Getting chilly at night now at 5400′ good sleeping. First time I have lived at this elevation since Flag(?).
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I was putting my kitchen stuff away when i heard a vehicle beside me. I looked out: a white USFS truck driven by a guy who did not hold down a public job. He is a smoke jumper out of McCall and he is running a proficiency jump for jumpers to arrive from the sky. Holy cool! I could watch a real jump and not be held behind lines.
Back story: Back in 1970 I was on a 12 man interforest fire suppression team out of the Umpqua NF in Oregon. I spent 33 days on fires that summer. I dug fire line. I lived way primitively for many days at a time. I been there. I earned the chops. I wanted to be a jumper the following summer but stayed in summer school to avoid being a full 5 year student. And the chance was lost as I sought legal tender and a career. We all shared fighting forest fires.
So cool. They jump out of a twin Otter. First pass was the streamer drop to view the wind. They jump from 1200′. Streamers were all but hitting us as a bullseye. They jumped 2 at a time on each plane pass. I was in their dropping midst.
Salmon River brewing co in town is owned by a former jumper. Has better beer per a jumper.
I listened in on their jump debriefing. I was so excited to be in their midst as just an aw shucks kind of moment.
What kind of ride could trump jumpers? I knew I had a logging road slog and then turn around. Memory from previous rides was the climb was brutal, I remember walking some for a break. The downhill was going to make the grunt worth coasting. Today I rode the road climb straight away, maybe the tread was more rideable today. Map showed the trail taking off at a findable road junction. No sign. I saw a break from the road traffic off to the right, only trail going to the right has to be the trail. At first the trail headed east and not south southwest per map memory. I saw faint mtn bike tire tracks amid the dirt bike knobbies that I allowed to be my guide. Nothing was familiar, this was a new to me trail, what I remembered was from another ride.. There is just dusting of duff over sandy loose substrate making the corners like skiing and plowing. Some wallowing. The trail dumped me out on a logging road and a short spin back to my van.
Plan is to get h2o for the sink tank @ the FS ranger station, then find out from Gravity Sports who is part of the IMBA visit knew of hosting plans for Steve and Morgan and if any rides were planned that i could glob onto. Buy some groceries then head to Burgdorf hot springs.
Last stop in town was a shaded grocery store parking lot w/ great internet coverage to do internet stuff. I am managing my time. A SUV pulls up beside me and a man stcks his head out and asks if I was the wierd guy mountain biking all over. Nailed me. Marty is his name and he writes trail guides. He and his wife spend 2 weeks here then drive to Spokane and spend 2 weeks there then repeat. Marty invited me to dinner w/ his wife’s cooperation. Marty is a local as he talked rides w/ not on the map trails. He will guide me on tomorrow’s ride.
My plan was redlined.