Slipping and sliding down this nasty slope on my quad is not what I had in mind when I set out this morning. I usually ride alone; I guess I should say that I've always ridden alone ever since I purchased the ATV. It's not the best way to ride due to situations just like this one. If this ends badly, I'm a very long way from home. The trail takes a sharp turn up the ensuing bank at a weird angle, and a stupid tree sits just on the left. As soon as the tires stop sliding, I gun it at the turn and nearly lose my grip. But the tires take the traction and spin me back onto the trail. A lot of people love the adrenalin rush of a close call like that one. I don't.

It's a beautiful Tuesday morning, and I decided to take the day off work and come back to the Hardscrabble ATV trails near Enterprise, UT. Last week was fun, but I couldn't reach any of the mountain peaks I was hoping to climb. Today I'm driving in from the opposite side of the trail system. The road is excellent, and Big Mountain summit ridge contains a half dozen towers and microwave stations. I park next to one of the towers, jump a broken-down property line fence and take a picture of the summit geological marker.

From here, an ATV trail heads west. I'm generally pretty comfortable on the ATV, but as mentioned, I also hesitate to do anything too complicated. It does boil down to a simple reason. I am alone. Any mechanical failure and I will have a very long walk back to any road. Any crash with injury and I would be in serious trouble. I've taken all the steps I can think of to mitigate these issues, but as I feel the tires on my quad lock and slide, I'm not sure I've taken enough.

The summit of UNP 6926 is just behind me, and I followed the ATV trail as far as possible. The hillside through the thick scrub oak has game trails and deer droppings. The summit is rocky and clear as I take a long break and eat a snack. The view is stunning. Still brown and drab, the rolling hillsides have yet to show any colors of spring. Upon closer inspection, it is easy to miss the beginnings of green grass and yellow wildflowers.

UNP 6926 is the second of the two peaks I wanted to climb today, but as I look back toward the towers and remember some of the challenging terrains I had to endure to get here, I decide to press forward. The next ridge over is where I stopped on my ATV ride last week, and I know the trail is smooth sailing after that. I have a circular route already mapped out back to the truck. So I open and close the gate and begin my descent down the track.

I probably should have stopped and walked this steep section of trail before sliding down it. But I'm committed as I reach the apex and give the ATV the gas. I've lived a big part of my life on motorcycles, and as a result, I am probably a better rider than I think I am. Still, as I crest the subsequent rise and breath a sigh of relief, I know that two many risks will eventually turn against you, and I'm getting too old for stupid risks like this one.

I reach the point where I stopped last week and take another break. The road back along Hardscrabble trail is a well maintained gravel road and I arrive back at the truck in short order, thankful once again for small favors.

CalTOPO map can be found here.