Getaway and Bull Run

Getaway and Bull Run are part of the complex of trails known as the Mag 7. There are more than seven of them now, and since they are new they weren't on our map. We hadn't originally planned to ride this area ahead of time since some of the trails are expert level trails with big exposure, and I didn't want to get us into something like that. But after talking to Chris and looking at some recent maps on the Utah Mountain Biking website, we decided that Getaway and Bull Run would make a nice loop. It was really, really nice. Beautiful, challenging, and fun.

Click here to see the Garmin log.

We parked at the Gemini Bridges parking and rode down the road to the beginning of Getaway. Then we followed Getaway uphill and through some slickrock outcrops and wide open areas of scrub desert. It was expansive and awesome. Maybe the best part was that I started feeling like I had to put out some effort to keep up with Quinn! Yep, he was hammering up the trail and I actually had to think about keeping up with him! Finally!

Near the top, Getaway led us across some really nice big expanses of rock. Recent rain had filled hundreds of little depressiona with water.

This is my favorite kind of trail. Cindy liked it, too!

Bull Run took us along this canyon back to where we'd started. Bull Run presented a greater technical challenge, with many mostly small drops and climbs up ledges and slabs. Occasionally it was uncomfortably close to the cliff edge, based on my sensitivity to that sort of thing, but it was never dangerously close. As long as you didn't make a wrong turn, anyway. It was so fast and fun that I apparently didn't stop often enough to take pictures.

That night we had a nice clear evening with a campfire, hot dogs, and s'mores. We were glad we stayed. Later that night, however, when we were snug in our tents, the rain fell hard and thunder and lightning kept some of us awake. But not me.