Our new boondocking spot for the next couple weeks is by Silver City, NM and again, really quiet. It took us awhile to get level and we got creative with our supply of leveling wood, blocks, etc. We definitely deserved the extra beer we drank. For our first ride, we did The Burro Enduro with a couple detours when we got off track. Our ride was 21 miles with 2964′ of climbing topping out at 8040′.
The description on our mountain bike app said, “Do not go into this route looking for purpose-built mountain biking trail that exhibits substantial amounts of flowing features”. So, we knew what to expect, kind of. We started out with a singletrack climb on the Continental Divide Trail up to Jack and Burro Peak that was relentlessly tough. I doubt any maintenance happens to this trail as jumbled loose rock blankets the trail everywhere. A lot of it was rideable but we spent a good amount of time hiking as well. Tough, tough climb. The views the whole way were beautiful though! Mountain Mahogany, scrub oak, cacti and banana yucca are scattered across the mountainside.
After 5.7 miles and 1829′ of climbing, at the top we started to enter heavier pine forest with a more loamy soil and it got a bit easier here. One section even seemed like it had been recently bench cut which was a surprise way up here. We rode on and soon the descent started. This part was really fun and pretty. At the junction with Deadmans Canyon we headed down to the left. This canyon is amazing, though dry this time of year. The trail is peppered with rock gardens and hugs the side of the canyon. Very fun.
At the bottom we had a pretty significant gravel and rocky road climb back around to the start. This part I didn’t care for, I sure wish there was trail that got you back. Deep sandy sections made pedaling almost impossible. Just when I ran out of water in my hydration pack, we came into familiar looking territory and pedaled back to the start. Really hard ride.
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