Skull Trail

90+ Degrees and Counting

Start of Skull Trail

 

NOBODY can resist attempting to ride a trail called "Skull" trail.  Once we found this one on MTBR we had to try it.  Racing to our starting point, we forgot to fill our Camelbacks.  Jumping out of the car, we realized that it was 91 degrees outside (apparently riding in an air conditioned car can be bad for us).  Luckily, we had bottled water in the back and we filled our Camelbacks up.

Skull Trail Marker

 

The trails we planned to ride were mostly intermediate according to MTBR.  After biking in Truckee, I was ready.  We busted out onto "Skull" trail which was well marked with bones along the trail and skulls pointing you in the direction of the turns needed at each intersection.  Knowing this was an out and back trail, we branched off taking an unnamed trail.

Yep, this is me!

 

The trails were in low level brush so I could see my hubby switching back and forth up this gradual hill.  This trail system was fun with the same bouldery paths we had seen in Truckee, CA.  I could only think how awesome this would be riding at night and being able to see the lights from other riders on these trails.

We branched off to part of "Jummi" trail to catch "Sweet n' low" trail.  All was going real well.  I was sucking down the water as we gradually climbed our way over that first ridge. 

This rock required me to walk my bike over it.

 

An accidental jaunt on part of my first black diamond trail called "Swami" and I was getting a little tired.  There were bigger rocks to maneuver around and over with short drops here and there.  So far I was able to stay on my bike. 

Too Rocky for ME

 

Then we got a little turned around (no map - BRILLIANT) and mistakenly hit a trail called "Brennan" trail.  This was a totally freaky trail (later discovered to be a double black diamond trail) with massive stair step drops; lots of rock and climbing was involved.  It was one of these narrow stairway drops that my hubby missed a beat and crashed his Garmin into the rocks and smashed the screen.

Somewhere after I videotaped my hubby in a particularly interesting section that I WALKED down, I stopped being able to control my bike.  I was crashing into rocks that weren't even on the trail.  I don't remember much after this. . .Darius (the hubby) poured water over my head and fed me an orange. . .we rode down a road and took "Sweet n' Low" trail and then rode along a fenceline short cut to that unnamed trail getting back to the car. . .it was all I had to focus on the trail and not fall off my bike. . .even the easiest parts were a struggle.

 

At the car, Darius dumped more water over my head and I had a bit of a melt down when I couldn't find my sunglasses that were sitting right next to me.  I was so out of it.  Turns out that 90+ degree weather we started with never cooled down and it was still 91 degrees when we returned to our car.  I'm guessing the heat took me out on this ride. . .BIG TIME. 

Darius navigating big rocks

Lessons learned:  Riding intermediate trails requires ALL of a beginner rider's attention so getting tired is VERY BAD!  Reguardless, this was an amazing trail system with lots of interesting twists and turns.  I would do this again (minus the heat) for sure.  Only next time I would have a map.