The weather was unseasonably warm again this past weekend so it made for yet another extended window of opportunity to get out and ride...in the immortal lyrics of Queen:
"Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like"
'Where I Like' just happened to be the Bitterroots that were calling out to me again. This time however it was going to be a solo adventure as the missus had to work the weekend. The plan was to get out and explore another section of trail that we had not gotten to the prior weekend. I had my handy dandy Forest Service map, my nutrition, my water, my water filter, my little sordid collection of gadgetry and a can of bear spray just in case the bear bell on my 'wingnut' did not make enough noise to warn critters.
The Stewart fire southeast of Wisdom had picked up and the Big Hole was in a shroud of smoke from the fire that has been burning for weeks...fortunately I was heading further west and would not be impacted by the smokey skies.
I parked the car and clipped in and started to ride...I explored the first trail on the map that would gain access to the CDT where I was planning on riding the spine of the divide for a while. The problem was that the trail that was on the map was nowhere to be found...no problem, it was a day to adventure with no particular agenda in mind so adventure onwards....The a side dirt road eventually gave way to an un-maintained trail that was overgrown and had no evidence of human activity - there were some wildlife prints in the mud but no footprints or bike prints. After a couple miles of bushwacking, dismounting my bike to clear fallen trees, swamp riding, branch scraping, etc etc...I figure this trail was not going anywhere and it might be a wise move to turn back and explore option C.
I was glad to have the bear bell during the bush-whack-a-thon and found myself talking out loud a few times to make sure I was making enough noise to alert any critters.
fast forward a few miles on the retreat of the trail and there was another trail with a sign that indicated it was 5 miles to the CDT...'AHA moment'...The Plan: take said trail to CDT and ride CDT to where we finished our ride last week (we went south to north last week and the plan was to ride north to south and end up where we exited the CDT last week).
What do they say about mice and men?? well awry it did go...
I followed the trail for 3 miles up the ravine (this trail was actually evident and no bushwhacking required) - although it was pretty tekkie which was fun though. It reminded me of some of the BC riding with roots and rocks. After 3 miles, the trail pulled a Bermuda Triangle and disappeared. I bushwacked for a while but could not pick the trail up. I was tantalizingly close to picking up the CDT but no dice...I looked at the skies and they had the look of change. The blue skies were turning dark and I could feel the winds that were pushing weather into the area. At this point I figured given the day's track record the best move was to turn around and head back to the car.
I did make it back to the car unscathed, but frustrated at not having been able to get on the elusive CDT this weekend. All's well that ends well....to use yet another literary quote...
It was still a good day to be out - 17 miles of exploring on roads and trails, and non existent trails. Even in getting off the beaten path, the area opens up a little more to you. It is all good in the hood G!
pix of the excursion:
"Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like"
'Where I Like' just happened to be the Bitterroots that were calling out to me again. This time however it was going to be a solo adventure as the missus had to work the weekend. The plan was to get out and explore another section of trail that we had not gotten to the prior weekend. I had my handy dandy Forest Service map, my nutrition, my water, my water filter, my little sordid collection of gadgetry and a can of bear spray just in case the bear bell on my 'wingnut' did not make enough noise to warn critters.
The Stewart fire southeast of Wisdom had picked up and the Big Hole was in a shroud of smoke from the fire that has been burning for weeks...fortunately I was heading further west and would not be impacted by the smokey skies.
I parked the car and clipped in and started to ride...I explored the first trail on the map that would gain access to the CDT where I was planning on riding the spine of the divide for a while. The problem was that the trail that was on the map was nowhere to be found...no problem, it was a day to adventure with no particular agenda in mind so adventure onwards....The a side dirt road eventually gave way to an un-maintained trail that was overgrown and had no evidence of human activity - there were some wildlife prints in the mud but no footprints or bike prints. After a couple miles of bushwacking, dismounting my bike to clear fallen trees, swamp riding, branch scraping, etc etc...I figure this trail was not going anywhere and it might be a wise move to turn back and explore option C.
I was glad to have the bear bell during the bush-whack-a-thon and found myself talking out loud a few times to make sure I was making enough noise to alert any critters.
fast forward a few miles on the retreat of the trail and there was another trail with a sign that indicated it was 5 miles to the CDT...'AHA moment'...The Plan: take said trail to CDT and ride CDT to where we finished our ride last week (we went south to north last week and the plan was to ride north to south and end up where we exited the CDT last week).
What do they say about mice and men?? well awry it did go...
I followed the trail for 3 miles up the ravine (this trail was actually evident and no bushwhacking required) - although it was pretty tekkie which was fun though. It reminded me of some of the BC riding with roots and rocks. After 3 miles, the trail pulled a Bermuda Triangle and disappeared. I bushwacked for a while but could not pick the trail up. I was tantalizingly close to picking up the CDT but no dice...I looked at the skies and they had the look of change. The blue skies were turning dark and I could feel the winds that were pushing weather into the area. At this point I figured given the day's track record the best move was to turn around and head back to the car.
I did make it back to the car unscathed, but frustrated at not having been able to get on the elusive CDT this weekend. All's well that ends well....to use yet another literary quote...
It was still a good day to be out - 17 miles of exploring on roads and trails, and non existent trails. Even in getting off the beaten path, the area opens up a little more to you. It is all good in the hood G!
pix of the excursion:
No comments:
Post a Comment