Trip Report: Ben Lomond Peak: the long way.

[Gravy]

Saturday morning we set out to summit Ben Lomond peak and not the traditional way.

Kevin and I got loaded up at my house at 7:25am and met Jon at the 12th st. Smiths in Ogden.
We drove up Ogden canyon and parked just above the dam and headed up the trail.



Only 3/4 of a mile into the trail and it was dusty. Too dusty. I was following too close on a very narrow off camber trail and hit a rock with my right foot and peg and it spun the bike 120* clockwise and I bailed off the bike into the undergrowth. The bike was hanging off the trail with just the edge of the front tire on the trail and most of the bike supported by some spindly trees on a steep side slope.
it took me a while but I finally got the other guys' attention to come back and help me drag the bike back up on the trail. Just before Jon got back to me a helpful mountain biker assisted me.
As Jon rounded the corner he hit his left foot on a huge rock on the side of the trail too and went down.
As we accessed the situation we realized he had hurt his foot pretty badly. The steel tip on his riding boot and bent like crazy. His foot looked hurt and a bit swollen but he could still move it so he decided he would tough it out.
Unwilling to give up this quick we continued on the ride

Up and over Skyline we got our first glimpse of Ben Lomond.


We rolled down into the parking lot on North Ogden pass and began our climb up to Ben Lomond

 

[Gravy]

As we dropped off the ridge line and neared the final climb to the peak the trail became very challenging















This area is not for faint of heart.

As we reached the summit we stopped for lunch.







And Kevin learned the need for bark busters

 

[Gravy]

panorama


We headed toward Avon road down to Mantua and some of the trail got a little hairy.


but incredibly beautiful






We finally reached the graded road and decided to head down to Mantua to refuel.
Our original plan was to take another trail off Avon rd to Eden.
As we rolled into Mantua we realized that the only gas they had was mediocre at best.
With only a gallon left in my tank (the biggest of the group). We decided a quick jaunt down to Brigham was in order.
And then....

 

[Gravy]

Disaster struck...

Kevin's bike jammed to a halt at 50mph and spark flew out the tailpipe. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the clutch and rolled to the shoulder.
On the side of the road we accessed the situation.
Bike was completely seized up, would not turn at all.
We decided to leave the bike and two man it down to Brigham were, like the presenters of Top Gear, we decided to leave our friend at a shady gas station...
















and retrieve the truck.
So after a beautiful ride on 89 through Brigham, Willard, Perry, and Pleasant View. Then up over North Ogden Pass and around Pineview Reservoir we finally reached the trucks.

By this point, Jon's foot had decided that it had enough and he was forced to shift his bike by hand on this portion of the ride...



and low and behold

it was swollen like a latex glove full of water.






At this point our group split again with Jon headed to the nearest DI for crutches and then to the Instacare for some XRAYS...
I loaded up fast and drove back down 12th street to I-15 then up to Brigham to rescue Kevin.




I think you might be interested in this track:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B04uCFdFen7ddHM5UjFucjdMNGM/edit?usp=drivesdk
Created by Google My Tracks on Android
Name: S Skyline Trail 12th Street Dam Start
Activity type: biking
Description: -
Total distance: 97.68 km (60.7 mi)
Total time: 4:47:25
Moving time: 3:57:32
Average speed: 20.39 km/h (12.7 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 24.67 km/h (15.3 mi/h)
Max speed: 97.57 km/h (60.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:57 min/km (4:44 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:26 min/km (3:55 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0:37 min/km (0:59 min/mi)
Max elevation: 2950 m (9680 ft)
Min elevation: 1298 m (4258 ft)
Elevation gain: 4403 m (14444 ft)
Max grade: 26 %
Min grade: -51 %
Recorded: 7/5/2014 9:54am

I retrieved Kevin and back up the canyon to get his bike. An inquisitive UHP officer asked if we needed help and asked about our ride but didn't give us any guff. Nice guy, he was amazed we made it to the Peak.

So the result of the ride.

7 broken bones (you can see the circled spots) straight across and the floating piece near the top..




And when the top end got torn open...

ah oh... are pistons supposed to be tilted?


and once the cylinder was pulled...


looks like the wrist pin was pulled from the piston...




So quite the ride...

 

[GAR]

wow dude, sounds like quite the adventure. Hope he heals up quickly!

 

[Greg]

Awesome looking riding, lots of exposure! Crazy about all the carnage! I bet the hikers LOVED seeing a few dirtbikes up there...

 

[rholbrook]

I like the fact that you got some good pictures of the those switch backs. The pictures I have taken do not give them justice. Bummer for John after having spent the time and money on freshening up his CRFx. That really surprizes me on the YZ450 having that happen. I have filled up at that little store in Mantua before. The owner is almost a creeper with all the pictures of the little kids in there.

Wished I would have been on that ride with you. I didn't do anything on Saturday but clean my garage and tinker on the boat.

I have been on that ride from the Dam to Mantua a ton and have never had a hiker, mtn biker or horse back rider been anything other than polite and respectful. Maybe thats because I'm a nice guy and Chad is a weiner.

 

[Tonkaman]

Wow that's an adventure! I can't believe johns boot let so much damage happen. Even though the ride was plagued with carnage it still looked like a blast!

 

[skiboarder]

I've done that ride on a mountain bike. I didn't all in one day. One day windsurfer beach to NO pass, then home at the bottom of pass. Then a few days later my wife dropped me on at top of the pass. And then in Brigham. There is a nice trail from mantua to Brigham on the south side of the canyon. I have never done it on a motorcycle, but would love to. Next wave. I live at the bottom of the pass on the Ogden side.

 

[jentzschman]

Wow, what more can I really add... you guys are crazy. Hope he heals up soon and good luck with the bike rebuild. Make a thread for that bad boy

 

[Gravy]

Thanks for the comments.
Almost all the hikers were amazed that we were able to go up the switchbacks: my tatic is I'm overly friendly and respectful and most of the time it gets recipricated.

I wish I had taken a picture of the one off-piste section that we rode through the snow between switchbacks. It was like: blast fast and coast so the rear end didn't step out and take you down the hill in the snow drift.

We put about 30ish miles on the road getting back to the trucks.

Jon is pretty busted.... 6-8 weeks is the usual time for broken bones to heal, but he is pretty hard core. He hasn't even taken an advil or anything for the pain.

Kevin's bike is likely toast: we just put a new stator, timing chain, coil and cdi in it before this ride and it was running so perfect... then this happened.
I think even if we could fix it, he has a bad taste in his mouth about it.
If he parts it, I'll put it up here first.

 

[Gravy]

Jon is going in for surgery on Tuesday. Say a prayer for him that the surgeons can reconstruct that floating chunk of bone.

 

[sixstringsteve]

man, that's too bad.

 

[Gravy]

Ya... I guess they would have left it alone but there is a tendon attached to it that keeps the toe straight so they're going to go in put a screw through it to hold it together.