Tronsen Ridge to Red Hill to Devils Gulch
I did a point to point ride from Haney Meadows and Mt. Lillian up to Tronsen Ridge and down to Red Hill trail and then onto Red Hill Spur to Devils Gulch. I started around 1:00 and it was roughly 78-80° at Haney Meadows; much nicer than it was down below!
I took a side trip up to Mt. Lillian for the awesome views and another closeup look of the amazing rock face of eastern Mt. Lillian. From there, I took the 4wd trail up from Upper Naneum Meadow to the Tronsen Ridge trail head. The damage from the Table Mt. Fire of 2012 was apparent here--near total kill on the trees in this area from around Haney Meadows up to the peak of Tronsen Ridge. There was a good rain previously so the grass was verdant though. The trail surface was dry here but not too dusty.
Starting down the Tronsen Ridge Trail (TRT) I was reminded how loose, dry, and rocky this trail is. Immediately, you know it is a degree or two harder than Mission Ridge. The steeps are steeper, there is more exposure, and for my ability, a lot more hike-a-bike. The views are incredible though, and I took >100 photos on the trip while stopping to drink (it was HOT) and do the HABs. Make sure you take enough water for about 3 hours of work in hot dry conditions. There is no water between Haney Meadows and Devils Gulch at this time of year.
TRT loses altitude grudgingly, with quite a few up-pitches. Red Hill trail also follows a ridge due north from where Tronsen Ridge heads NW, so it is quite up-and-down too. Most of the elevation loss comes while on Red Hill and Red Hlll Spur trails, which proceed a bit faster than the TRT. The lower part of Red Hill Spur was pretty closed in with brush, so keep speed in check going downhill!
Moto damage is apparent in many of the steep pitches, both up and down.
From GPS, ride was 14.4 miles, 1700' of gain, started at 5500', ended at 1800', high point of 6000'. Rolling time was 2:20, elapsed 4:10.