The Incomparable Bearclaw Poppy Trail

St George, Utah is home to one of the universe's greatest pleasure centers. There are few places that offer as much variety and intensity of biker bliss anywhere. There is something for sickos who crave pain from anaerobic exertion, downhill speed demons, animals who ache for air time, newbies, intermediates even children. Seriously, I have rarely watched a person come off the trail not smiling ear to ear.



The guys at Utahmountainbiking.com created this little video.

There are two ways to ride Bear Claw: top to bottom to top or bottom to top to bottom. If you are lazy and have a kind friend or an awesome mom, you can skip the up hill and shuttle the ride several times. The ride either begins in Bloomington if you start at the bottom and west of the Green Valley Resort if you start from the top. Don't make the mistake of riding this as a loop as some books and websites suggest. Ride it as an out and back if you do not shuttle. I prefer to start in Bloomington and do an out and back a few times.

Riding from the bottom is boring by comparison with the exception of three spots. Clavicle Hill, aptly named for the body part that breaks if you misjudge the obstacle, is the first seriously difficult climb. I have never seen anyone climb it, and I have gone with some great riders. Utahmountainbiking.com claims it can be done. I believe them.  Fortunately, there are always work-arounds and bailouts. Instead of going straight up clavicle, you can take the bailout to the right. It is still difficult to climb, but doable by an intermediate rider with a large enough anaerobic engine.

Jared Hill climbed the last acid drop and now relaxes at the pool. 

The second obstacle set is the acid drops. I can ride up all but the last one. Jared Hill is the only rider of many that I have seen ride up the last drop, and he had to finish it by bouncing his bike to the top. If the last drop were the first, it would not be as difficult, but you are tired from climbing the previous four drops and the runway for the last drop is short. Maybe someday. Again, there is a bailout trail to the right that is upper-intermediate but definitely doable. After a little more riding you come to the wash that is slightly downhill as you go north. The wash ends at the bottom of the fingers of death. Most people opt for the pinkie of death (described later) or walk up some of the more difficult fingers.

Now the rip roaring fun begins! there is an immediate downhill section that lasts for about 100 yards and flattens out. The downhill is intermediate to intermediate-advanced depending on the route you take. A difference of two feet can turn a fairly straight-forward downhill segment into a launch pad. At the flat, there is a bailout route that avoids the fingers of death. My kids call the bailout, the pinkie of death. Sounds more fearsome that way I suppose.

Using the modest launch pad instead of the easy way

There are three fingers of death with some variations. They grow in difficulty from left to right. It is possible to descend each without your tires leaving dirt, but it is not advisable. If you let your bike roll with little to no brake, the downhill is silky smooth. Your time in the air is hardly noticeable because the transition is so perfect, and for heaven's sake, don't even tap your front break or you will endo. Just go with it. After biking through a wash and going down a few fun dips you are back at the awesome acid drops. The acid drops look frightening and discourage less confident riders, but there is always a bailout.

Utahmountainbiking.com explains the easy to hard routes on the fingers of death

Another view

A view from the bottom. This guy is taking one of the yikes routes on the fingers

My good friend Jonathan who is one of the best downhillers I have ever seen, attacks the acid drops with reckless abandon. He and a group of skilled riders were descending the trail through the wash casually when they were asked to get out of the way by a couple roadies in full kits and freshly washed carbon mountain bikes who were riding the trail like they were on some pro team in a stage race and taking all the fun out of the ride. It is blasphemy to ride this trail with anything but fun and adrenalin as your purpose, yet I digress. The two riders stopped at the top of the acid drops wondering if they could muster enough courage to go down. Jonathan picked a line between them and at full speed launched into space. The great thing about the drops is that they have killer transitions. There is almost no way to not land softly even if it is on your body and not on your bike.

Although not one of the acid drops officially, this is a great ride

A view of the acid drops from the bottom.

Happy for smooth transitions and still smiling

A great view of a typical acid drop descent

The best way to take them is with some space between tires and dirt

Clavicle Hill is a serious matter. The only really safe way to take it is to launch it due to an annoying lip that can cause your rear tire to pitch up and forward if you take it too tentatively. You will have to commit. I took a friend down a slightly easier section of it and warned him not to touch his brakes until he had both tires safely on the ground on a less steep grade. Instead, he panicked, tapped his front brake, flew over his handle bars, landed on his knee and head at about the same time and ended up with a shattered helmet and trip to the emergency room.

With a full faced helmet and a DH bike, yes. Otherwise, maybe avoid the tail whip.

Joe opted for the bailout route which is still a little treacherous. Knocked him out cold for a few seconds.

The remaining half of the ride is the roller coaster section. It makes for some of the funnest real estate in the solar system. There are several route options that will increase or decrease the fun/difficulty. The routes are normally well marked. We have spent hours stopped at some of the better jumps to see just how far and high we can launch. 

Dangerous Dan the Rock Licka coming off one of the jumps

This is a classic, not-to-be-missed ride. Due to the various trail options, it can be ridden by all skill levels. Joe's crash was due less to the trail and more to a sharply increased confidence level that out grew his judgement. He has since taken the same route several times with no mishap. 

The area around the designated trail is fragile and not to be touched. Please respect the signage. Do not adventure off trail. The area is habitat for endangered species including the Dwarf Bearclaw Poppy, the trail's namesake. If the trail is abused, it will get shut down, so don't be a scrub. 

Finally, do not ride the trail when muddy! About every other year some bikers that can't seem to wait ride it in poor conditions. The grooves created by the tires and mud harden and take an entire summer to smooth out. As I write this, the trail on the roller coaster section is quite bumpy and far less fun than it will be in the fall when things thousands of riders have been on it. 

Here are some links to some reviews of the trail...

http://www.bikepirate.com/dh-trails/bear-claw-poppy/
http://www.trailtrainer.net/trails/bearclaw-poppy/
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/bearclaw.htm
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?41323-Bad-Crash-on-Bear-Claw-Poppy-Trail/page2

Mountain Bike Equipment Tips 1.1

Equipment tips 1.1

Buy ergo grips. You will love them.

Want to save money on gloves and don't care about image, go to your local Harbor Freight, spend $11 on utility work gloves and you are in business. These are some of the best bike gloves I have ever owned.

Egg beaters are the best. You will always come out of your pedals when you want to and never when you don't. They are one of the only pedal/cleat combinations that work great in muddy conditions.

CO2 cartridge pumps are light, small and convenient. You can carry one in your saddle bag. The only downside is that you will be paying about three dollars per inflated tire. It is worth it to avoid a lot of time pumping. You are out there to ride, not to have a zen moment with rubber, air and moving a piston with your arm 150 times.

Bandanas are great. Used as a helmet liner, they delay sweat flow to your face. They can be used to clean stanchion tubes after a ride, and can be used if you forget tp, and oh, are they stylish depending on the age of the rider.

Tech fiber clothing gets perma-stink after a while. Sweat stink molecules and bacteria are able to hide in the tight fiber of the tech fabric. Soap and hot water don't have a chance. People have suggested and I have tried about everything from borax to peroxide to freezing my clothing. Bleach works best for me. Every 10 rides or so, it helps to bleach your clothing. It makes clothing fade faster, but you are not trying to win a fashion show anyway...unless you are a roadie.

Don't spend money on stuff that does not have a clear advantage. A $75 pair of bike shoes will do everything a $300 pair of shoes will do. Comfort is one of the only considerations.

                                     $75                                                             $300

That goes for helmets too. The difference between a $25 Walmart helmet and a $250 is ventilation, sometimes comfort and style. The safety is about equal. If you don't mind sporting the Bell or Schwinn label, save your money. 

$25

$250

If you have any equipment tips, please leave a note below. I will include them in 1.2

This is Good!

One Bad Run (that turned out to be really good for other reasons)

The Timp Trail Marathon is a little over a month away, and I had a bad run on Saturday that turned out good for other reasons. I was supposed to do 18 trail miles and was so done at 15. I never got into a good run rhythm, was hating my music, was annoyed at all of the rocks on the shoreline trail in Provo Canyon and wondered why on earth I was doing anything but mountain biking. I am not sure why the physical part of the run was so bad. It could have been the silly amount of junk food I ate on the way back from St. George. I ate enough Fridays Jalapeno Cheese Poppers to feed an army. 

I ate Caramel corn, ice cream and who knows what else.  

It could have been the night's sleep that I didn't get. It could have been the hard run I had on Wednesday that was my fastest yet. I actually ran a few short sections at 6:30 mile pace. It could have been the ride at Gooseberry Mesa or the three rides on Bearclaw Poppy (more on that later). I am not sure what it was, but the run was awful until I got to the 10 mile point. I was trying to add on a few extra miles so I left the shoreline trail entrance from the paved Provo Canyon path and headed toward Bridal Veil Falls. 

As I crossed the small bridge at the falls that had been damaged from an avalanche, I saw a familiar face. It was my friend of 45 or so years, Kendall Bohman. That made it a good run. He and his wife had camped the night before at Nunn's park and were out for a 10 mile run. We stopped and got caught up on everything for about 20 minutes. 

Kendall Bohman

He was kind enough to step down off the path to make us closer in height

We have been following each other on Strava for about two months and had exchanged occasional kudos and comments, but this gave us a chance to reconnect. Kendall and Lisa are running and getting serious about it. I'm sure we will do events together in the future. 

That made a bad run good. After our interaction, I trotted home to soak my legs, eat and re-hydrate. I am sore in new places which does not make sense to me, but my wife assures me that bad runs are common enough not to worry about them too much. Catching up with Kendall and Lisa made it worth while. 

Gooseberry Mesa

Not much can beat Gooseberry Mesa. I prefer a few trails in Fruita Colorado and Gooseberry's less famous sister mesa, Little Creek, but other than that, it is better than anything Moab or anywhere else I have ever ridden has to offer. The incredibly rugged and beautiful, mostly slick rock terrain makes for epic riding. The ride is a 5 out of 5 on the technical scale and about a 3 out of 5 on the aerobic scale. It requires constant focus, all of your bike, all of your skill and a lot of experience and muscle. It can be ridden all year round but with difficulty December through February. I have ridden it every month of the year and have only been turned away once due to too much snow on the road.

The trail is marked with white and green spray paint marks to show the path. The marks can be trusted. In fact, deviations from the path, though allowable, can prove to be anywhere from difficult to dangerous. 

Treachery

My wife has forbidden me from taking newbies or unknowns to Gooseberry. The ban started when I took a new guy in my neighborhood who owned a Lightspeed, full suspension, titanium mountain bike. With a bike like that, he had to be a rider, or so I thought. Turns out he was a roadie who had money to burn and wanted to ride occasional trails, and he overspent. Within a half mile of starting the trail he had fallen six times. He was riding high in the saddle like roadies do and could not manage the complicated, unforgiving undulation. On his last fall, he broke his wrist. Welcome to the neighborhood, buddy.

The second incident was a broken toe. The third was a broken rib, and the worst one was a dislocated shoulder. I took an experienced friend, my 14 year old son and a very athletic couple, Bill and Sonny. Within the first half mile, Bill wisely evaluated the trail and concluded that it was too much for him. He opted to go back to the car. The rest of us went on and had a great ride until we got to an obstacle in the hidden canyon portion of the trail with an enormous penalty. Mountain bikers say that an obstacle has a high penalty if the cost of not nailing it would result in pain or breakage. My friend and I had done the obstacle before and had told my son and Sonny that they would need a lot of momentum in order to clean it. My son opted out and Sonny decided she was going to try it. She made it about 7/8 the way up a very steep bowl, fell backward and sideways, tried to catch her fall with her forearm and pop. She was writhing in pain holding her shoulder which was now a lot closer to her collar bone than it had been. My son and friend stayed with her, and I high-tailed it out of there to bring a vehicle in as close as I could. While I was gone, two off duty paramedics happened on the same trail section within a minute of my leaving. They laid her down in a rock, moved her arm and pop, it went back in. We were able to drive Bill's SUV to within 500 meters of her location. She walked out and Bill drove her to the hospital.

I carry a larger than average first aid kit in my pack and have patched up a lot of people on the trail. It is not for beginners and I wait to take my kids until they prove they are proficient in certain skills.

Other than that, I have left blood and skin all over the trail. I have unintentionally taken home cactus spines and gravel that I couldn't remove from my skin while on the trail. If it is that treacherous, why do I go back?

Trail Perfection

I have ridden a few times with Quentin and make it a point to visit his shop on the way to the trail

This is a particularly juicy section. You can see the white dot in front of the rider's tire then further up the rock. For me, it takes the right gear, balance, torque and line to clean it from bottom to top. For better riders, it is no big deal. 

Unless you ride a lot, I don't see how you can understand the draw Gooseberry is for so many riders. The fact is, even with cactus spines, scrapes, cuts and bruises, there is serious elation. I will try to be a little zen here. Unless you are Quentin Morrisette, owner of Over The Edge bike shop who treats it like his own little fun house, Gooseberry requires every bit of your bike, brain and body. If you lose concentration for a second, you could end up at least sprawled out over the landscape and maybe impaled or broken. 

    Quentin's first rule of biking with him, "Don't follow Quentin." Good advice.

Because the trail requires all three, bike, brain and body, to the nines, there is a high level of satisfaction when they all work perfectly to get you over a difficult section. Multiply that by a few hundred sections and you get serious elation, not to mention the brain chemistry I mentioned in another post. If you want to get the best tour of Gooseberry possible, go with Quentin on one of his rides there. Just don't follow his line. 

Cool Plant Life

All year round you can break off a piece of Brigham Tea (Ephedra nevadensis) and chew on it during your ride. It has been used for 5000 years to reduce cold symptoms and seasonal allergies. It is reported to be good for asthma, arthritis, it is a bronchial dilator and on and on.  The ephedra in it seems to have a stimulant effect that might boost you at the end of a ride. 

Few things can beat the kiwi-like flavor of prickly pear cactus fruit. You can find it all over the mesa from late September to through October. During that time, I take a pocket knife to cut spines off and peel the outside away. 

Cool Wildlife

As I have ridden the mesa, I have seen (and in the case of the first, almost run over) desert tortoises, rattlesnakes and one of the biggest mule deer I have ever seen. There are spiders, hawks, occasional eagles and lots of rodents. 

The views of Zion National Park are amazing. 

Go there, but be warned. It could end up being a day that ends in the emergency room. And under no circumstances should you ever take your significant other or good friend or in-law until you are confident they can ride it. 

Utahmountainbiking.com has a great description of the ride, where trails intersect and how to get there. 

Looking for a Six Week Fitness Challenge?

My friend Erica is doing a Six Week Fitness Challenge. She knows her stuff. If you want to join in, Follow the link to her Facebook Group and request joining.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/742188125813272/

The group is TEAM FitBodxE.

Today's Breakfast

My typical breakfast includes an egg white omelette and oatmeal with raisins. Here is the omelette:

1/8th Cup Shredded cheddar jack
2 Slices Canadian bacon
4 Egg whites
1/8th Bell Pepper
Spinach
Salt
Pepper

Add Tabasco on top. 

Nutritional Information:

Mountain Biking 101.3

Here I cover more ways to injure yourself, first aid, chains, electrolytes and more.

21.  Rest position: Your rest position needs to be 3:00 - 9:00 on your pedals. If you rest at 6:00 and 12:00, you will eventually get obliterated. A single rock that looks like nothing can hit your pedal and instantly freeze your bike sending you careening toward the landscape where you will trade with the earth your blood and skin for dirt rock and plant life. Not fun!

Not so good

Much better

22.  Where to look: Until you have a lot of experience (and even then, be careful), do not look at anything but your line of travel when you are going fast. If you look at the aspen or the cactus off to the side of the trail, your bike will go there. Always look between 5 - 15 feet ahead of your current position. Your brain is so smart, it will download the rock you see five feet ahead so that when you are going over it, your subconscious can easily clear the obstacle leaving you free to anticipate the next thing. This all happens in milliseconds when you are riding at high speeds. It is quite remarkable.

23.  Your first aid kit should include at least the following:

• Waterproof Band-aids
• Benadryl
• Ibuprofen
• Acetaminophen
• Butterfly Bandages
• Tums
• Tweezers
• Antibiotic ointment
• Tape
• Gauze
• Vinyl gloves
• Super glue

Optional items for shorter rides that are essential  for epic rides far from civilization:

• Ace bandage
• Duct tape
• Space blanket
• Matches
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Iodine tablets (for water purification)
• Towelettes

24.  A chain mishap can ruin a trip: Replace a chain that has too much stretch. Your bike mechanic has a tool to check it. A stretched chain can ruin a good cassette (rear chain rings). Clean your chain frequently. I do a light cleaning after every ride and a deep cleaning about every five rides. Lightly lube your chain with good bike lube that costs between $6 and $12 per bottle. Lube the night before you ride to let the lube soak into the vital parts. Do not go too heavy on the application.

25.  Spike your water or take salt pills on big rides: Gatorade is fine, but it is not enough for hard core mountain biking, especially in hot weather. I like the Margarita flavored Shot Blocks. They have 3x the sodium of normal Shot Blocks. Two thumbs up. I spike my water with Elete Water. It makes the water taste salty, but the payoff is no cramps. Good trade!

26.  Tubeless tires are awesome: You can run at lower pressures with tubeless than you can with tubed tires, and they self seal when they get poked. You will still need to carry a tube with you for big tire failure. The sealant is expensive unless you make the home version. Here is the recipe:

• 1 C Liquid latex (buy it at craft stores)
• 1 C Antifreeze
• 2 TBS Ammonia
• Glitter or sawdust or shaved rubber or about anything that is small and won't dissolve. Rumor has it that Stans uses corn meal. IDK.

27.  Trust your bike (if you spent enough for it): Your bike can do amazing things. It can roll over really difficult stuff if you let it. I was once lecturing to a college class about intellectual property. I brought my bike in and was explaining all of the IP that went into an Ellsworth mountain bike. I was explaining Instant Center Tracking, linkages and other things when a smartie pants student asked, "yea, well so what? What can that bike do that a Walmart bike can't?" I said, "This bike can climb a flight of stairs." Another student said, "Show us." I went out to my car, put on my bike shoes, found a flight of stairs and with the entire class watching, I rode up. If you buy good stuff, you can do things on a bike that look impossible.

28.  Hydraulic Disc Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes are so sweet! They require less pressure to pull, have better modulation (more even braking) and will still work when a rim is out of true. 

29.  Bike Shops: Buy stuff from your friendly local bike shop. Get to know the owner and the mechanics. I have a 25% rule. I will pay a 25% premium to buy from my bike shop versus on line. I want to keep these guys in business and I know I will need favors from time to time (like getting bumped to the front of the repair line). 

30.  Transitions: Mountain bikers call the area they land on after being airborne and the area they take off from, the transition. The landing transition makes all the difference in jump comfort. The best transitions are ones that you can hardly feel because they match the exact angle of your falling bike. A flat transition no es bueno. You want an away slope. When deciding whether or not to take a jump, the transition should be one of the most important, if not the most important consideration. Watch the video below and notice the landing transitions to his jumps.

Long Run Playlist

I have specific playlists for long and short runs. Long runs cannot remain too upbeat without getting obnoxious after about an hour. I would love to hear about your playlist. Please put your top five or ten run or bike songs in the comments.

Long Run Playlist

1. Justin Bieber -- Baby
2. Boy George -- Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
3. George Michael -- Father Figure
4. Britney Spears -- Oops I Did it Again
5. ......

April Fools! Ha, Got ya. 

Here is the real one:

1. Aerosmith -- Sweet Emotion
2. America -- Ventura Highway
3. Blondie -- Rapture
4. Phillip Phillips -- Home
5. Cake -- You're Never There
6. Cake -- Going the Distance
7. Phillip Phillips -- Gone Gone Gone
8. Stevie Wonder -- I Wish
9. Rush -- Red Barchetta
10. Rush -- Camera Eye
11. Rush -- Spirit of the Radio
12. Rush -- Subdivisions
13. Avicii -- Wake Me Up
14. Rolling Stones -- Shattered
15. Rush -- Free Will
16. Rush -- New World Man
17. Gary Newman -- Here in My Car
18. Neil Young -- The Needle and the Damage Done
19. Outkast -- Hey Ya
20. Michael Jackson -- Wanna Be Startin' Something
21. Killers -- All These Things That I've Done
22. Modest Mouse -- Dashboard
23. Ricky Martin -- Maria
24. Killers -- Somebody Told Me
25. The Isley Brothers -- Who's that Lady
26. Chicago -- Beginnings
27. Cold Play -- Fix You
28. Doobie Brothers -- Take Me In Your Arms
29. Bob Dylan -- Tangled Up in Blue
30. Howard Jones -- Things Can Only Get Better
31. Imagine Dragons -- Destination
32. Imagine Dragons -- Radioactive
33. Imagine Dragons -- On Top of  The World
34. Imagine Dragons -- It's Time
35. Cat Stevens -- The Wind
36. Boston -- More Than a Feeling
37. Rufus -- Tell Me Something Good
38. Killers -- Spaceman
39. Genesis -- Turn it On Again
40. Cars -- Moving in Stereo
41. David Bowie -- Heroes
42. Chicago -- 25 or 6 to 4

Okay, So give me your top five or ten. I want to try them out on a run. Just leave a comment.