[pct-l] White Rim Trail

[CMountainDave@aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

Just got back from mountain biking the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands
National Park. It was my very first mountain biking trip and it was a good
one: 101 miles on a continuous dirt road through scenery very reminiscent to
that along the Tonto platform in the Grand Canyon. Canyonlands is basically
the Green Rivers Grand Canyon in sediments eroded away long ago above the G.
C.  I lucked out because I got invited, as a near stranger, by someone who
got the permit two summers ago.  There were 6 of us including a 74 year old
who drove the 4 wheel drive that we rented. I wondered a few times what the
tow fee might be and if I would have to cough up one-sixth the cost of a new
Jeep Cherokee if it went rolling off a cliff when the brakes failed. Not to
mention the trauma!!! Good thing it had a super low gear, but that caused us
to get pretty lousy mileage -- the low gas warning light was on after only
120 miles on a full tank of gas. There is normally no water sources, so
hiking the road is not really feasible without some sort of support. Camping
was closely regulated, about 10 miles between camps, and no off road travel
by wheel was allowed. Hiking was allowed, but you were informed where to step
- in mini- washes on a flat landscape and on rock in order to avoid leaving a
footprint that would last a century in  crypto-biotic soil. It was easy to
follow the advice.
 I rented a bike from one of several bike rental places in Moab, Utah -$128
for 1 week- and they had no shortage of customers.  A soaking from thunder
storms at night got us a bit worried - the road is supossedly impassable
after a rain and indeed the road was closed due to washouts at our first camp
while at our 4th camp. I learned that desert soil is a lot like very sandy
potting soil-watering it when dry causes the water to just run off, but once
wet it soaks up water like a sponge.  Many species of plants looked very
stressed during this drought with minimal growth and over 50% fatality
noticed for some.  They greatly perked up after the rain-about 2 inches over
2 nights.-- and many thousands of rock water bowls -- known as Tinajas --
formed to feed the crypto soil, basically a tiny soil moss/lichen that grows
in mats less than an inch high. I'm glad I got to witness a desert soaking.
  Gotta make this PCT related, so how's this: No one got wet in their TENTS.
50 mph winds during the down pours would have soaked anyone sleeping in an
open ended tarp. But hey, what are the odds of that happening again. Might as
well switch to a tarp, right?
 All in all, the ultimate dirt road envisioned by a 10 year riding his
Schwinn down some country road. I may just take up the sport. Great exercise,
too.