A clue to the wrath of this day is evident in the lack of photos any of us really have. I used to have more photos of this day, but I think even my phone knows that some parts just shouldn't be remembered.... (OK, so I deleted them before getting wifi to backup to Google Photos. Oops. As we were getting ready in the morning, another rider came through. We had some "where did", "how are", "can you believe" exchanges and he was gone. We named him "Michigan" because that is where he was from.We started all excited for our "downhill" away from Winter Rim and re-entrance into the woods. We hit 10 miles by 10:00 and thought we were pretty rad. Guess what the terrain was like in the morning? More rocks in the trail. I tipped over into a bush (foreshadowing), rounding out the 100% female tip over rate. 15 miles went by quickly and we did eventually start heading downhill.
At about mile 13 or 14 some were needing a break. Karey and I went ahead to the "water hole" listed on the route. This turned out to be a farm well/ small pond and we ran into "Michigan" again. He was just finishing up his rest. Although covered in some small plants, once you skimmed your hand over the top of the well, the water was clear and... wet. We had made it through the driest part of the Oregon Timber Trail and not died of dehydration. Score. We decided to make this our lunch spot.
Well fed and full of energy and laughter, we rejoiced in having the whole afternoon to ride just 10 more miles. Uh... except it started with a few miles of steep uphill single track and it was HOT! It was the push 5 steps, rest 5 seconds and repeat kind of hike-a-bike, with a few riding spots. It was about 1200 ft. of elevation gain over 4 miles. And the heat got to all of us. The 2 very large logs we had to lift our bikes over got to us. We pushed, we rested, we swore... a lot. We finally made it up and over Hager Mountain, with a wave to the fire lookout. We giggled in delight on our fast descent to Silver Creek. We got in for a swim.
YEY! Just 4 more miles to go and it's only 4:45. And then the manzanita and other shrub bushwackiness began. This. Took. So. Long. To. Get. Through. It was uphill. We could barely see the trail. The branches stabbed and poked and scraped and laughed at us. Luckily "Michigan" had already been through it, so we could sort of figure out where to go. We were not giggling anymore during that half mile. After then, we hit more intermittent groves of bushes, and lost and re-found the trail 3 or 4 times before finally getting to the Silver Creek Marsh Campground. Check out our mileage and stuff here. Remember, Strava does not show downed logs and bushes!We didn't talk to one another for a long time. I grabbed my empty water bottle, fanny pack, and dirty clothes and made my way to the well. "Michgan" was also there, well before us, and came over to help me pump iron rich water from the well. His name is Ken and he was a little further over the day than I was yet. Ken was doing the ride solo. He had started with a group in Lakeview, but was now on his own. About the time I was done with laundry, Deann came over and we visited a little with Ken. He assured us that it was OK to do alternate routes. We decided to ride road tomorrow. He also told us not to give up the overall goal. Take each day at a time. Good advice. Tomorrow was going to be a big day- 50+ miles, but at least all road- mostly gravel.
No comments:
Post a Comment