It took a little over an hour to get to the trailhead where we promptly rode up a paved road to the pass and then caught a dirt road that continued to climb until the trailhead proper. The ride up the road was hot and we were all wondering how this would bode for the rest of the day. Fortunately, that was the hottest part of the day as the sun was hitting the asphalt and that heat was radiating back up on to us.
It was awesome to be riding new terrain which had a very different feel to it than what we are used to riding out of our back door. The wildflowers were indeed in bloom and the best part was that the trail was pretty tacky! It was perfect riding.
We climbed up to the summit where we were treated to 360 views. The views did not disappoint as you could make out the Cascades to the west. You could see Bachelor through Jefferson in the far distance. There was a nice breeze at the top and it made for a great place to stop and take it all in...which we gladly did! There were some punchy climbs and the ride packed in a surprising 3,400 feet of climbing in slightly less than 20 miles. Yeehaa!
The descent was more technical than I was expecting but it was fun to ride something with a little more 'consequence'. I was also surprised at how steep the descent was. It was a really nice grade going downhill and I kept thinking how it would suck having to go up that route. Between the rock and the steepness, the ride up to the pass on the road was much preferred!
The descent was really fun and fast and you had to pay attention around some of the bends or you could easily launch into space. The trail was nice and sticky with great traction. The timing for the ride was perfect. We will definitely have to keep this in the rotation of rides. Very cool!
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