Day 3 of riding here in Del Norte, Colorado was a blast. Penitente Canyon Trails are just north of the town. This is an amazing Bureau of Land Management Recreation Area. The canyon got its name from Los Hermanos Penitentes, a Spanish religious sect that favored Penitente Canyon for its solitude in the 1880s. I did some reading, and this group was…interesting.
The group was referred to as cultists by many for the strange way they worship, with the deviant practices of self-flagellation and the painful reenactments of the crucifixion, as well as other things they were made to do for penitence from the church, such as crawling around on all fours over sharp rocks and pebbles. The group finally left the area, though nobody is sure when or why that happened.
We mountain biked 17.3 miles and climbed 1,886′ on a multitude of trails. Most of the riding is technical black diamond stuff with rock ledges, quick turns, slickrock, and drops. The riding is demanding both up and downhill and is comparable to stuff in Moab, and Gooseberry. My favorite trails were Sunshine Kitty and Rock Drops.
Our camping spot is so incredibly quiet. Birdsong is the only sound interrupting the silence. That, and coyote yipping fests…they sure can be loud.
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