My friend Brie and I try to make it a priority to meet up once a year and ride. However, 2020 was a “non-year” in a lot of ways and we didn’t get our trip in – check out my post from our 2019 trip here.
One thing we couldn’t help but notice is that our trips never go as planned. On the plus side, we always have fun!
This year we had ONE WEEKEND picked out and it was the only two days the forecast was showing icky weather. We figured it couldn’t be TOO bad (after all, we’re pretty tough) but we decided it was, in reality, pretty bad when it started SNOWING on us! Ha!
Overall, we rode 20 miles in about 7 hours with 2,200 feet elevation gain and some beautiful views before the snow came along.
Spur settled into camp Friday night (above) and Hopi wondering if she can trust me (below).
Saturday morning, preparing to ride!
We hit the trail on a mild morning, sun even shining through the trees in some spots!
My favorite view – the world from between Spur’s ears.
Winni got this look on her face anytime Spur got close to her or even dared LOOK in her direction… it was hilarious.
Mountain peak in the distance, snow-free.
Climbing up, up, up. Switchbacks are funny with Spur, he is always surprised to see our riding companions and has to keep an eye on them to make sure they’re not up to any funny business.
These beautiful photos of me and Spur are such a treat to have and are courtesy of Brie!
This lake was our lunch spot, we settled in to eat and about 15 minutes later it was pouring rain as we were packing our saddle bags back up.
We continued to ride for a little longer, dropping onto another lake where we watched the rain turn to snow, still optimistic about finding a place to camp because the snow wasn’t sticking. A few minutes later, our optimism was fading as the snow started falling heavily and sticking easily.
The same peak from earlier… now covered in snow and still getting snowed on.
With puddles in our boots, and no hope for a campfire, nor hope for safely making it over the pass we had planned to cross the next day, we decided heading back to the trailhead for the night would be the most comfortable option.
But first, a group photo to document the adventure.
