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| Excellent bumper sticker on the trailer |
Following lunch, we got to descend a little more. However, the last part of the route to the Pine Lake Hut was yet another climb – this time about 1,000 feet over 10 miles. What a tiring day!
As we relaxed around camp before dinner, I had two delightful diversions. First, an extremely friendly chipmunk was obsessed with my feet. I got some really cute pictures of it, but I had to shoo it away because I couldn’t risk getting bitten. I guess the chipmunk has learned that when people are at the hut, it might get food. (I didn’t feed it anything.)
Next, Bobby asked if anyone wanted to play Yahtzee. Sure! Andy, Casey, Robert, and I joined him for a game. I hadn’t played in years, but it was fun to relearn the rules. I had a good time even though I came in last!
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| Robert rolling the dice while Bobby keeps score |
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| Bruschetta appetizer |
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| Our talented chefs, Bobby and Casey |
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| Early evening sunshine on the rocks |
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| After-dinner walk with Robert |
Day 4 – Pine Lake Hut to Aquarius Hut (37 miles)
The previous day had been challenging, but I felt fairly energetic after some sleep and a good breakfast. I climbed well as we left the Pine Lake Hut on a 2,000-foot, six-mile ascent. At the top was an optional out-and-back spur to Powell Point, an overlook with an expansive view over southern Utah. The spur was mostly single track, but Bobby assured everyone that the view was worth the extra miles. He said that it was about four miles round trip, but it turned out to be four miles each way!
I did have a little extra motivation for the trip out to Powell Point. My local newspaper, The Monticello News, has a feature called “The News on Vacation” where readers can submit a vacation photo in which they are holding a copy of The Monticello News. I had carried a copy of the paper with me that day in my hydration pack, thinking that a group photo at Powell Point would be a great photo opp to submit.
The spur to Powell Point had been relatively flat, but the last half mile was more of a hilly hiking path. A few trees had fallen over it, requiring us to lift our bikes over. I was behind the rest of the group and wondered if I were on a wild goose chase. I continued on, however, and at last saw the others at the overlook. Robert was surprised that I was so close behind everyone else. The view was, indeed, impressive. I got a group photo, and we headed back. Without the anticipation of the group photo, the return trip was much more of a slog. The constant getting off and on my bike was exhausting as usual. Robert rode with me for a short distance, but I waved him on, telling him I’d make it eventually at my own pace.
Back on the main trail, there was a little more climbing, about 400 feet for another mile. Blargh. I reached the highest point of the day and of the trip, Barney Top at 10,5777 feet. At last, it was time for some descending. It wasn’t easy descending, however. A portion was big, chunky rock, and so I had to walk a lot.
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| A rather crappy shot I got, trying to capture the view as I began the rocky descent. That's OK, though, because I felt pretty crappy at this point, too. |
The van was waiting at the bottom of the descent. I was grateful to rest for a few minutes and get something to eat and drink. Cal was there when I arrived, and so I felt a little better to realize I wasn’t monstrously behind the others.
From there it was about 13 miles to the Aquarius Hut. Guess what? There was more climbing immediately after the van stop, about 1,200 feet over 7.5 miles. I made it due to sheer willpower, alternating between slow pedaling, resting, and walking my bike.
The remaining miles to the hut were blessedly a gentle descent on a dirt road; I got to coast most of the last five miles. When I rolled in, Robert couldn’t believe it. He said that the others had been there only a few minutes. Also, he had asked Bobby and Casey at the earlier van stop if they had a bailout plan because after he left me on the Powell Point spur, he didn’t think I was going to make it. Robert said that it’s rare that I amaze him on the bike anymore, but I did that day.
Bobby had told us that Day 4 was the hardest. He was right. That was one of the hardest single-day rides I ever did. We had started at an elevation of 8,352 feet at the Pine Lake Hut and ended at an elevation of 10,010 feet at the Aquarius Hut. That’s a net difference of 1,658 feet; however, the total elevation gain for the day was about 5,000 feet because of the intervening climbs.
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| Solar panels visible on the Aquarius Hut |
Dinner was fantastic yet again that evening. It was Mexican night with homemade chips, guacamole, and salsa for an appetizer, followed by steak fajitas. That dinner also had my favorite dessert of the week: sopapillas. Bobby fried small, street-taco-sized flour tortillas in the same oil from the appetizer tortillas chips. The sopapillas puffed up beautifully. He placed them in a bowl and then drizzled them with honey and sprinkled them with cinnamon. I’ve had sopapillas before, but Bobby put a delicious twist on them. He provided us with a can of Reddi-Wip. You stick the nozzle in the side of your sopapilla and fill it with whipped cream. So good!
Day 5 – Aquarius Hut to Hell’s Backbone Hut (32 miles)
After the previous two days had been so difficult, the remaining two days promised some relief with more descending than climbing. And the technical riding was over! At least for me it was. Biff and Jeff, however, opted for the more challenging single track of the Great Western Trail that morning. The rest of us rode the e-bike route, which rolled gently downhill from the Aquarius hut for about five miles on a dirt road. The next 10 miles had some rollers (nothing serious), followed by a three-mile descent to Posey Lake, a beautiful place to stop for lunch.
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| Robert descending to Posey Lake |
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| Me and Robert at Posey Lake |
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| View from our lunch spot - great lake for fishing! |
After lunch we had just a little more descending.
Of course, the climbing wasn’t over. We had a bump of about 375 feet in 1.5 miles, a little more downhill, and then some more climbing. Sigh. This time it was about 1,400 feet in 5.5 miles to the feature of the day, Hell’s Backbone. During some of the previous days’ hard climbs, I had been channeling my buddy Graham. He once said that in endurance riding, your mind can be either positive, neutral, or negative. Positive is easy, like when the weather is great and your energy is up. Neutral is recognizing that conditions are tough, but you don’t let yourself dwell on them and tell yourself that you will get through it. Negative – you don’t want to let your mind go there. On that last climb to Hell’s Backbone, I had a really tough time not going to negative.
When I arrived at Hell’s Backbone, I didn’t feel very friendly as Robert greeted me. I decided my best course of action was to be honest and tell him I was having a hard time staying positive. He understood. Andy, Cal, Cody, Robert, and I hung for a while at Hell’s Backbone. We had hoped to get a group photo, but we finally decided not to keep waiting for Biff and Jeff, who had been doing the single-track option.
I did feel better as we rested awhile at Hell’s Backbone. Also, Hell’s Backbone is a fascinating place. A bridge spans a backbone of rock that divides the Sand Creek drainage basin to the east and the Death Hollow drainage basin to the west. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the original wooden bridge in 1933; read the details in the photo I took of the information sign. (If I had been in the CCC, I would much rather have been planting trees in Georgia than building this terrifying bridge in Utah!) A steel and concrete bridge replaced the wooden one in the early 1960s. The current bridge, built in 2005, is wider and stronger than the previous two. In one of my photos, you can see remnants of the original wood timbers beneath the current bridge.
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| Hell's Backbone Bridge |
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| View to the east |
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| View to the west |
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| Remnant timbers from the first bridge beneath the current bridge |
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| Andy, Cody, Cal, and Robert |
The last bit before our final overnight stop, the Hell’s Backbone Hut, had a 150-foot climb over 0.8 mile. To add insult to injury, the last quarter mile to the hut was deep, loose sand. I made it, but as I almost fell over as I came to a stop, all I could do was put my head down and pant. This was a low point of the ride for me. I laid my bike down, walked to an isolated spot in the woods near the hut, sat down on a log, and cried. I was so tired and sad that I simply had to let it out. Robert came looking for me after a while, which I really appreciated. I spent a few more minutes alone, pulled myself together, and was able to have a decent evening with the group.
Day 6 – Hell’s Backbone to Escalante (36 miles, but we only rode 15 miles to Upper Calf Creek Falls)
Last day – whew! Bobby gave us an alternate plan that we all readily agreed to. Instead of riding the full 36 miles to Escalante, our final destination, he suggested riding only 15 miles and going for a hike to wrap up our trip. I’m all about riding long distances, but this shorter option really appealed to me. I also suspected that the hike would be relatively easy for me because I had felt great on the Bryce Canyon hike earlier in the week.
After a delicious final breakfast of pancakes, we hopped on our bikes. Half a mile into the ride was – surprise! – a climb. This one was about 500 feet over a mile and a half. I was proud of myself for pedaling the whole thing. Next was a nice descent. The guys bombed it as they always do, but I took it a little more sedately, feathering my brakes. We came to a few more short climbs with grades varying up to 13%. I eked my way up those, too. Then we came to the last climb, about 170 feet over 0.6 mile. On the heels of all the tough riding we had been doing all week, I just couldn’t muster the energy to pedal up this last hill. So, I walked it. At least I made it. We regrouped at the top and then rode the final three miles downhill together to the Upper Calf Creek Falls trail.
We changed from our kits into hiking clothes and shoes and made sure we had plenty of water. Bobby led us down a hot, dry, rocky descent.
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| Jeff, Bobby, Robert, and Andy |
It wasn’t an easy hike, but to me it felt like a breeze compared to the mountain biking. One mile in, we came to our destination, Upper Calf Creek Falls. It was a beautiful oasis in the desert. Biff, Cal, and Jeff swam in the (cold!) pool beneath the waterfall.
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| Jeff and Biff, the group mermen |
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| Jeff at Upper Calf Creek Falls |
I was content to briefly stick my feet in the water. BTW, I got a big kick out of Jeff, who had brought along a couple of pancakes from that morning’s breakfast, carrying them in his hydration pack.
It was time to head back. I tried to remember the difference between dip and strike from my college geology class.
The day was getting hotter, so we stopped in the shade a few times on the climb back to the van in the parking area.
When we arrived, we dined on sandwiches of turkey, apple, and brie on sourdough that Bobby had packed for us. They were so good!
As we drove the rest of the way into Escalante, which would have been the final part of the day’s cycling route, all of us were glad that we had opted for a shorter ride plus the hike. The 15+ remaining miles into Escalante were on a paved road with beautiful views, but it would have been some serious climbing. We commented that we’re not even sure we could have completed it in the time we had before we had to drive back to Las Vegas. It was a long drive, too – about six hours.
This was the most ascetic vacation I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure I’m glad I did it. If you’re a serious mountain biker, you probably would love this trip. If you’re into bike packing, you might even enjoy the self-supported version.
