Alternating Days

#followcamfriday with that hero dirt timing once again with James Weingarten on Apex

I don't ride Apex very often. If I am being honest, I have always gotten a very bad vibe from the other user groups at this trail system. This is a vibe that I have not experienced anywhere else on the Front Range, or in the world actually. For this simple reason, I usually avoid the place. No sense in riding where I do not feel welcome. It basically ruins the ride. Last thing I need when I am trying to enjoy myself is catching attitude from entitled trail users. I have never encountered as much, as I have at Apex. And that is unfortunate, because the trails are absolutely amazing. 

I do my best to avoid busy times and try and time things as best as possible to avoid as many other users as possible. We started at 6pm for this ride for that very reason. Let's be honest, crowded trails are not fun for anyone. That much, we can all agree on. Hikers don't like being run off the trail by bikes and bike rides aren't actually that fun when you have to stop every 15 seconds to let hikers pass. 

So, all that said, I see the even-odd day split to be a huge step in the right direction. Bike and hike only trails would be a better answer, but we are living in Colorado and that seems to be a pipe dream due to land management and its continued resistance to address the need for trails specifically to mitigate user conflict and provide a positive experience for our user group that is only growing. So, Kudos to Jeffco for implementing the even-odd day situation and improving the experience for everyone. 

I am not sure that we could have timed this one any better. We opted to not ride the top of Enchanted because of snow on the trail but did manage to ride the bottom bit. The dirt couldn't have been better. Endless traction. There are some places on the Front Range that are unrideable with this much moisture. Green Mountain for example, right across the road was surely unrideable at this point. The soil and high sand content at Apex do amazingly well with moisture and this was as good as I have ever seen it. Powder day. 

It's no wonder this place is so popular, the trails are amazing. We are very fortunate to have these places to recreate, so close to a major city. We all need this outlet, more today than ever. I am pleased to report that I didn't feel any tension from other users on this particular day. Everyone we encountered was pleasant and smiling, just as it should be. The even-odd day thing seems to be working. In the 6 or 8 times I have ridden Apex over the last 20 years, this is the first time I have ever felt welcome. Thanks Jeffco, keep up the good work. It's a wonderful start, now if you could just start working on some MTB only trails, that would be great.