Here is a better set of pictures taken by climb team member Cac. Enjoy!
Month: June 2010
Tour de Shannon (aka The Good Tour), Bike Tour 6/10-6/14/2010
Way back in January Shannon (Good) and friends Steve and Dian planned a 5-day bicycle tour that began and ended in Wenatchee. Initially I was invited but hemmed and hawed because I just couldn’t see that far in the future. Thankfully there were still spots open and Shannon thought to re-invite Randy and me about two weeks in advance of the departure. We happily accepted.
In spite of a cold and wet spring, even in eastern Washington, the weather brightened for our trip. Eight of us (Jenny and Shannon, Steve and Dian, Randy, me, Paul and Laurie) caravanned to Wenatchee and parked in a bike store lot (we paid them in gratitude and beer). The plan was that we’d each drive the support vehicle, which Steve and Dian generously offered the use of their van, half a day during the trip. The average riding mileage for each day was 60 miles, with one day having an 80+ mile option and the last day was only 30 miles.
Steve and Dian drove the first leg in order to get an idea of how the lunch and water stops would work. Since we were getting a late start from having to drive over that morning, Steve and Dian picked out a park about 20 miles up our route. The temperatures were warm enough for shirtsleeves and shorts but threatened rain. We took a paved bike path from the bike store to some orchards then made a series of turns on backroads until we got to Highway 97. There is an alternate route on the west side of the river that may have less traffic but it climbs a rather substantial hill. Highway 97 has a wide shoulder so in spite of traffic it was a pleasant ride.
The group stuck together for the first few miles then spread out. Jenny, Randy, and I were in the first group followed by Paul, Laurie, and Shannon. There was a bit of a head wind but steady traffic provided somewhat of a slipstream. By the time we reached the park for lunch we were ready to eat. Steve and Dian laid out a beautiful spread of sandwich fixings, interesting condiments that included pesto and vegetable spreads, fruit, chips, and cookies. Yum! We fueled up, re-watered, cleaned up and got back on the road. Dian opted to drive for the rest of the day while Steve joined us on the ride.
Shannon and I left a little ahead of the group as we were beginning to feel our legs from the first part of the ride and wanted to get into motion. It started to rain as we pulled up the first long hill and the headwind began in earnest. Pretty soon I found myself riding alone but eventually the peloton of Steve, Randy, and Jenny caught up. The route followed the river over fairly gentle terrain. We found Dian with the support vehicle at a small riverfront park with a great view of the canyon and river. The entire group gathered up and refilled water bottles. By then we only had about 20 miles left before our destination for the night at Pateros.
We all left as a group and spread out fairly quickly. I attempted to fold into Steve, Jenny, and Randy’s group for a while but the headwind was too much and I found it easier to just ride on my own. At the top of a small hill was a public utility feature (a dam) with a nice pullout and landscaped lawn. The lead group was there and we re-grouped again. As soon as Paul, Laurie, and Shannon pulled in the rest of us left and stayed as a group the final 10 miles on a rough surface to town. There was a small debate with Steve’s GPS about where the actual motel was. The GPS was telling us to go left but a local told us to go right. The local was right.
The motel was charming and on the shore of Lake Pateros. After unpacking, showers, deciding where the singles were going to sleep (Shannon stayed with Randy and me) we went to The Sweet River bakery for some fabulous pizza. The best pizza any of us had ever enjoyed. They make their own crust, hand toss it and let it raise in the refrigerator overnight. They also carry a fine though small selection of microbrews. After a wonderful dinner and promises to return in the morning for breakfast we went back to the motel and played a fun game of bocce ball on the lawn until bedtime.
Not surprising we all claimed to sleep well when we met for breakfast in the morning. The bakery delivered again. Many in our party had yummy breakfast sandwiches on hearty bread. I opted for pastries and bought a couple cookies for later snacks. It was my turn to drive. Our destination was Grand Coulee so we agreed on a wide spot at an intersection for the lunch stop. I drove through Brewster and Bridgeport, where I saw a couple local cyclists who were headed in the direction we had come. I got to the wide spot in the road at least a couple hours before the group. A semi pulled in behind me to fiddle with his load. Eventually he got it secured and pulled away but not before asking if I was okay.
The wide spot was named “Leahy” on the map although there was no way to tell from the actual location. Next to where I had parked was an old battered building with Bible verse quotation. Eventually the group came into view so I pulled out the folding table and set up the lunch spread. They said that the ride was wonderful, in spite of miles of that horrible road surface known as “chip seal”. It’s cheap so many road departments use it for paving but it is rough.
Randy had agreed to drive the afternoon and Laurie needed a break. She had ridden my bike all morning since she’s hoping to replace her commuter steed with a lighter road model and was trying out my Specialized TriCross with aluminum and carbon fiber frame. Jenny, Paul, and I started off in the front. I passed a dead rattler on the road and had to turn around to photograph it. They waited for me but kept pulling ahead on the downhill sections. It was funny to watch them tuck and coast with their butts in the air side by side. I wanted to photograph it but it’s hard to hold a camera and coast 30 mph with one hand. Instead I took photos on the fly on level terrain as the landscape and clouds were dramatic. Low rolling hills framed ranchland and snow-covered mountains were way in the back. Randy and Laurie stopped ahead of us to take pictures of us passing.
Soon we reached the long downhill that coasts into Grand Coulee. Jenny and Paul had pulled off onto a side road to view the Grand Coulee Dam but a truck was passing me so I couldn’t make the turn. I zoomed into town and waited at an abandoned drive-in. Randy and Laurie pulled up in the van to lead the group to the motel. Laurie had spoken to Paul via cell phone and gave directions so they lead me to the motel, which was up a rather steep hill. The motel was old but seemed to be well built. The accent wall was tongue-in-groove. Very nice. Each room had a separate bedroom. Jenny shared our room. We worked out a bathroom system since the bathroom was between our rooms so Jenny couldn’t get out if one of us were in it.
The motel had a nice courtyard. We drank cold beers and ate chips. Steve had had a series of flat tires in the last few miles of the day’s ride. We called the hardware store and Les Schwab for bicycle tires. No such luck. Eventually one of us scrounged up the proper sized tube out of our supplies and it held air. What a relief. For dinner we went up to a recommended Mexican restaurant and drank margaritas out of fish-bowl sized glasses. The food was substantial and pretty good too.
The next morning it was Shannon’s turn to drive the first leg. After a substantial breakfast of granola, yogurt, bananas and motel coffee we rode out of town down Banks Lake. But first a photo stop at a windmill garden that was made out of engine parts. Pretty cool. I took my time, enjoyed the scenery. Everyone said they were going to ride easy that day but pretty much didn’t. Steve, Dian, and I rode together for a while and took photographs at scenic point along the lake. Then I saw a bird perched on a cliff above the road. It wouldn’t have made a good photo because of the backlight but it was neat to see, almost eerie. When it took off I realized it was a golden eagle.
We rode on, eventually caught up with the group at a rest spot. By then I was warmed up and ready to ride fast so Jenny and I lead the pack, eventually pulling away. It was a beautiful ride with nice road surface. I spotted a restroom at a public boat launch at the end of a gravel road and went to use it. By the time I got back to the paved road the rest of the group came in. We took a group picture then moved on up a hill through the cut. The majority of the group road ahead but Laurie, Randy, and I rode together and took photos of the lake, a flock of pelicans, and chair.
Not long later we came to the lunch spot in a park at a lake. Shannon had set up the spread on shaded picnic tables. We were getting the routine down. The temperature was significantly higher when we started riding again. Shannon had suggested that we stop at the Dry Falls Visitor Center because it was worth spending time there. And so it was. We toured the visitor’s center, watched the short film then rode on into the heat. Jenny, Randy, and I rode together to Soap Lake and waited for the others to catch up. It was quite hot and more comfortable making our own wind riding. Steve and Dian came in then rode on because it was hot. Shannon and Laurie came in later then we took off, catching up with Steve and Dian then sprinting the last few miles to Ephrata, our stop for the night. Paul had bought beer for us and was relaxing by the pool when we came in. The pool was very refreshing.
We went to a tiny festival celebrating the sun at the courthouse grounds then went to a wonderful new Asian restaurant called The Blue Flame. The cuisine was mostly Japanese: hibachi chicken, teriyaki, yaki soba, saki. Quite good. Randy and I had a room to ourselves that night. It was hot and there was some kind of constant industrial noise. That wasn’t too bad but in the middle of the night there were a lot of car doors slamming. I don’t think any of us got good sleep and it was going to be the long day of the ride.
After breakfast, Laurie drove while the rest of us rode toward Moses Lake. The route is flat and quite scenic. It’s amazing how interesting the scenery is from a bicycle versus a car. Most of the group tried to encourage me to ride in the pace line but I didn’t feel like it so I stayed behind and took pictures when I felt like it, including the funky espresso stand near our motel in Ephrata. We had to stay together once in Moses Lake because the route wound through town in a not-entirely straightforward way. On the other side of town I hung back, even with the head wind. At 35 miles Laurie had parked the van on this side of Sullivan Dam and spread out lunch for us. It was hot. Laurie got on her bike while Steve, Dian, and Jenny got in the van. It was Jenny’s turn to drive but Steve and Dian were done riding for the day.
Sullivan Dam is quite long, a few miles. Randy and I rode for a while but he pulled ahead to ride with Paul, Laurie, and Shannon. I caught up with Shannon and we rode together for a while. My bike shorts were not agreeing with my backside that day until I finally found a sweet spot then pedaled better. The route followed cultivated fields, orchards, and wetlands full of birds that we often don’t see on the west side. At a turn through Frenchman Hills, Shannon and I caught up with the group that was waiting for us. We rode together for a while then Paul and I pulled ahead. I thought the van was going to be just ahead of us for a water break. I waited at an intersection for Shannon while the rest rode on. Shannon and I rode together then Shannon told me to go ahead because her foot was cramping. I did but unfortunately passed a house with loose dogs. Apparently no one was home but a truck came along and ran interference. I turned around and thought that Shannon was right behind me so I rode on.
Finally I found the van and expected Shannon to be right behind me. Well, it turns out that the truck had left and meanwhile two dogs came out and harassed Shannon. She had a heck of a time getting away from them and was rather upset when she caught up. Understandably. It is awful when you can’t get away from dogs. The dogs weren’t mean just persistent and wanted to play the irritating bite-the-heel game. Still, it’s scary when one dog is a pit bull and the other a Rottweiler.
We were all tired from the long hot day and battling headwinds. The good news is that the last 18 miles into town were tailwinds. Jenny and I were ready first so we took off, followed shortly by Randy. We were having so much fun riding over 20 mph that we conveniently forgot about riding as a group. Jenny turned around to ride with the group while Randy and I waited ahead. Paul rode with us fast into Quincy. We weren’t exactly sure where the motel was so we waited in a shady parking lot and waited for the group then called Dian for directions. The total mileage was over 80 miles. Much of it was hot, windy, and for me, solo. I felt surprisingly good; I think we all did.
The motel (The Crescent) was really nice and the owners let us keep our bikes secured in their conference room. Jenny had to leave that night and Paul had offered to drive her the 30 miles to Wenatchee. She, Paul, and Laurie cleaned up said good-bye and went on their way. The rest of us showered, snacked and drank beer while we waited for Paul and Laurie to return. We were definitely a cozy group by then and shared some fun stories. When they got back we went to this nice restaurant on a golf course down in the canyon. We had a nice bottle of wine, a Primitivo, which is an Italian version of zinfandel. Very good.
Shannon shared our room with us, which was dark and cool. Good for sleep. Except at about 1:00 a.m. we were all awake for no good reason. Oh well. The next morning we woke up to howling headwinds. Jenny had already gone home and it was Randy’s turn to drive. The six of us tried to stick together but the headwinds were so strong that the pace line wasn’t work. Shannon and I were feeling the 80+ miles from the previous day so we stuck together. Steve and Dian took the lead. Sometimes Paul and Laurie were ahead of us. Sometimes they were behind us, depending on how many pictures Laurie wanted to take. The ride was scenic but the wind so strong that I didn’t feel like stopping to take photos.
We had a long downhill to ride, which was unfortunately a lot less fun due to the headwind. I could only coast 18 mph, which was a standard riding speed all the miles I rode with Jenny. Then a cross wind blew through and nearly knocked me into traffic. Randy waited for us with the van at strategic spots, giving us good information on the alternative routes. We stuck to the main route because the shoulder was wide and the stream of traffic gave us a bit of a break from the headwind. At one point I had to pedal downhill at 10 mph. If Randy had been waiting for us at the weigh station both Shannon and I probably would’ve given up for the remainder of the ride. Luckily he wasn’t and the winds abated slightly, making the ride more bearable. He was waiting at the intersection of a potential alternate route. Paul and Laurie opted for that route in spite of a long uphill at the beginning. The rest of us wanted to stay on the smooth pavement of the highway and relatively flat terrain. Not long later Shannon and I turned off the highway and took backroads into Wenatchee. The surface was that awful chip seal but it was nice to ride in the orchards away from highway noise.
It was easy find the bike store where it had all begun. Steve, Dian, and Randy were already sorting out baggage. I made myself a half sandwich and got an iced coffee from an espresso stand. Randy paid off the bike store again with pop and beer. Paul and Laurie jumped in with us as the four of us had carpooled over to Wenatchee. We all gathered again for lunch in Leavenworth at Gustav’s. The beer and French fries are pretty good. After lunch we went our separate ways with hopes of doing this kind of tour again in the near future.
Mount Baker Summit, 6/18/10
Given the recent avalanche forecasts, Wade and I scrutinized the weather, telemetry, summit posts, avalanche forecasts and probably a crystal ball all week prior to this trip. Wade had planned a 1-day assault, er, bid for the summit of Mt. Baker via Heliotrope/Hogsback, Coleman Glacier and invited several people whom he knew would want to make the attempt and have a good time in spite of potential tough conditions. There appeared to be a weather window that happened to fall on the day of our summit attempt and we agreed to assess avalanche conditions en route and turn back if necessary.
We convened at Carmella’s house in Glacier the evening of 6/17/10 in spite of all-day grey and drizzle. After introductions and gear division we napped for a few hours. To my surprise I actually slept for the better part of three hours so I actually felt sort of alert at 11:20 p.m. when the alarm went off. The six of us were geared up and loaded into two vehicles then on the road before midnight. When we arrived at Heliotrope trailhead there were a couple vehicles parked, including a guide company van with trailer.
Headlamps and packs on we were on the trail at 12:30 a.m., a half hour later than planned. We made good time up the dark and slippery trail but not without a lot of sweat and doubt that we were doing something fun. There were patches of snow after a mile or so. It rained a little but was nothing like the earlier daylight hours. Probably by 0200 we crossed a mostly-solid snow bridge over a creek and onto solid snow up climber’s right. It was surprising to hit dirt on top of the Hogsback after gaining a good 500’ of continuous snow. Fog swirled around us but we could see stars through the thin layer. After 0400 the sky began to lighten and our objective came into view. Layers of clouds settled in mountain bowls and grey streaked across the sky but it looked like clear conditions would prevail.
At around 0500 or 0600 we came across a couple camps. One was the guided trip. Way up on the ridge we could see a team of climbers that were only a couple thousand feet below the summit. Just past the camps we roped up. Cac, Cecilia, and Ariel made up one team, while Wade, Carmella, and I made up the other team. Carmella lead for a while then switched with Wade for the middle spot eventually. My memory is fuzzy but eventually I ended up leading. The snow pack became firmer so we decided to put on crampons. The guided trip caught up with us while we were on crampon break but we got up and got moving quickly. I picked a line that lead us directly to the middle of the open crevasse at 9000’. One line went to the right but we decided it was too far out of the way so we chose left, just as a chunk of ice broke off the ice wall near the Roman Nose way too close to the guided teams. They might’ve felt the wind blast from the small avalanche that broke from the impact.
Wade took the lead to guide us around the crevasse. On the edge, it was an impressive gap. One wide step brought each of us across safely in turn. Then up the steep slope to the ridge. Once on the ridge we navigated around the cornices to gain the back side. Steep then steeper. The guided teams, whose team members seemed to be roped together no more than 15’ apart, continued on around the ridge to the Roman Wall, which is also the line from the Easton Glacier. We opted for the steep direct route, which other teams seemed to be using as a down route. One team was coming down when we were about 1000’ below the summit. As the team passed I recognized the last member as Dave Zulinke. I swear that I see him everywhere – once we got on a ski lift chair at the same time at Stevens Pass. I often see him skiing with a different party on the same route. Anyway, shout-out to Dave, nice to see you again!
Eventually we got up to the summit. I took my standard self-portrait at 11:13 according to my camera. Just less than 11 hours from the trailhead, which was amazingly long. We had the summit to ourselves since the guided group had already left and no one was coming up behind us so we stayed up there for 90 minutes, taking pictures, taking in the view, eating, resting, pacing (well I was because I’m not very patient or good at relaxing).
At around 1:00 we left the summit with me in the lead, heel plunging down the steep section to the narrow ridge. Wade tested out a glissade to above the crevasse but couldn’t arrest (he was still roped in) because the slope was steep and the snow soft. He advised Carmella and me to downclimb the ridge. Once beyond the crevasse we glissaded as much as possible because by then it was mid-afternoon and the snow had softened considerably, which meant lots of exhausting plunge stepping. Blech. The slope had to be fairly steep to get in a glissade so we had to plunge step beyond the camps. A group of three skiers were on their way up and were considering a summit attempt. On skis, they’d make good time. I was jealous of their mode of transportation even thought the skiing conditions wouldn’t be that much fun – maybe some corn here and there but mostly death crust and mush. Still, it’s faster traveling than on foot. Next time…
We were able to glissade most of the way down the Hogsback to the snowbridge over the creek that was still mostly solid then huff out to the trailhead. We were all back to the cars at 5:30 p.m. Ariel had set his watch timer and said that we had taken about 17 ½ hours round trip. No wonder we were tired. And there was still a long drive home. Carmella graciously allowed us showers, which helped a lot. I got home at 9:30 p.m. and slept like a log until 5:30 this morning.
One more shout-out before I post stats; thanks to Dallas Kloke for being our on-the-ground emergency contact. By the way, I would be happy to be an on-the-ground emergency contact. Granted, I am out most weekends but if you have a mid-week trip and need an emergency person let me know. I’ll need your trip plan, emergency numbers for party members, vehicle license plate, time expected out, and time that you would like me to sound the alarm – the time expected out and the time to panic can be many many hours apart.
Final thought: 7000’ is a lot for one day. I’m thinking more favorably about overnight trips. And as Stephen Bobick (Mountaineers climb leader) says, “it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun”.
Okay, the important stuff, like pictures and stats:
Round trip: ~10 miles, according to Smoot; 7000’ elevation (TH 3700'; summit 10,770')
Time: 14 hours might be reasonable
Gear: rope, harness, picket, 2 slings, 1 pulley, 2 prussik loops, foot prussiks, chest harness, 2 locking biners
Extra: water, probably 4L unless you plan to carry a stove melt or manage two Nalgenes by adding snow frequently; warm clothes for breaks and the summit
Five days of bicycling in warm eastern Washington with 8 fun people. It was a nice break from the Wet Side's June-uary rain and temperatures. Here are the pictures. I'm not sure why Picasa randomly picks pictures to turn sideways when they were uploaded upright. Oh well, you get the idea.
Yesterday was a really nice day; sunshine and warm. I had to work but not until mid morning so I decided to take a long bike ride to work. My usual bike commute to work is a little over 15 miles, from Stanwood. For now I drive to a park 'n ride in Stanwood and ride from there. It's an additional, hilly 9 miles from home on a narrow winding road with a good bit of car commuter traffic. In my opnion it's okay to ride that road northbound because it's downhill and a cyclist can get through the tight spots quickly. It's not such a good idea to ride it southbound, solo, because the uphilly-ness of it forces a cyclist to ride slowly, which can cause troubles in the blind spots. I still haven't convinced my loved ones that it's okay to ride in the downhill direction. The alternate route from home adds an additional 6 miles to the 9 miles to Stanwood, plus the 15 to Mt. Vernon. I'm not quite ready to ride 60 miles round trip on a work day. Maybe later in the summer but not right now.
After I parked in my usual spot yesterday I pointed my bike south down Marine Drive and rode a couple miles through flat farmland to Norman Road, a very quiet flat farm road, on the left. Then took another left on Miller Road (farm road). This road has a short steep section over a wooden bridge up to Pioneer Highway. Here, a left is taken on a blind corner (hurry!), then ride a very short distance north-ish to 64th. This road goes north through farmettes with small horse pastures. Busy Highway 532 must be crossed but traffic clears in both direction periodically. Zoom across to another quiet farmette road with more horses, a few cows, and goats. Pass a house with enthusiastic but obedient dobermans then, surprise, ride into a new development near an elementary school. The development is small and soon the road leads back to farmettes and farms.
Before the block of churches in the farmland, Village Road is newly paved (yay!) and heads east through old farms, small tidy houses. Take a left turn too early and swoop down a big dip and up the other side onto 300th Street, which is busy and narrow. Shoot. Ride as close to the white line as possible. Pass an enormous dead frog on the road. This was the biggest frog I've ever seen. Its legs would've been a meal. If one liked frog legs.
Arrive in one piece at Highway 99 and scoot under the freeway to the other side of 300th, which is quiet, forested and rather hilly. Go north on English Grade Road, which is forested and very quiet. Come to a 4-way stop. Indecisively continue north but impulsively turn around and go west because that's where the school bus used to go and as a child, I dreamed of owning one of those large pastured properties with all the horses and the tidy barn. The farms haven't changed. The big hill was a scream down to the flat area. Turn right what used to be known as Bulson Road but is now signed "44th/Bosk Rd.". Maybe that part was never Bulson Road.
Continue north on memory lane until a greeting sign reads "Skagit County" and the road sign now reads "Bulson". Go past where the Hintons lived, where Gail and her Grandma lived, the road where Kay lived (maybe she still does), and where the Praters lived. And the neighbors. Shelly. Shannon, who became a cheerleader in high school, wore too much make up and once made a scene by walking around with her skirt tucked in the back of her cheerleader modesty briefs. She wasn't very modest at that point in her life.
Continue north past where a tall dark-haired girl lived for a while. Where Cindy and Linda lived, past where Gail's piano teacher lived. And on the bus route around the turn from where Mindy used to catch the bus, around another turn. Big, new houses intermixed with modulars and trailer homes. Lots of people mowing huge lawns. Past the driveway that used to have a big stone castle, where Greg Chase lived, where my dad rented a pig barn. All that was cleared, the castle torn down. Now it's view property of the San Juans and Olympics with million dollar homes. On through the forest and back out to old farmettes. Down a fun hill to Highway 534, which goes to Lake 16 and to Highway 9. Go west, past Conway Elementary. Hard to believe I spent from 2nd through 8th grades there so long ago. Whee down the hill to the gas station where I fill up my water bottle in the restroom.
North on Cedardale, next to the freeway. Noisy. Turn east as soon as possible, back onto quiet farm roads against the backdrop of foothills. I can see the monument up on the hill in the Pilchuck Tree Farm. Turn north. Oops better hurry now so I stay on Burkland instead of winding east to more farm roads. Will do that another day. Take a left at Hickox, oops, that goes to the freeway, turn around and ride up to Blodgett. Ugh, a hill right away. This road used to be more forested. It seems a little wider now that there is less forest, more homes. The road is still quiet. I remember from high school that Jeff, with the shock of white hair in front, was killed on this road in a car accident. Which made me remember the other kids who were killed in car accidents in high school.
Blackburn, across from Hillcrest Park. I'm almost to work. Sometimes it's hard to make a left onto Blackburn but not today. A scream down a short hill then hard left onto 6th St. Past Jill's house. I always wave at her house, just in case she's sitting near the window. Left on Section, over the railroad tracks, right on 3rd at the funeral home. Only a few more blocks now. I arrive. I turned an ordinary 15 mile commute into 26 miles. Eventually I would have to ride home.
I did, much later, and repeated some of the same roads but not many. On the way home. I stayed west of the freeway on Dike Road to Conway then east back up the hill, onto Bulson which turns into Bosk and goes under the freeway to Old 99 west of the freeway. Old 99 is nicely paved with a wide shoulder and little traffic, probably because the freeway is right there. I ride past 300th a short distance that has a sharp uphill angle. Up that to Village Road. Uh oh, the dogs are awake now. Two try to chase me but I stop. They run back to their yard to pee on trees. Don't worry, I won't cross that boundary. And on to the block of churches. South on Cedarhome to a right turn that goes past the Senior Center. Accidently turn too soon and ride down a brick road. Slowly. Carefully. Finally down into Stanwood and back to the park 'n ride. Total miles for the day: 47. Total memories for the day: too many to count.