NM - South Boundary Trail

[Aggie_Ama]

I am so disheartened by our attempted try at the SBT I almost don't want to report. We got up early and spend a pretty high amount ($100 + $6 for maps) to get up to the trail. The bike shop swore the whole trail was intuitive and we would see signs. I was also equipped with someone who had great success last month's GPX tracks so I figured a great ride awaits.

From the get go we realize we were mislead. First of all the "great map" has a narrative on the back that takes a whole legal sheet of paper for the first half of the trail, has vulgar language and doesn't seem to be in chronological order. We will discover later it only has the roads you may cross so when the trail dumps you on a road and it isn't labeled anywhere on the map you are out of luck. Plus call me spoiled but short succinct directions are way more effective when you have to stop on a ride to review them. If we hadn't paid for their service wouldn't have expected appropriate verbal directions but since you spent the hour car ride giving them we listened.

No worries, he told us it was mostly right turns to stay on single track except the first part is mostly the OTHER RIGHT (left turn). He said there are signs, funny in the first part of the trail there are only a few signs that show who can use the trail. Either there were never numbers or people peeled them off. We saw some signs, going the other way, that were faded to nearly non-readable.

So by the time we are looking aimlessly for the park that is supposed to take us to the best part of the trail we have already gone six extra miles and are about to be stuck in a thunderstorm. We are also about 1 liter from being out of water in our 3 liter packs because the park is where to get more water. DH is about to cry he is so angry and frustrated. We finally pack it in and take the road back to the shop.

To throw salt in the wound the people at the shop think they would be best to make us feel stupider. "Well he has a great narrative and map, you got lost?" Then "We have people do this all the time they say the map and signs are great." And just in case I didn't get the hint that I am stupid "It is so odd you had problems no one ever says they do." Guess she needed to defend the shop she owns and the husband who wrote the map. I admit I got lost, I know people who didn't.

Don't ask how it went if you don't want to know. We didn't whine (I know I am now) my husband just said "Not so great, we got lost. Had some trouble with the map and didn't know where we got off course." Then I added "Since we didn't know how far off we were and the storm was coming we took the road back to be safe."

She kept prying about how we got lost, we didn't want to talk about it further just change out of our bike clothes and leave. We spent a lot of money, this was the big part of our trip we planned around and were disappointed we got lost which we blamed on ourselves for not being able to understand the map. Also the Garmin 500 will tell you if you get off course but get too far off and you are on your own.

Needless to say I am so unhappy with the after treatment when we were obviously tired and upset that I plan to donate my t-shirt from this shop I bought last trip up here to Goodwill. No way will I be advertising their shop anymore. I haven't written off this trail as one to do but I will get better maps and a different shuttle before I try on a future visit.

[katherine]

That sucks. What a disappointment, trail wise, shop wise, everything. How was the rest of the vacation? Better I hope!
BTW: We went and did Rainbow Rim on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, totally beautiful and impossible to get lost on, very much worth the trip. We also travel to Tucson and Sedona with some regularity, Sedona is amazing, but also hard to navigate, though the shops are much better than the one you describe. Next up we're headed east to the Kingdom Trails.