Today was a lot of climbing. We connected two loops over on the SW side of Driggs and wow was it fun. 15.3 miles with 3063′ of climbing. Ooof.
Grove Creek starts off with some pretty steep grades that are a true grind before you hit some switchbacks that climb the rest of the way up. It’s nice and shady and for the most part the trail is smooth. It was hard to stop for long at the top because biting flies were out in full force and they LOOOOOOOVE me even with the strong douse of bug spray I apply. So, we continued on Coral Creek Trail for a short descent and then more climbing!
At the junction with Red Creek we turned left and enjoyed the long descent. The trail is very narrow and tight as it slips through the forest and swoops across the creek a bunch of times. I definitely had my bear bell jangling because it’s remote out here without many trail users. In fact, after an initial group we passed, we didn’t see anyone. Eventually we came out to a junction and hung left for a bit of a dirt road climb to connect our first loop.
This is where things got a bit rough. The trail is super steep in a couple spots and I had to hop off and hike because in addition, it was chewed up and loose. I started smelling something bad and thought it was just cows grazing. Then I noticed a sheepdog growling and barking at me ahead. Then I saw the enormous herd of sheep. There must have been a few hundred and they were all bleating…loudly. The entire herd was directly on the trail and we got off to walk around. They continued bleating and trying to get away but they were so packed in tightly in groups that chaos ensued.
Back on the bike we continued our climb back up to do our second loop. The Drake Creek Loop is definitely tough. It starts with an impossibly steep climb that desperately need some switchbacks. So steep! The views at the top are once again, amazing. You can see all across the valley to Victor and the mountains behind. Here is where all the descending starts. The first part is very steep and loose and then a hard left at the bottom takes you into the Drake Creek drainage. This is a very rowdy descent with roots everywhere and under a canopy of trees. It’s fast and furious at 1.4 miles and 1181′ of elevation loss! At the bottom we finished off with spin along a gravel road to our truck.
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