Fox Creek Loop Trail

Day 3

7.5 miles total for me, 650 ft elevation

Fox Creek was our rest day ride. It was only 6 miles and 650ft of elevation gain. A nice easy ride to give the body a break. This was a very scenic trail. We started out up a narrow meadow to the intersection with a longer loop. "The guys" did the longer loop exclaiming that it was going to be an easy pace. Ya, right! I then told them that the last one in had to buy beer. That upped the ante a bit. When is a "guys" ride ever non-competitive?

The "slow" group made up of Erik, his dad, Cristin, Peggy, Chelsea, and myself had a leisurely climb up out of the meadow into the deep forest. It was quite a climb. All 650ft of elevation at once. Well, that would get that out of the way. There was lots of time to stop and take photos of the group and the scenery. Somewhere along the way I lost the group and meandered my way across large meadows with Aspen groves and ribbon of trail. There was a pond on one of the plateaus and views of the distant hills. The downhill was smooth and gradual and a nice cool breeze was blowing. I stopped to hike out on to a rocky outcrop that overlooked the first valley and a large rock wall across a ravine. I love all the exposed rock in this area. Then I dropped down to the creek valley. I rode through light green meadows and forest, past a old camp tent that looked like it was right out of the old west complete with horse and two mellow dogs. Then the trail paralleled the creek. there was one steep climb up a hillside and then descent and then a gradual downhill back to the trailhead. Still no group so I rode back up to the trail intersection we came to at the start, then down the creek the other direction, then finally back up the way I had ridden at the end. I ran in to my group coming down the steep downhill at the end.

We rode back and spent sometime at the creek swatting mosquitoes and waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Nice easy day and beautiful scenery. A good in between day.

Cristin	Fox Creek Trail	P1010062
Chelsea	Paul	Peggy climbing in forest
The Gals	Erik and his father	Peggy
Cristin	Erik	View down valley on trail
Meadows and mountains	P1010084	Meadow with Aspens
Aspen grove	Pond along trail	P1010092
Rock face	Skids are for kids!	View from Rocky outcrop
Close-up of rock face	Looking down from rock overlook	Trail heading back down
Reminiscent of the past	Trail along creek	tower of rock
P6260084	Rest stop	Lisa at trailhead