And so very upper 90s hot. Forecast for central WA has been for heat warnings. My unresearched idea was to drive up the Methow to Winthrop to escape the very hot. Well, to some extent. Still last night even sleeping at 3566′ the temp just dropped below 70 degrees. I dug out my battery powered fan after I woke up sweated. Brought enough relief to sleep but don’t know how much my body recuperated. So anyway, today is a don’t produce sensible perspiration rest day here.
So, experiences have accumulated just waiting for my recapturing. Perhaps jumbled for future figuring out.
Last Tuesday I picked up my sandals after a last ride at Phils. I have been liking Kents all the way down and some part of it for a climb. Just a fun exertion of sufficient balance to choose this loop.
Monday night I hosted the editor of Bend’s Source weekly, she interviewed me for a story about camping on public lands. Captain Craig chicken dish was a smash.
Next up was RD 44 trails S of Hood River. Not a hard drive from Bend. Tues. night I slept at fabulous view shed of east side of MT Hood.
I learned of a loop here that I repeated. One of my chosen best. I drove down to lower start of 8 Mile Creek which humps mostly directly up the creek on my RFX. Different forest and tread.
The climb was pedalable up with a later screamer coast back down. This sign states trail etiquette
Seeing very visible signs
These trails and remote location to me is what mountain biking is to me: Adventure. I rode the Super Connector which ties Knebal Springs and Surveyors. I helped build a piece of it. Surveyors has been rerouted to get it off the aqueduct road, much nicer. Then the grunt climb up Cooks Meadow to the top at Lookout. Newer purpose built piece that is riding in well in spite of several too steep to pedal sections. The lower hits the dirt road then becomes Upper which is very new since I rode here last maybe 3 years ago. The trail plays nicely with the elevation gains, all pedalable. Almost the entire area is contiguous to city watersheds which somehow reduces logging. Deep tree cover as nature created it.
Trail tops at 6,000′, wilderness boundary is on other side of sort of improved road, improved in that the tank trap ruts have been filled in with irregular sized quarried rock. Look far ahead to focus on immovable object to remain upright. Elevation loss on road. Finally single track exits and real fun happens. Trail drops 2,000′ back to van. Hard riding in dark shade with broken spots of bright sunshine: I can’t see thru to upcoming tread features. Then the 8 Mile descent: Just hang on to a very well natured bike. 21.4 miles climbing 2844′ pedaling for 3 hrs 12 mins. Just another special caliber ride. Drove back to same sleep spot.
Thursday was laundry day per preference. Plan was to drive down to Hood River to clean clothes and body. Both cleaners shared a common wall. Visited with Mitchell, owner of Dirt Finger bike shop. Grocery shopped. Bought new bottle of rum. The I drove to Tieton river rd dead end for Goat Rocks hike the next day.
Friday at TH I packed my pack. Weather forecast called for 20% chnace of showers when I last had internet access. It will be a possible rainy visit as has been common with previous visits. I want to see McCall Basin again. Last year a forest fire burned over the trail for several miles. Hiking in a first season after a burn. Places the fire was very hot yet several feet away no burn. Underbrush plants like vanilla bean(?) are green.
Places the fire was hot enough to burn the organic out of the trail tread which is mostly loose volcanic dirt, particularly noticeable on the outslope which is blown out. Exposure is a real thing. Horses traveled this trail, Good for them trusting their mount. The trail climbs traversing steep mountain side. Several flowing streams crossed the trail including the last one which used to be a wet feet crossing which is now blown out exposing dry rocks.
Clouds moved in dropping drizzle. The Tieton trail dead ends on the PCT. I rested. Several what I will say were thru hikers blew by wearing rain protection. I followed suit. I headed S on the PCT, where I had walked in the other direction back in 1978 on my thru hike. Further on a hiker passed with a rain cover on his pack. I again headed an example.
McCall basin side trail split off.
The trail dead ends in the basin. Brush overhung the trail edges dripping water on my sort of dry boots. I put on on my rain pants which covered the boot upper. Credit to the goretex liner. Then the challenge began of bush bashing climb out of the dead end basin to the alpine basin on the back side of a no trail ridge. Only with the snow gone I found a steep trail. Umphf climb into basin. Clouds cover Old Snowy. And rain was falling. I hiked to a clump of trees with several level spots for my camp. This basin is wild. For years I would hike to here to spring ski from the top. Wonderful hairy skiing.
Clouds cleared off early evening. Next morning bright and clear for a spectacular view of same.
Back on PCT I hiked with a thru hiker till Tieton trail dropped off. Thru hikers have such small packs and wear almost running shoes and just scoot. Connection with my past.
Back at the TH the air was hot and dry and I had time so I hung out my stuff to air dry then put it away.
Next up is Devil’s Gulch outside of Cashmere, WA. I dallied to let the sun lessen its warmth. I made it to Blewett Pass for the night.
The next day I drove to Cashmere then up Mission Creek to Devil’s Gulch TH. This ride is another of my favorite rides. It is almost equal amount of road climbing to downhill single track. 22.5 miles of which 11.5 are downhill. Climbing price was 2 hours for 1 hr downhill. The trail blowouts had been repaired for dirt bikes and us. Deep tree cover.
While I was gearing up a rig pulled in, 2 guys, maybe in their early 50s, got out. Guy asks about the trail, said they were on electrics and it would be good. They talked about “pedaling” up the Gulch. I never saw them and their rig was gone when I returned. I was curious. They seemed to lack experience.
I spent the night over at Sand creek TH positioning myself for a suffer fest of the Reds: Red Hill and Red Devil.
The ride direction was up Red Hill then down to Devils Gulch for a short piece then take Red Devil back. Red Hill is a hump 4.1 miles climbing 2548′. Do the math for climbing feet per mile. I pedaled most of it.
Then this sight:
Trail finally left the destruction
Then came Red Devil which climbs then descends several ridge snouts before finally downhill back to van. 13 miles climbing 2723′. Nasty.
Plan then was to drive up to Winthrop where I am now to again escape the heat. Not so much. Slept way up Cub Creek at 3566′, Winthrop is 1847 and hotter.
Been at this for several hours, I chose to move on to other things. Might be here for several more days, temp is forecast for lower 90s and possible rain.