Monday, July 14, 2008

Lookout Mountain & Buffalo Bills Grave 7-14-08

Buffalo Bills Grave and Chimney Gulch =)

At first we were planning to head out to Red Rocks, and miss the exit on I-70. So we just kept going and saw an exit that said: Lookout Mountain / Buffalo Bills Grave.
So we took the exit and rode up. Lots of road cyclists all-over the place. We took a look at Buffalo Bills grave. We then heading down the steep road and came to a hike / bike path. I stopped and asked an local MTB’er that was in the area and asked where this tails leads out to. He said it was "Chimney Gulch" and he said once you make it up to the top that I would be at Lookout Mountain (which you can also make it hiking or by vehicle). I asked how hard the trail was and he rated it about 8 (pretty advanced).
With a grin on my face, I unloaded the bikes, put on our gear and headed out. First, let me just say that not even 300 yards into it, Robert and I was totally tired and had to frequently stop for breath of AIR!! About every 100 yards or so, we had to stop.

I looked on my GPS and it said we were at 7700' elevation! Compared to Austin 500' elevation, we were getting weaker by the second (not minute). As I kept inclining up the trail my head started to get very, very lightheaded.
It was very rewarding once we got to the top.
Below are pictures. Hope you enjoy!!


More info on Chimney Gulch (pictures on other post)

INFO: Chimney Gulch has seen a fair amount of trail work, and sections of the trail have been relocated. The trail is now a little friendlier for mountain bikers. The climb is still hard and technical and will require strong legs and lungs. Tread: 7.0 miles on single track.
















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