Hullo fellow bikers!

I’ll see out there! No accent but I’m definitely funny looking according to my closest friends and family.

 

N+1. It is a Rule.

 

Nice avatar! I had that same schwinn orange crate , received it for Christmas when I was 12. Man was it heavy, but cool!

 

See, you figured that out pretty fast!

 

I’m down with this rule. At the peak of my surf obsession, I had over 20 boards stacked in my garage. Hmmm, I wonder if I can pack 20 bikes in the garage...

 

Oh, and you might want to put in an avatar before @Mikie picks one for you.....just a thought... .....

We can do Whiting luge over the Christmas week if you're game. maybe get @Lost Kiwi to join in with one of his unusual bikes.

 

Welcome!

Guess I'll toss a couple of items in the bin regarding your planned climb to Santiago Peak:
(1) As several have pointed out, the easiest path to the peak is if you park at the Maple Springs trailhead (in upper Silverago Canyon) and head up Maple Springs. It is both shorter and less steep than Harding Truck Trail (because you gain 800 feet in elevation driving up the canyon ). The other advantage is that the first 40% of the Maple Springs climb (about 3 miles) will be on pavement. An important thing to note is that Maple Springs is usually open to 4WD and motocross traffic - with the exception of periods when the trail is wet due to rain (when it is closed to motorized vehicles but still open to pedestrians and non-motorized bicycles). It is often more enjoyable to wait until after a good rain to ride Maple Springs - the trail is in better condition and you don't have to duel with vehicle traffic.
(2) If you park at the tree farm (at the base of Silverado Canyon) you can add some easy pavement miles and a little more elevation to your ride. This also gives you the option (if you desire) to ride up Maple Springs, and ride DOWN Harding, which is (in my opinion) a more enjoyable downhill, being steeper as well as not having motorized traffic so it maintains a bit of a singletrack feel with (in most cases) a single travel line. Maple Springs and Harding have very different personalities, so it is fun to mix them together in one ride.
(3) I would not recommend Joplin on your first ride to the peak unless you are really confident with your biking skills. Joplin is like the Luge x10 with no trail maintenance. Many consider it a downhill HAB. In fact, some of our best bikers consider it a major accomplishment if they can clean the trail from top to bottom - regardless of speed. I have been unable to do so It is the only trail in SoCal I pack pads for. You have been warned Additionally, if you descend Joplin, you will come out on Santiago Truck Trail and be miles away from wherever you parked your car. If you are committed to this course, I would recommend parking at Cook's Corner at the beginning of your ride, riding up and over Modjeska Grade to the Harding trailhead, and climbing Harding. This way you will descend Joplin, Santiago Truck Trail, and the Luge, and be at your car when you pop out at the bottom of the Luge (with no major climbs at the back half of your ride). You will not want to climb ANYTHING at the end of this ride

All of these rides are big climbs:
Maple Springs (upper lot)> Peak is about 3950
Harding > Peak is about 4750
Cook's Corner / Harding / Peak / Joplin is about 5700

 

I’m definitely down for that. I have family visiting but I’m going to squeeze in as much riding as possible, so let’s try and do that ride together.

 

Thanks for the good info. Not sure I’m in good enough shape at this point. But I might give it a shot over Christmas break.

 

Loads of good info and opportunity here, good job, guys.

OCP, Santiago Peak is a no-lose outing. You can turn around any time you feel like it and still have fun getting to the car.

 

@Ocpop everyone else has pointed out all the important stuff. So, all I got is WELCOME NOOB!

 

Wilkommen!
IMO you are ready for Maple Springs - just plan for a day in the mountains and have food & layers. At worst, you just turn around. If you can get to just a couple of 100’ past the end of the asphalt, you’ll get rewarded with a nice view.

 

@Ocpop i dare you to take on the Harding to Joplin loop from Cook’s Corner to demonstrate what’s up! Joplin isn’t crazy. It’s no more than a single black diamond. It’s just isolated so if you fall unconscious, you might freeze or get eaten...that’s all. I hope there is at least one of the 3x-per-week riders here who would accompany you for navigational purposes. It would be a shame if no one is available, in which case, I’ll start petitioning Mamas for a day to take you and lose a little bit of respect for the keyboard warrior XC mild mannered OC contingent.

 

Crap! I hit send! I meant that draft as personal therapy and didn’t mean to bag people in public (just in my head is all). After all, many many many of my rides are mild sauce. Mmmm! Tacos!

 

Ok I’ll ask Mamas. Standby.

 

Not sure I understand what’s going on here, but I like it!

 

Thanks!

 

Sweeeeet! Mamas said “after Christmas” I can take the kids to Grandma’s house and ride Joplin! I’m a slow climber, and we’d stay more or less together on Joplin. I’ll be in touch if you’re interested in blowing past any limitations we might have.

 

Awesome, you’re on! Slow climber is my middle name.

 

Hah, my MTB-noob surfer buddy attacked Joplin on a Hoo-Kooee-Koo (an ancient hardtail) and survived with a huge smile and no injuries. I think it had 2.0” tires. A proud run it was; harder back then than current conditions.

 

First time I rode to the peak I parked at the bottom of Cadillac, climbed Holy Jim, got to the summit via the back, and then descended via Joplin/Cadillac. Probably the scariest section was the last mile down Cadillac. This was right after the 2010 floods and the trail was washed out in many places with some ravine-like sections that would swallow you whole! Fun riding on Holy Jim when Trabuco Canyon Road was washed out... nobody but me and the trail.

(an empty HJ parking lot)



Joplin lady bugs. They feast on the corpses of bikers who take a header while biking Joplin solo...

 

I'm definitely down for that!

 

Make sure to post your ride time! I'm busy atm redoing our master bathroom... but I might be able to swing a Joplin ride. Plus if you need a guide to Harding... I'm your man

 

Cool! 29, 30 or 31st I'm good to ride.
24th is a maybe have to check the work schedule.

 

Feel free to read about my last Joplin ride:

https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/drop-the-jop.5514/page-3

 

29th works. Morning ride work for you?

 

That’s pretty hard core. Impressive. Clearly there are some heroes around here.

 

Hey wait a minute! “Climber” is my middle name. “Slow” is my first name!!!

 

Yep, sunday 29th works. Start time TBD.

Whiting luge whiting it is!