Buffalo Creek / Wool Weenies!

[jessmarimba]

First of all - Estes Park Wool Market! This looks so cool! Just a public service announcement for any other local wool weenies.

But secondly - I think it would be fun to have a casual, slower-paced mountain bike meet up at Buffalo Creek & then maybe grab some food. Anyone interested? I don't do technical and I get kind of skittish with fast downhills, but I love it out there and I think it would be more fun to ride with people! I'd be happy to ride the forest service roads or singletrack depending on interest/skill level. Let me know if anyone is interested & I'll start putting something together!

[Artista]

I'd be interested in a group ride. Have you ridden Buffalo Creek in the last year? I just read some reviews on that single track and lots of people commented on how much sand there was.

[jessmarimba]

It's my favorite place to ride, though I don't get a whole lot of variety in on the trail choices. I was out last weekend for the first time since last fall.

Colorado Trail from the pay parking lot is less sandy and more shaded, but where there are trees there are roots. Still nothing I would consider technical. I usually do Sandy Wash to Homestead out of the free lot in Buff Creek and it is definitely...sandy. BUT, I don't find it too over-the-top if I lower my tire pressure a little. There aren't a lot of sharp turns to send you over the trail and very few steep downhills (especially without an immediate rise on the opposite side) so I don't find it as scary as lots of sand could be. I was able to stop every time I wanted to. Climbing gets a little energy-sucking but maybe I'm just out of shape

[Artista]

It's the energy-sucking part about sand that gets me. It always feels like I'm riding through a vat of pudding.

I haven't minded roots on the trails that I normally ride. I'd be surprised if the roots at Buffalo Creek are much different, but I've been surprised before.

"Steep", straight, downhills don't bother me too much but I guess "steep" is relative. Really steep uphills make me more nervous than downhills.

I've been known to cheerfully walk trail sections that make me nervous. I just don't like holding up other people that I'm riding with if/when I walk.

[jessmarimba]

Oh, I'll gladly walk just about anything now Mostly downhill, but sometimes I get stuck on these short uphills. We'll have to figure out a time to get out there. Hopefully we can get a few more to join in!

[Artista]

I have a friend who would love to join us. She's a fitness trainer and triathlete so she's a super strong rider but has a lot to learn about mtn biking. She just picked up her mtn bike last Saturday. I think she's hit the trails every day since!

I should clarify about the sand. It's the super fine stuff that's several inches deep that goes on for miles that I really don't like. I've given up riding Greenland because the horses have turned most of the trails into fine, deep, sand. There are some areas at Ridgeline that people call sandy but those areas have only a shallow layer of coarse sand or fine gravel. I don't mind riding through that.