Anyway, it's been an unseasonably wet and cool September here in the Pacific NW ... over the weekend the mountains even got some snow. I managed to get in my first tracks of the season (and not the first time that's happened to me in September, either). OK, it only amounted to cruising around the parking lot at Timberline Lodge (6000'), but snow is snow and it counts. Here's the scene yesterday, after which I had to drop a bit in elevation to do some real trail riding:
Since the last time I rode, one of our senators introduced a Wilderness bill for the Mt. Hood region. Thanks to some fantastic activism by local bikers, this proposal includes a zone called a "Pedalers Demonstration Xperiment," the first-ever designation of Wilderness-like protection that would allow continued mountain biking. Most of the popular trails in the area would be protected from logging and development - but bikes would still be allowed.
The catch is that there are a number of trails - mostly less-known, less-publicized, less-ridden ones - that would no longer be open to bikes. The exact trail mileage we would lose is not yet clear, but I've vowed that I'm going to try to find and ride as many of these trails as I can before winter hits, on the assumption that they might be closed to bikes by the time the snow melts next summer. My first recon is of the Twin Lakes area, just off Wapinitia Pass on US 26. My maps don't say whether these trails are open to bikes, but the signs at the trailhead indicate that they are.
The first half mile up from the car is steep and rocky, and I have to push my bike most of the way up. After that the trail is more rideable, though narrow enough that I'm quickly soaked by the wet brush. Here's a nice smooth, wide spot in the trail:
Soon we come to Lower Twin Lake:
I'm tired of waiting for tire manufacturers to make wide 29" tires, so screw 'em. As you can see, on today's ride the front of my Karate Monkey is mounted up with a 26" wheel and a 3.0" Arrow Prime Wide tire at 13 psi. Not like real suspension (and heavy as hell), but the front end of my bike is now roughly as compliant as the Thudbuster in back. The total height of this tire ends up being within 3/4" of a normal 29"er tire, dropping the front axle only about 1cm, not enough to really screw up the handling. I'll still ride a 29" tire in front most of the time, but since much of today's ride was pretty technical I was enjoying the smooth ride.
Richie doesn't care about all this technical bike jargon. He just likes mountain biking, especially if either snow or water is involved. He wastes no time getting in his first swim of the day:
We ride past another Twin Lake, and then come to Palmateer Viewpoint:
Overall about a 10 mile ride. Felt like 15, but who cares! It's good to be back!
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