Well, today 7 brave souls on wheels, (Phil, Ron, Nick, Lisa, Michael, Meghan and Brent), set out on another autumn MTB adventure within Mt Spokane State Park. Four riders saddled up on high end mountain bikes, three were on fatties! The enthusiasm and upbeat attitude of this group was amazing and remained that way throughout the day!
Our journey began at the Bear Creek Lodge parking area. The weather forecast for the day was supposedly sunshine with clouds in the afternoon. As it turned out for this team, the sun was something that eluded us all day. At start the temp was 32 degrees, quite cloudy with a mild and chilly wind. It was about that same temp when we returned and was cooler yet at elevation so needless to say we didn't take long breaks. Although a bit cold at the beginning, on Mt Spokane it doesn't take very long to warm up especially when climbing starts immediately. Our journey began on trail 120 which we followed all the way up to the snowmobile parking lot near Selkirk Lodge. Although we didn't have snow on the ground at the beginning of the ride, it didn't take long to appear. All riders did an amazing job and one of our team, (Meghan), was out for her first MTB experience ever! This route is mostly old service road and not incredibly technical but it is physically demanding and certainly not for beginners, especially in these near winter conditions. That being said, Meghan is an excellent road rider and has been for years so we felt she was up for the challenge. In all the years I've been mountain biking I can honestly say I've never seen someone do so well on their first MTB outing! Her balance, handling and power were second-to-none. Add to that her smile and warm personality and "VIOLA", she's now an official member of our "Daypacking-on-Wheels" team!
By the time we hit "The Wall" on trail 120 there was approxiimately 1 to 2 inches of snow on the ground anywhere there was opening in the forest ceiling. This made that particular climb a bit more interesting due to it's gradient. Even on dry days, (considering you're already a strong climber), balancing your torso weight to maintain both rear wheel traction and front wheel steering is a trick. Add snow, and another level of difficulty enters the picture. All said, everyone gave it their best and the results were something to celebrate! Arriving at the snowmobile parking lot our plan was then to head up trail 130 which we did for about an eighth mile where we reversed course down to the asphalt. With a snow depth now at this elevation of approximately 3 to 5 inches on the trail we elected to ride the asphalt to Lodge number 2. Here we headed back into the woods rejoining our planned route along trail 130. Trail 130 takes riders around the mountain on a very picturesque course where it eventually intersects Lower Kit Carson Loop Rd. We followed Lower Kit Carson all the way around to the new Nordic warming hut. Along the way we came across the new ski run project on the back side. That work is ongoing and appears to be quite an undertaking. After all the climbing we had completed thus far the long down hill from intersection to hut was a blast, albeit really cold and included dodging ice pellets wind blown from the trees!! Now if that doesn't put a smile on your face nothing will!
After taking in the last of our nutrition at the warming hut we rode back to trail 170 meandering down to trail 155. From there one last downhill dash back to Bear Creek Lodge where we warmed up, consumed beer, hard cider, coffee, nachos, fries, cheese sticks all the while telling many stories that I'm certain will gain color with time!!
What an amazing day on the mountain with dearest of friends, a memory I'll not soon forget. Everyone rode with strength and grace while all breath of conversation was uplifting and encouraging.
Thanks friends, and let's do this again soon!