Stardate 2014.389

Captain Ahab

From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Ye damned whale...

Each year Snowcatcher and I pilgrimage to the land of sandstone for my birthday. By then Moab usually is flirting with temps into the 90s. Not so this year, as it was a wee bit wet with lows into the 30s and highs touching the upper 40s and low 50s. But that's okay, the deserts mystical magic is at its finest when assaulted from above.



Desert flowers were approaching full bloom and robustly soaking in their lifeblood. The Fisher Towers were even more spellbinding in the swirling mist. Left to right is King Fisher, Echo Tower (in the shadows), Cottontail and The Titan. It would have been a good day to kick back and read the exploits of Layton Kor, the first to lay a route to the summit of Titan. I've been fortunate to visit the Moab region a lot, having grown up two hours to the northeast. However, I haven't mountain biked a handful of newer trails. On the list this year were Hymasa and Captain Ahab, both of which are located on Amasa Back, but don't use much of the Cliffhanger jeep trail anymore.


After a stream crossing of soupy sediment that was a bit below hub height in depth, it's up, up and away on Moab's magnificent sandstone. The Hymasa trail steeply rises above Kane Creek Canyon and is a two-directional trail (you can ride both directions).


Exquisite views of the Behind the Rocks area fill your senses.



As storm Zephyr slowly cleared, the sun began to play. However, the La Sals maintained their shrouded tops. As for flowers, yellow Princes Plume were having a very bright year.


At the end of Hymasa, Captain Ahab(one direction downhill) takes off and wraps around the west edge of Amasa Back before zig zagging back down toward Kane Springs Canyon. Ahab rejoins Hymasa and the jeep road just above the stream crossing.


I didn't see any white whales, but certainly felt like a whale on some of Capatin Ahab's techy stuff. It's a beautifully designed mountain bike-specific trail with lots of technical riding. Spending too much time on the road bike and want to reclaim some of your tech skills? Visit Captain Ahab. It graces the current issue of Mountain Flyer as well.


Vibrant beds of violet aster presented a picturesque end to an outstanding ride. Yet again, Moab delivers.