Craters & Cinder Cones attempt

Headed out on Friday for a 4 day attempt on this route. We knew going into it that there was a strong possibility of rain which would render some of the route impassable (mud that cakes up and stops wheels from spinning). We made it to Williams, AZ on day 1 with dark clouds but no actual rainfall. Woke up on day 2 to wet ground and a light drizzle. By 8am the sky turned to partly cloudy. As we continued on our route the clouds got darker and around 1pm the we started to hear the ominous crack of thunder in the distance. Around 2pm we come to a section of trail that was wet with recent rain and unfortunately only 20ft later our wheels struggled to roll and we were stuck scraping mud from between the tires and frame. Only 100 yards from a paved highway, we decided to set up camp and weather the storm in hopes that it would be all bark and no bite (thunder and lightning but little actual rainfall) That was not the case, it rained on us for hours. Then at 9pm the clouds parted and just as fast as then rain came the clouds cleared and we were left with a moon so bright it was like daylight in my tent. Between the bright moon, yipping coyotes, and vocal elk, sleep was not on the agenda.
When the sun rose it was clear that the trail was in no condition to be ridden, so we made the tough decision to call it and head back to Flagstaff, AZ via pavement.

Any time spent on the bike is a win in my book and this is part of the adventure.

by nefariousvw