Trail ED

Trail ED (Espina D(orsal)(Spine)) starts at the top of Rojo Runout peak (see Trail RR (Rojo Runout)) as a thin ribbon of dirt facing constant threat of encroachment from the bordering grasses. The singletrack takes the fall line down to the south, weaving (barely at times) through the acacia bushes and scrub oak. The slope decreases slightly and the trail jogs west to run along side a section of fence before it enters on to a jeep trail bordered by a few campesino houses (shacks, really) and heads steeply down into a saddle of the ridge.

At this saddle on the ridge, the trail (i.e. dirt road) enters a four-way intersection of dirt roads. Trail ED takes the left (east) road which seems to deadend in 15 meters. A wide singletrack path starts here and dives down to the east to a right-hand switchback. A subsequent turn to the left sets you heading east by northeast and down into an open area in the bottom of the ravine the trail has led you into. A short scramble on the east side of the ravine leads to a wonderfully built benchcut singletrack tread heading south and uphill to bring you out of the ravine and over to the next ridge to the junction of Trail A (Abuela (Grandmother)) and ED. At this point ED becomes a dirt road (with deep ruts in some sections) headed down the ridge to the south. The road occasionally has a chain gate across it (but with a pedestrian opening on the east side of the gate) as you take the final downhill approaching a small neighborhood of houses in the saddle between the upper section of Trail ED and the first of three peaks that sit on the remainder of the ridge before it dies out west of barrio Creston.

After stopping for a Coke and a snack at the small tienda/miscelánea just north from where the ISSTE-route buses turnaround/park, follow the dirt road south across the saddle, ignoring the more-travelled roads (one to the right, one to the left) that would lead you off the ridge. Instead follow the middle road that starts climbing the next hill south of the saddle. It will turn to the east and continue climbing. Locate the singletrack hiking trail (time for hike-a-bike fun!) that stays true to keeping you headed south on the ridge top. If you stay on the road and end up taking a turn to the right (i.e. south), you’ve missed. Go back to the west (downhill) and make a better effort to find the singletrack (it will look like a trash-filled rut, most likely). After you climb to the summit of this hill, the continuation of Trail ED is more obvious as a doubletrack running the ridge south down through the next saddle to the subsequent hill that has the large array of radio towers on it.

When you climb through the trees on the south side of this saddle you come onto the cobblestone access road that has climbed from the east side of the radio tower peak and circled the north side to run on up to the facility using the west side of the hill. Follow this road south until it circles the south end and turns north to enter the communication facility. Trail ED leaves the cobblestone road and becomes a doubletrack that heads south, diving steeply downhill to the next saddle where you can easily visit the large cross (i.e. Cruz de Milenio) on the small summit that is the south hill of the saddle you’ve just entered. Use the now-visible lower part of the tower facility’s access road which is now visible just below you to the northeast of the Cruz de Milenio summit. Make your own way through the residential areas in the valley below or follow the remainder of this GPS-tracked route to return to Colosio Park.

A good mixture of up and down, singletrack and wider, twisted and straight, and wooded versus barren trail for adding several kilometers to a ride. Especially beautiful late in the day as sunset starts to cast long shadows into the Oaxaca valley.