The idea of the Canyon Ridge Epic route first came to mind earlier this summer when Logan Wetzel pulled it off. Follow up conversation with him centered around how the trail wasn’t really rideable due to lots of blowdowns, etc. A few weeks ago he received a note from a bunch of folks that were up on the route with motorcycles and chain saws. The message coming back was that the trail had now been buffed out! With that knowledge in hand I was anxious to get up on the route before we lose too much more daylight and the weather turns on us.
Paul Clement and Dave Bishop both said “I’m in!” when I proposed we try to pull it off. We were all under the impression that this would be a 4hr or so hard but doable jaunt. Let’s just say, the trail still isn’t rideable for over 50% and 4hrs was a gross underestimate. The label “mini epic” soon morphed into full “eipc”. Don’t get me wrong, the route is amazing with views that are out of this world however just be prepared to do a lot of hiking and for the Canyon Ridge Trail to go on FOREVER!
Cool sightings included a black bear. Another interesting feature is that a lot of the trail is on the north slope of the ridge. Even though it was in the 60s for much of the afternoon, parts of the trail were full of ice and frost! (All the more motivation to make it out of there before sundown!!)
In the end, we all survived albeit barely considering we did the full gravel road decent in the dark with only 2 of the 3 of us having meager headlamps. See the Strava file at:
http://app.strava.com/rides/24265748 Enjoy the pics!
Top of FS Rd 31 climb
Snowmobile hut
Looking back at FS Rd 31
Some pretty fun singletrack although much of it isn’t rideable
Huge Vistas
More fall colors
Looking NW into the Chillawack, BC Valley
Another great shot of Baker
Darkenss comes even though we have an hour plus long of gravel rd decent in front of us with only 2 of 3 of us having any light source…..meager headlamps at that! Luckily the day (night) ends all safe and sound!
For better or worse, I can get hours and hours of entertainment looking over various maps and scheming on what kind of route would be good to ride on. Possible loops are always deemed best and a few good climbs are almost as critical. Every winter I pass the dark rainy days with reviewing all the possibilities the Pacific Northwest has to offer and in doing so, EVERY winter I have always looked a specific epic loop and thought “I wonder if it’s possible!?!” and “I gotta give it a try this summer!”. That route would consist of starting and finishing in Bellingham with a ride up to the head waters of the Middle Fork of the Nooksack, up and over the Baker Pass area, descend down into the Baker Lake basin, and a long pedal home along highway 20 and various back roads. The questions and show stopping lack of answers were always the same:
1) How far is the “hike”?
2) Can or can you not legally ride any of the “trail” sections?
3) Is the Finley Creek trail even much of a trail?
4) Just how long would it all take?
With two huge events on my calendar for the summer, East Slope Epic and Furnace Creek 508, I put the idea of the Baker Pass adventure on the back burner for yet another year. Then circumstances changed. First I made the tuff choice to back out of the 508 and then pretty much all of the eastern slopes of the Cascades caught fire which meant huge sections of my East Slope Epic route were closed and the remainder were covered in smoke. Well, when on light goes out another often flickers a bit brighter. With Fall fast approaching and with it our long daylight hours I put the planning for the Baker Pass Epic into full gear.
The Bike:
Very little needed to change on the Redline Conquest Disc to have it ready for this one day adventure. I removed the frame bag and added a trunk bag. I carefully packed the minimal amount necessary which included Green Trail Map #45, Garmin GPS with route loaded in, SteriPen, some gels and bars.
Fully ready including the GoPro
The Route:
My first planning stage is to always thumb through my WA State Road and Rec Atlas which is pretty accurate in differentiating between paved and gravel roads. It shows some trails as well. I then moved on to RideWithGPS.com and did as accurate of a route mapping as possible: see the route here. Next step was to pick up a Green Trails map to help confirm the distance of the “hike”. Lastly, I scanned online and found some recent trip reports from those that had hiked the area recently. All came back pretty positive, ie this just might be possible. Total mileage would be around 110mi with 20 or so on gravel roads and then 7-8 mi of hiking. The hiking section was within the National Forest so riding the trail would not be legal although I am not really sure hiking with your bike is either. The one area of real unknown was the Finley Creek trail which is about 4 mi in length and labeled as a primitive trail. In reading the trial reports it sounded as if there were a fair number of blowdowns but the trail was in overall ok shape.
The Day:
I planned to roll out between 7 and 7:30. Any earlier would have meant colder temps and less light to start with. I had a bit of an auspicious start with a flat (tube failure) as I rolled out of the garage. I changed it quickly and was on my way by 7:40 or so. I was immediately greeted by an amazing sunrise.
Amazing sunrise
To help reduce the total hours out I choose to roll out mostly on Baker Highway. I jumped off on convenient parallel tracks like Deming Rd, Marshall Hill Rd, and Truck Rd. Little to no traffic made for quiet pedaling. I reached FS Rd 38 (Middle Fork Rd) about 1.5hrs into the adventure. The FS Rd is pretty well maintained gravel and climbs steadily over its 12.5mi to an elevation of 2,500 ft. It is here, at the Finley Creek Trailhead, that I ate a bit of food, changed shoes, and got ready for the hike. The temps were still quite cool which meant the heavy dew on the brush was still plenty. Within minutes of entering the trail I was pretty wet and quickly wondered how this was going to go. About a ¼ mi in there is a pretty significant river crossing with a decent log crossing available. The crossing went fine and I was soon up and over the far bank and making headway up the trail.
First river crossing
It wouldn’t be an understatement to say the next 2 hrs (4mi) were tough. The trail was narrow which meant I had to carry the bike a lot of the time. There were lots of blowdowns which meant a fair amount of scrambling, and the brush was wet. As I climbed in elevation the trail improved and the timber began to thin. I was awarded with some pretty amazing views of the Sisters and surrounding peaks.
Not exactly a rideable crossing!
One of the many blowdowns
Once up into the high meadows of Mazama Park the Finley Creek trail meets up with the Elbow Lk Trail. On this trail, the pace picked up as the Elbow Lk trail is well maintained and much wider. I was able to trail run with the bike with and a bit of fast walking as I climbed up and over the switchbacks that cut the pass between Cathedral Crag and Parke Butte. From the top of the pass it was a relatively quick trail run through Schriebers Meadow and to the trailhead at the end of FS Rd 13.
Mt. Baker
View from the top of the pass – looking northeast.
I took advantage of a bit of warm sunlight to take a break and swap back to cycling shoes.The decent down FS Rd 13 was in good shape. I quickly found myself merging into FS Rd 12 and eventually down to the paved Baker Lk Rd.
Yes, I wore racing flats
From this junction it’s about 11 long miles down to Hwy 20. Luckily there is a nice little store close to the junction where I picked up some rocket fuel and a bit of lube for my chain. From the store back to B’ham was a relatively uneventful 45 mi that found me bookend my day with an amazing sunset. All in all – just about 11 hrs, 108 mi, and 8,500 ft of vertical. Check out the Strava file. Pretty cool to finally pull this one off!
The East Slope Epic is a self-named ride I have wanted to do for just about 2 years. It is a route established by the Backcountry Discovery Route motorcycle group whom puts together some crazy off road routes across AZ, OR, WA, and UT. When I first came upon their site I thought, this is one cool route and wouldn’t it be an amazing bicycle ride! The WA route travels the east slope of the Cascades over a mix of paved and gravel roads. It travels from a south to north direction. Starting in Stevenson, WA and ending all the way up at the Canadian border. All in all, the WA route covers about 560mi and something along the lines of 65,000 ft of climbing. The route conveniently stops through some towns with good services (stores, food, and lodging): Stevenson, Packwood, Ellensburg, Cashmere, and Chelan.
The Logistics and Route:
I plan to take about 5 days to cover the majority of the route with an additional 6th day thrown in for travel to the start.
Day 1 starts with a short ride from the house down to the Amtrak train station. A few hours later I jump off the train in Vancouver, WA and ride a nice route, about 50 miles, to Stevenson. I’ll leave the house around 8am and be in Stevenson by 6pm. Not bad for a first day!
Day 2 is a big day of about 120 mi. End point is a hotel in Packwood
Day 3 is slightly more manageable with a fair amount of paved roads and slightly fewer miles, ~100, ending in Ellensburg
Day 4 starts with a great climb up in the Johnson Ridge area. Day totals out to about 60 mi and a hotel in Cashmere
Day 5 looks to be a fairly remote day with lots of climbing. Mileage runs about 100 mi again and ends with a hotel in Chelan
Day 6 climbs out of Chelan and over the ridge, dropping into Carlton. From there it’s up to Loup Loup. From the top, for me this year, I’ll go off route and descend down through the Beaver Creek area for an ultimate finish in Winthrop. Hopefully in time for some East 20 Pizza!
For those that know me, know that I like to roll the Redline Cross bike with full disc brakes and nice fast but wide tires. No change for this ride just some added items to help with the length of the trip. I’ll be running a Garmin Edge 500 which allows for the entire route to loaded in with turn by turn directions. My tire choice will be a 700×40 Kenda Happy Medium. These are a tad wider than my beloved Tioga Bloodhounds and plenty fast. I like the wider tire cause I can run a bit less pressure and not worry as much about pinch flats. Rounding out the bike is a great frame bag that carry’s a lot of hard goods, ie tools, light & battery, steri pen (water purifier), small first aide kit, energy bars and gels. Lastly, I modified a seatpost rack to help carry some extra clothes. Everything will be inside a waterproof compression sack to keep it safe and dry. I have tied the rack into two additional mounting points, ie my canti bosses, for extra security. Bump terrain means a need for reinforcement. Overall it is more weight than I hoped, about 15lbs of gear. I know once I get rolling I won’t really notice it much BUT rolling light and fast is really the intent. I’ve repeatedly scoured through what I am bringing and not really coming up with anything that I am willing to do without.
Seatpost rack tied into the canti bosses for extra support
I, of course, will be running a SPOT beacon so feel free to follow along at this link. It should update every ten minutes or so while I am out on the route.
My depart date is Tuesday Sept 18th. I had hoped to team up with my great friend Roger Bown but an untimely (not that it ever is) break of his collarbone put an end to those plans. It will be a bummer having to go solo but sometimes that is just the way it is. Look for a ride report write up a few weeks or so after the ride
The Tour of the Unknown Coast is a long standing event held annually in May down in Humboldt County California. It’s dubbed as California’s toughest century and it lives up to it. One hundred miles, 9,000ft of climbing, wind, rough roads, and technical descents make for one heck of a great day. It is a timed event with official results yet it is still a bit different than your typical century or race. I had the pleasure of partaking last year and came away with top honors after 70+ miles of solo effort; definitely a great day at the office. From the moment I finished that year I already had my mind set on coming back!
This year Dave Bishop and I were accompanied by 4 additional great friends: Rusty Dodge, Stewart Bowmer, Chad Clarke and Patrick Means. It was great to have some friendly faces knowing that I would be a marked man after last year. We pulled into Ferndale, CA with enough time for a gentle ride out to the coast. Fortunately or unfortunately I suffered some serious mechanical issues about half way through the ride. My rear shifting was quickly becoming non functional and upon inspection back at the car it was pretty clear I needed some serious help. A few quick calls to Adventures Edge (local shop that sponsors the event) and we were high tailing it to their shop hoping to get there before they close. The folks at the shop we very welcoming and immediately threw my bike up in the stand. The funny part is that they immediately recognized the bike and then me as “that out of towner” from last year. A good 45 min of love by the mechanic got the frayed derailleur cable out of the lever, a new one in, with new housing. They stayed way past close and totally saved my ass! THANKS MAN!!
On with the ride! It was up in the early morning cold to get ready for the 7am start. True to form, the ride started quick with the local team setting a nice tempo to discourage any forays off the front. About mile 35 the route passes under Hwy 101 and into the dense redwood forest. Below is a video shot from a remote control helicopter:
Here I gathered our forces and began throwing down a much higher tempo. The road is narrow, bumpy and snakes through the forest. My goal was to thin the group, stay out of trouble, and get this thing under way. We reached the base of Panther Gap(7 mi and about 2,500 ft) with a relatively large group which thinned quickly once on the climb. About 1/3rd of the way up the climb the group began to thin more. About 5 guys drifted ahead of me with Patrick Means hanging tough. Knowing that the climb is long but a bit easier towards the top I kept it steady and kept the group within site. The gap hovered between 15-30 seconds for the majority of the climb. I was confident that if I could keep it under 45 seconds I would bring them all back on the highly technical and fast decent. Over the top I could still see the group and threw it in the big ring for the chase.
The down hills on the route are just as challenging as the up hills. Section of potholes, steep grades, numerous hairpins, and even short sections of gravel make for some exciting riding. Coming off of Panther Gap I closed the gap quickly. Luckily, Patrick sat up a bit to wait for me and we soon took turns railing the decent. With over 9 hair raising switchback all with a grade of well over 18% we quickly made up time on the remaining two guys up front. By the bottom, Patrick and I were in the lead with one local Adventures Cycling guy in tow. If the decent doesn’t rattle you enough the bridge at the bottom surely will. It’s an old school bridge with wooden planks that have a varying amount of distance between the seams that run parallel to the path of travel. Yikes, don’t want to get your wheel stuck in one of those slots!!
The three of us rolled together for short bit and decided it would be best to wait for the two chaser hovering 15 seconds behind us. The infamous winds were blowing strong today which made a group of 5 a way better strategy than a group of 3. We joined forces and set a reasonable tempo over the many rolling hills on our way to the coast. A few sneaker descents to keep you on your toes and plenty of short steep walls to keep the quads awake. We continued to keep a modest pace with everyone pitching in.
The edge of the Unknown Coast
We eventually descended down onto the Unknown Coast and were quickly met by the infamous head wind. While it was strong this year our group seemed to make good work of this 10K flat section. A few times we were blown to some pretty slow speeds but we kept at it and soon the infamous “Wall” was in our sites. Everyone later talked about how bad the winds were and all I could think of was Furnace Creek back in 2009 which made 10K of beach breeze seem pretty darn nice.
The “Wall” is the only way out of the Coast and you must climb about 4K which has at least 2K of sustained grade well over 18%. Throw in a stiff headwind and you’ve got some slow moving and suffering cyclists. About 2K out from the wall our group slimmed down to 4 active members as one of the local guys complained of cramping. Up onto the wall it soon became 3 with the intent of just getting through it. About ½ through this section, up came the guy with “cramps” whom instandly threw down an attack which gapped me off. The head cross winds continued to be strong and I fought hard to claw my way back. Near the top the climb stair steps a bit with alternating flatter and steeper sections. I dug deep and pulled them back. Once in the draft I knew it would be much easier. Again, the light weight local guy threw in a surge and once again I was off the back. I could quickly stabilize the gap and found that I could keep them within 10-15 seconds. This gave me some confidence. Yes, I couldn’t handle the surge but my legs were letting me ride all out without blowing up. That’s always a good sign for me; I can dig way deep and yet continue on at a high pace. Just before the top I latched back on and quickly found the front so I could lead the decent.
The local guy and I forged a small gap but all came together a bit at the base of the “endless hills” climb. Patrick was 10-15 seconds back. I remembered the endless hills well from last year. I had been solo for 60 mi when I got to the base. The climb is quite steep for the first 3.5 mi and I had suffered tremendously. This year, I was with a group but the suffering would end up being just as much. Soon into the climb, the local guy threw down another surge and quickly gained 10 seconds on me. It slowly inched out to 20. Patrick came up and through me with a steady intent to make contact with the two leaders. I could not match Patrick’s pace but was heartened that the gap had stabilized. I put in a few surges of my own but could not cut the gap down to less than 10 seconds. With the harsh winds, I knew if I could just latch on I would have a chance of staying with them. (A great shot of me clawing my way back)
About 2 mi in I had made some additional progress and the gap was just 7-10 seconds. I made a resolve that it had to be now or never and surged hard to make it successfully across. I wasn’t there more than 200m when the local guy looked back and saw me there. He promptly put in another surge and I was right back to where I had been. This time the gap stayed steady right away, about 15 sec. I slowly clawed it back and once the grade lessened I surged hard and was again in contact. From here I knew there was still plenty of climbing but the majority was a much lesser grade and came in doable chunks. With the strong winds, I was able to get significant draft and the featherweight climber seemed to lose his advantage.
Now, with all of us on a more even playing field we all took turns lighting some fireworks. Each of us made bold moves but nothing would stick. Back and forth we went and the closer we got to the finish the stronger my resolve was to not let anything get away. I knew the finish would come quick as the decent into town is long, technical and very steep. There are a few sneaker up hills within it where the local guy threw down a few more surges. Once on the decent proper he, being a local boy, threw down hard. Again, my resolve had become stronger than ever that either Patrick or myself needed to finish this off. Local guy led the way, bombing close to 50mph down a narrow hairpin decent. Several times, he overcooked it a bit and I thought for sure he was going over the edge. Each time he brought it back and we continued down at break neck speed. At times I could smell the odor of overheating brake pads on carbon. (His not mine)
Once at the bottom, he had a 2-3 bike link gap. We went through a quick right and then a quick left. He threw down a hard charge for the finish which is now about 1k out. I matched him and soon was able to tuck in behind him. We sat up and played a bit of cat and mouse while Patrick and the other ride were charging hard. Local guy, hit it hard with 400m to go which I was able to match, wait briefly and then put him away.
Two for Two at the Tour of the Unkown Coast! 5hr 11min.
The year 2011 marks the probably the first year I have ever downloaded every workout for an entire year. With the close of the year it seemed like a fun idea to do a year in review. As is probably true with just about every endurance athlete, I wish I had more time to train but life (family, work, etc) are pretty darn important too! For this year I am pretty happy with the balance I achieved and the results I brought back. All in all, a pretty solid year!
Total Miles: 10,152
Total Hours (training): 612
Total Calories burned (cycling only): 441,252
Number of rides over 100mi: 25
Total number of pedal revolutions: more than 3.2 million!!
As the year end quickly approaches it is always good to reflect a bit on the year that was. Top 10 lists can be great especially when they are full of wit and humor. Not sure this will qualify on either of those grounds but it’s worth a try!
Some of the phrases, concepts, facts, and/or opinions that I most often share with my clients:
5) Chamois time actually isn’t training time
4) Yes, compression tights do really work! (While they do make quite the fashion statement it’s probably best to wear them underneath your other clothes.)
3) The fitter you get the faster you go but sorry, it doesn’t get any easier, ie you just go faster………thanks to Greg Lemond for that profound quote.
2) When you ride kinda hard all the time you might get kinda fast but pretty doubtful you will go beyond that. Really hard days and really easy days are the way to go.
1) The Coke Bomb – yes it is real and yes it really works! (Every year that I have given a seminar to a certain collegiate cycling program, at least 75% of the class thinks I am absolutely insane when I share the wisdom of the Coke Bomb)
Favorite races or rides of 2011:
5) Terrible Two – Santa Rosa, CA: 200 mi and 16,000 ft of climbing and descending craziness. If you are looking to be challenged when you are going up as well as down this is the ride for you. A mass start ride/race that takes in all the amazing climbs and roads of the greater Santa Rosa area: Trinity, Geysers, Skaggs Springs, Fort Ross, etc etc.
4) Winthrop are fire roads – Rolling the cross bike over in the Methow is pure bliss. This ride takes in Forest Service Roads 39, 38 and 42 – over 80 miles and 10,000ft of climbing. Check it out!
3) Slate Peak – New to me this year this gravel/dirt road climb represents over 5,000 ft vertical in right around 20mi. Great starting point is the Mazama General Store in the Methow Valley. From there you head up the Lost River Rd for some gradual paved uphill where you then eventually hit the gravel and climbing really begins. The climb tops out at an ever impressive 7,458 ft which represents the highest road in WA State. While very long the Slate Peak climb is super enjoyable and some amazing vistas await you at the top.
3) The 508 – Furnace Creek 508 is a marquee event that has a reputation for being a battle against the elements. It will rarely disappoint.
2) Galbreath>South Lookout Towers>Alger Alp>Blanchard Mt Ride – This makes my list cause it’s a hard man’s ride yet I can leave from my doorstep. It’s a mix of road, fire road, and single track with 55mi and 8,000 ft of climbing. The climb up South Lookout is one of the hardest around.
1) Tour of the Unknown Coast – Labeled as California’s toughest century this ride doesn’t disappoint. Whether you are rolling through the Ave of Giants, slogging against the coastal headwind, grinding up the “Wall”, or screaming down on of the many crazy crazy descents this ride packs it all in. It’s a 100 miles with 9,400 ft of climbing.
Here’s to a great 2011 and hopeful for any even better 2012!!
As mentioned in a recent post, it’s the off season and time to transition into activities other than pilling miles on the road bike. This past weekend blew in dry and very cold for the Bellingham area. Morning temperatures were in the mid 20s but the skies were clear and crystal blue. I took this opportunity to lead a cross bike ride with the hope of getting in some good climbing. The route/destination: Galbreath and South Lookout Mountain.
The Profile for the Day
A hearty group joined in at the 9am Adagio Coffee shop start time. We rolled out for a nice spin along the bay and up to Lake Padden. Today’s route would include the combo of climbing up to the Galbreath Towers then after a long decent tackling the very tough climb up the back side of South Lookout Mountain. The Lookout Mountain climb is tough, maybe the toughest around. It is 5.5 mi with a total elevation gain of about 2,100 ft. The gravel road surface is good but there are some sustained steep pitches that are just a killer. I had the opportunity to do this climb a few times last summer and I can firmly attest that a 30F change in temp, 5-7 lbs of body weight, and a winter fitness level makes this climb even that much harder! To top it off, add another 3-5 inches of snow for the last 2K of the climb and you have one heck of a workout.
Rusty Dodge led the efforts up the climb with his 34X27 gearing. (I think I have a 29X32!) An amazing display of sheer power and incredible finesse. About ½ way up the climb we began to encounter a fair amount of snow on the road. The cold dry air had turned the snow into an amazing light powder but as we climbed higher the depth deepened. The last 2K of the climb had us pedaling hard through 3-5 inches. It was a slow struggle which both Rusty and I made it through without even a single dab that is, until the last 100m pitch where we both couldn’t quite do it and were required to dismount. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Eternal Youth, Jeff Cummings came cranking up the hill muttering something about “if I had just one more gear…”
The hike and bike off the front side was pretty slick but we all made it down and back to town without incident. Ride stats of 3hr 20 mi and 4,800 Ft of climbing aren’t out of this world impressive but after slogging through snow filled up hill sections I can confidently say that it was a hard day at the office!
Rathchamp
eckerbrian
Phil Elsasser
