{"id":8123,"date":"2018-11-30T13:42:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T18:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richard.rathe.org\/?p=8123"},"modified":"2019-10-22T08:57:07","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T13:57:07","slug":"white-rim-trail-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redmangrove.org\/rathe.org\/richard\/2018\/white-rim-trail-2018","title":{"rendered":"White Rim Trail 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently returned from a backcountry bike trip on the White Rim Trail<\/strong> in Canyonlands National Park <\/strong><\/span>near Moab Utah<\/strong>. [Gallery<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n

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The Back Road to Moab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were a mixed group of twelve riders<\/strong> with three high ground clearance support vehicles<\/strong> coming after us. We started near the visitor center and camped four nights<\/strong> along the trail.<\/p>\n

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source:nps.gov :: Click to Enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First we headed down the steep Shafer Trail<\/strong> to get onto the White Rim proper.<\/p>\n

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Shafer Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Chuck, Jeff, Rick, Miki, Glenn, & Carol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The “White Rim” is actually a geologic layer that is resistant to weathering<\/strong> as you can see in the aerial photo below.<\/p>\n

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source:google<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first night’s campsite didn’t look like much. There was no soil, only gravel or hard rock.<\/p>\n

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Airport Tower Campsite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fortunately I brought a lightweight folding cot<\/strong> and stayed comfortably six inches off the ground!<\/p>\n

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The next day we saw a group of Desert Bighorn Sheep<\/strong> in the distance. Later this solitary ram walked nearby.<\/p>\n

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Desert Bighorn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I rented a decent bike for the trip with front and rear suspension and disk brakes. I only took one fall (going too fast through a sandy patch). Going uphill was a bitch! I walked a lot…<\/p>\n

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Me with Trip Organizer Bill Sedgeley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The “John Elway” Rock (#7)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n