I’m writing this post for future me. I think she’ll need it. This post is about 2-3 weeks of riding that happened after we came back from Bellingham. I came home from that trip on an absolute high. I felt so good about my riding, so competent and strong, both physically and mentally.
So what happened? My brain broke. I couldn’t ride anything. I walked down trails that I have top 10s on. Kelly said it was a trauma response. I think I just had too much going on and I wasn’t allowing myself to process it. I do not understand why that had to manifest as a mental breakdown on trail.
The first time, I hoped that I had just had a bad day. But, a bad day turned into a week.
It kept going at Legacy. We turned into Slash and Burn, and while I’m not great at the entrance, I’ve ridden it successfully. And, I’ve never walked the section after it. I could not get myself into the entrance. I walked it. Then, I kept stopping at the next feature. I couldn’t make myself do it. I felt physically sick and mentally defeated. But, I told everyone else to go ahead.
I chose not to leave until I rode that section of trail, no matter how many tries it took. I wish I could say as that soon as I made the commitment, it fixed my brain. It didn’t. I stayed there and rode into that feature at least 20 times before getting thru it.
Then, I hoped that since I had gotten over that hurdle, it would fix my brain. It didn’t. Things were still scary.
Sometimes forcing yourself to do hard things is bad, like when you’re tired. But other times, it has to be done. I knew that in this case, I was going to make my problem 10x worse if I didn’t prove to myself that I could overcome what I knew to be a mental hurdle, not a physical one. I would regress my riding years if I didn’t put my big girl pants on.
I think I had too much going on in my head, scary things. Eventually, those things got sorted out, and I could ride again. Per usual, I could have been a bit nicer to myself. Would just letting it go have been better? Not sure.
Dad came to visit the weekend after we went to Bellingham. Whenever Dad comes to visit, we always eat well. In past years, this meant going out to eat, but now it means cooking together. This year, I’ve started making amazing homemade pizza dough, and I thought Dad would like the activity of making homemade pizza. But, I read his itinerary wrong. I thought he arrived at 5pm, but that was when he was transferring. I still made the pizza, and we had leftovers. Good thing Dad loves cold pizza.
Thursday
Thursday, we had a hearty breakfast. I think we made the ricotta pancakes and bacon. Then, we drove to Helena. Someone Dad follows on an online gun forum has talked for years about all the great finds he’s taken over the years from the used gun section at Capital City Sports. He’s always wanted to go, so we headed east.
We left mid-day, arrived in the afternoon, and went straight to the Blackfoot Brewery. Then, we wandered around downtown and had a taco/burrito snack before going to another brewery. There are two more downtown, and I always get them confused. We had a really good time together, talking about all the different traveling that both of us have done. Dad’s been all over the world, but since it’s long past, it doesn’t ever come up in conversation. It was nice. It was fun. It was good conversation.
Originally, I planned on going to the hot springs before dinner, but we were both hungry, so instead we checked into the Airbnb and got cleaned up. This is the view from the Airbnb. It was half a mile from the Broadwater Hot Springs.
For dinner, we went to a ramen place, with a steak house next door as backup. I wasn’t sure what ramen in Helena would be like, but it was good. I had it in my head that Dad didn’t like sushi, but I think we had a sushi appetizer and plenty of sake.
Friday
We left the Airbnb around 930 the next morning and went to the Broadwater Hot Springs. It turns out the best time to go to the hot spring is at 9 in the morning. It’s quiet with a handful of retirees instead tons of unsupervised children and drunk college students. The only disappointment was not being able to drink coffee in the hot springs. I really wanted coffee, but they didn’t offer any.
Then, we went to Capital City Sports. We drove 7 hours there and back. Dad spent 15 minutes in there and came out empty-handed. I was sad for him. He had such high expectations. Then we had lunch at a place in town with pasties and the best cherry pie I have ever eaten. I will remember that pie forever. Then we drove back to Whitefish.
Saturday night we had a fire in the driveway cause we’re classy, as indicated by our cocktails. I don’t think we went to Spotted Bear once.
Saturday
Saturday, we went into Glacier National Park. I’ve done this exact same trip with Dad at least once before, but it’s a good trip for him. We stop in Pole Bridge for a huckleberry bear claw and then wander around Bowman Lake until we don’t want to wander anymore.
This year it rained on us, which I didn’t mind at all.
Unfortunately, the huckleberry bear claw isn’t anywhere near as good as it used to be. The word got out, and now the Mercantile mass produces them. It tasted like it came out of a vending machine. I was pleased to see there was plenty of walk-up camping available. Camping had been the original plan, but it was rainy this weekend. I had wanted to take him to the Red Meadow campground or Bowman Lake for a night, but it didn’t happen.
Sunday
Sunday we went to the western wear place in downtown Kalispell. Dad found a new suit vest that he had been looking for. After, we went to the Ritzy Salon and Cocktail bar.
It was a good time. He left on Monday morning. Part of this trip was to follow up on estate planning. It’s a weird thing, estate planning. A lot of us are doing it with our parents right now. Feels wrong but has to be done. It’s complicated and kinda messy. Well, the end.
Usually we do a spring bike trip and a fall bike trip. The spring bike trip didn’t happen this year, and I was dying for a vacation by the time this rolled around. We left on a Sunday afternoon around 3:30pm and drove to Ritzville. It’s our way of breaking up a long drive. There’s absolutely nothing remarkable about Ritzville. There’s a Starbucks.
Day 2
We left Ritzville early and drove to the Tokul area outside of Issaquah, WA. Sebby rode there once before and really liked it. Apparently, he rode there at a different time of year when it wasn’t overgrown with stabby blackberry bushes. When you log and don’t replant, you get blackberry and thorns. It was sad and physically painful, so we gave up after one short climb and downhill, choosing to head to Tiger Mountain instead. No photos were taken.
We burned a lot of time switching locations, and I was worried we would be late for dinner plans in Port Angeles with our friends Tami and Sara, who also winter in Sedona. So, instead of going all the way to the top of Tiger, we went to Predator. I’d never ridden Predator before and had built it up to be this huge thing in my head. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to ride a lot of it or that I’d hurt myself. Sebby rode it a few years ago, and I asked him if he thought I would like it. He said he thought it would be rough. But, I am a different rider now. I rode all of it (except for one 10-yard section), and it was one of the best trails I’ve ever been on. Every now and then, I need reminding that I am good at bikes.
After Predator, we drove another 2 – 3 hours to Port Angeles, one of the gateways to Olympic National Park. While surveying the scenery on the drive, I blurted out, “It’s like Maine, but west,” which basically means single-lane roads, sparsely populated, small towns, and a decent bit of poverty….but also good fall foliage. We met Tami and Sara at their winery just as it was closing. Even though we were late, one of the pros of knowing the owner is that you can stay after closing. We had a great time, and I loved the Harbinger wine. I was extra impressed with the wine and cheese cold case.
We stayed in Tami and Sara’s lovely guest cottage. Their property is beautiful, quiet, and serene. We got to meet their doggos Brubon and Cayenne.
Day 3
We did two rides in Port Angeles. It’s been long enough that I can’t remember what either one was called. The second one was not Stravaed. It was on private land where the owner allowed people to be there but didn’t want it published. Both rides were incredible.
We really earned our downhill on the first ride. We pedaled up the first section of road, which was steep. Then, we turned a corner, and it got longer and steeper, and I knew I was in it. So, that was the theme of the day – super steep road climbs.
Tami was leading, and she took us into progressively harder terrain, giving us plenty of choices along the way. I appreciated the gentle intro to PA riding. At one point, we let Sebby lead, and he was having so much fun, he just flew past our stopping point and didn’t quit until he got to the very bottom. So, he got a little extra climbing.
Tami was such a great ride leader. I followed close behind her, and she just chatted me thru everything. She had a super calm way of describing everything as we are about to ride it, not matter what we were doing. She made everything easy. Before we started the last descent, she mentioned there was a drop coming up. We’re flying along, and then, she says, “And this is where I let go…” and we just flew off a drop that I barely saw coming around a corner. I was very proud of myself at the end of the day. I rode a lot of features that I would have walked last year, especially going in blind.
At some point in our ride, Sebby broke his derailleur. Even though it’s a transmission, the cage got caught on something and pulled it. He could only use 2 or 3 gears. Fortunately, they were climbing gears. So, at the end of our ride, we headed to the nearest bike shop in Sequim, at 4pm on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. And here we began a theme of the trip – “adding an hour”. We did this no less than 3 times.
As soon as we walked in the door, I knew they were not going to be helpful. This shop dealt in cruiser ebikes and hardtails (at best). And, we had called them before driving to ask if they had the part we needed. I don’t think they knew what a transmission was. It was a giant waste of time. I could have been hanging out on a sandy beach enjoying the sunset.
By the time we finished at the bike shop, we were both starving. We then proceeded to drive around to 3 different restaurants, all in some form of not open or no seating for 2 hours. We wound up at Chinese food.
Day 4
The next day’s climb was much gentler than the first day, which was good because my legs were pretty tired from 6k of climbing. We did a slow and easy pedal thru beautiful, lush forests full of trees and ferns. We reached the top and then descended thru miles and miles of loam mixed with chunky rock. It was so much fun. I felt like I had the perfect bike for what we were doing. We didn’t see any other people and had the forest to ourselves.
That night we had dinner with Tami and Sara. Good food. Good company. Good doggos.
But, Sebby’s bike is still broken. So, before leaving Port Angeles, we called Fanatik in Bellingham to see if they had the part we needed. Fanatik wasn’t helpful on this phone call. They were even less helpful when we showed up the next day.
Day 5
The next morning, Sara picked blackberries for me. We said goodbye to Brubon and Cayenne and headed for Bellingham. Fortunately, Sara and Tami told us to make a ferry reservation. The initial ferry we were going to take was sold out, and we had to take an alternate route. Without that information, we would have spent driving and hours waiting.
We went from the ferry to Fanatik bikes in Bellingham, hoping to get Sebby’s bike fixed. Fanatik was terrible. They wouldn’t tell us if they had the part or they could fix the bike. They said we could leave the bike, and they might eventually get to it but wouldn’t give any timeline. It seemed like they were actively trying to make getting this transaction difficult. If they would have given any estimate, maybe offered a rental bike, we would have stayed, but they were almost rude about it. No one in there gave two shits about helping us. After a few phone calls, we wound up driving half an hour back to Burlington to a different bike shop with a transmission cage in stock. Then, we drove back to Bellingham to a different shop that could install it. It was dumb. But, Sebby’s bike was fixed!
From there, we decided to go for a ride at Galbraith. Keep in mind this was mid-week, but when we pulled into the parking lot, we saw just how strong van life is in Bellingham.
We should have just taken a rest day. Instead, we rode 3 Little Pigs to Evolution to Unemployment Line to Atomic Dog, a classic. I didn’t ride very well. It’s hard for me mentally to go from riding tech to jump lines. I remember Unemployment Line in particular feeling terrible. I couldn’t tell which were gap jumps and which weren’t, so I rode everything too slow. I did ride the skinny into Unemployment Line though, which I avoided last time. It wasn’t our best work.
After riding, we went to get groceries, and I made my very first trip to Trader Joes. I don’t know how, but I had never been in a Trader Joes before. It was a bit overwhelming. Very crowded. Mostly snacks in plastic packaging. We somehow managed to spend $75 on just snacks.
Next, we checked into the Airbnb, which was down by Chuckanut. It was on a pretty property, but the space was small, and I don’t think we got what we paid for. Airbnb prices have gotten annoyingly expensive for what you get. I wouldn’t stay in that location again. No matter where we were going, it was always a 25 min drive or longer.
One of the most frustrating parts of this trip was the food. It was frustrating for 2 reasons. First, we didn’t plan ahead, and that’s on us. Second, I wanted seafood or ethnic food, and Sebby didn’t. I get really frustrated that he doesn’t want to eat Indian or Thai or Vietnamese or seafood. It’s one thing to not eat those things in Whitefish because they aren’t available, but they are on vacation. This night, we wound up eating at a seafood restaurant inside of a hotel/motel. The ambience was lacking but I got oysters and was happy about that.
Day 6
The plan was to ride Brown Pow early and putz around Bellingham in the afternoon. That would have worked out, except when we got to the trailhead, which was half an hour away from our Airbnb, Sebby realized he didn’t have his shoes. I made two choices. First choice…I was not mad. Second choice, I would not spend an extra hour in the truck.
Instead, I explored a little green trail on the map that turned out to be a beautiful trail that went all the way around Lake Whatcom. It was 99% flat, cool, and incredibly pleasant. It was a mental palette cleanser that I needed.
We eventually got to Brown Pow. We rode it much better and faster than the last time, but the climb was kinda hard. Last time we did it, it was a big group, and there was a lot of stopping. This time, we just pedaled. It was a ton of fun though and worth the climb.
After Brown Pow, we went to Fairhaven to grab a cocktail and wander around. Then, we went to a brewery. I had coconut shrimp for an appetizer, and we went to The Black Cat for dinner. The Black Cat is fabulous. I had the best seafood chowder of my life and tasty Halibut.
Day 7
I had a lesson scheduled with Angie Weston, but it wasn’t until noon, so we went to the Birch Door on a recommendation from a friend. Let me tell you….damn. That was the best breakfast I have ever had. Everything is homemade from scratch with the best ingredients. As an indulgence, I had the Viennese coffee. It came with a 4″ tower of homemade whipped cream. I enjoyed every bit of it.
I went to my lesson really full. We worked on featuring, wheelies, manuals, bunny hops, and jumping. We didn’t get too deep into any one of those, but she showed me a few things that I was doing wrong in each of those areas, so I think I made progress. In jumping, my compressions are not sharp enough, which I couldn’t see until I followed her. I need to be less spongy. We did a run thru the blue jump line at the end, and I cleared things I never would have cleared before.
While I was doing the lesson, Sebby climbed to Dad Bod. He did Dad Bod, Swirlz to Space Wolf, Scoprion to Irish Death to Radical Dragon. We thought we would ride after the lesson, but both of us were tired, so we just went to Transition and had beers there. It was nice, just sitting at the bar. It’s a thing that Sebby and I both enjoy. We usually like talking to the bartender, but they were doing bike shop things.
After 2 beers at Transition, we went to Rock and Rye for dinner. I made a reservation but we didn’t need one. I got more oysters, some tuna, and 2 scallops. I really went for it on the seafood here. We also had a nice panna cotta dessert.
Day 8
We’d been in Bham for 3 days but not ridden a ton at Galbraith, so this was our big Galbraith day. Note, we went to Brown Pow when we did because they were doing a helicopter pesticide treatment of the entire mountain. Ew. No more trail snacks.
We climbed the 3 Little Pigs again. We played at the top of Evolution. Then, we rode Dad Bod and maybe something else. To ride Dad Bod, you have to climb to get there. Then, you descend and have to climb out to get back to where you started. That climb out is not short. Here is a picture of me having a moment with my snackies.
After Dad Bod, we made a distinct choice to go over to Cougar Ridge. I think Cougar Ridge is new, but it’s not easy to get to and from. The directions are sketchy. There are way more trails out there than there are lines on Trail Forks. We got lost a few times, but getting to Cougar Ridge was a ton of fun. There was a surprising amount of descending, and even the climb was pleasant.
Eventually, our climb ended and we popped out on a road. We could go left or right. This is where we fucked up. We should have gone left uphill, but we went right downhill. We wound up pushing our bikes up a moto trail to get where we needed to be. I got a top 10 on the climb to the trail, but that top 10 is a list of people who have f*cked up. It’s not something to be proud of.
Anyway, we made it. We started Cougar Ridge. We immediately made a wrong turn and had to back track. But that was the last wrong turn, and we had a super fun ride down. We didn’t see anyone else at all. And, in a place like Bellingham, that’s saying something. But then we had to get out of Cougar Ridge. We were both tired and should have brought more food and water. I did okay on most of the single track, although I was counting turns in the trail, which says I was in a perilous place mentally. I made it out of the singletrack to the road, and that is where I fell apart a little bit. There was a point where I just walked my bike because I didn’t want to ride anymore, but not because I couldn’t. My mind just wasn’t working.
Then we went back down the same trails we rode 2 days before, which was mildly disappointing, but I was so tired I didn’t care. We barely made it back to Transition where we had dinner because it was the fastest we could get food.
Day 9
We chose the Chuckanut shuttle for our last day of riding. We have done this before and loved it, and a shuttle seemed like a good way to end. We got 3 shuttle trips up for our money. My first run down was a little rough. I had trouble finding my groove. You can’t really session things on this one because the shuttle doesn’t wait. I needed a bit of time that I didn’t have. But, I got it together on the second one, bettered my Strava time, and rode features I didn’t ride the first time. On the third trip, instead of doing Chuckanut, we did Ridge.
The top part of Ridge was lovely. There’s big rock and some good tech. But then we fucked up again.
The shuttle driver, who we should have listened to, told us that no one rides middle Ridge. People drop down to the road, take a bit of road, bypass, and climb back up. We were like – no, we’ve done this before. We know what we are doing.
We did not know what we were doing. We just didn’t remember skipping middle Ridge. We should have skipped it. At one point, I told Sebby we should turn around but he didn’t want to. I was not into power climbing on day 9 of our vacay. Eventually, we got out of it. I remember loving the ending last time, but I didn’t like it this time. Maybe things that used to be tech to me are no longer as challenging.
Anyway, we got back to the car. I wanted to go down to the beach because….see aforementioned comment about not getting any beach…but we just didn’t have time. So, we got in the truck and headed to our overnight spot in Post Falls, Idaho.
Day 10
We stopped in Post Falls for a day spa. Ending on 10am Sunday morning massage is definitely the way to go. It was Sebby’s first day spa experience. We got there early for steam and sauna. I don’t know why I didn’t take a picture of us both in our robes. We even got the couples massage room, which was kinda weird but I deeply enjoyed my massage. What a great way to end a trip.
The End
At the end of this trip, I was very proud of myself. I’ve gone on several mountain bike vacations, and I usually leave feeling a little defeated, like I needed to ride everything twice….like I’m terrible at riding blind. I didn’t feel that way this time. Instead, I was proud of myself. I picked up one or two Strava top 10s in places I had never ridden. I rode many things I wouldn’t have ridden last year, and I rode them blind.
I wish I had documented how I felt every time we moved back and forth. I am curious how it changed over time. How did I get to where I am now?
The first move was super stressful because we were furnishing the house. We moved everything from Montana in a giant Uhaul. We hadn’t yet whittled down our lifestyle to fit in a truck bed. We also didn’t go down until December, and October had some of the best skiing that season. I remember considering skiing but not wanting to risk getting hurt. It was a year where winter happened, but I wasn’t committed to winter, which sucked.
Upon returning to Sedona last year, I remember being relieved to be there. We took our first walk, and the Sedona night sounds were music to my ears. It sounds different here compared to Whitefish, more wild.
Fast forward, and we had a rainy spring. Our xeroscaped yard is not zero work. It’s a ton of work trying to keep all the greenery away. By the time we left, I was frustrated and angry and ready to leave not knowing if we would come back, so frustrated that when Amanda pushed to sell it, we agreed.
The house went on the market, but selling houses is hard right now. It hasn’t sold, so we are moving back in. For a while, I sat with the potential of spending winters in Whitefish again and I not like that. We want to continue wintering somewhere south, but I think I am done with Oak Creek. I don’t think we can afford to move into West Sedona, so we’ll have to look at places like Clarkdale and Cottonwood, maybe buy back into Sedona after we’ve saved up a bit. The last thing I want is a huge mortgage.
The transition to Sedona this time has been relatively easy. We packed everything by Sunday mid afternoon. We aren’t taking as much stuff this year since we might have to move into a rental. If we are moving again, I want to move as little as possible.
Leaving Whitefish is also different this year because one of my closest friends won’t be there when we get back. She’s moving to Colorado, and the friend group is changing. I feel like my life takes a major turn every 10 years, and I seem to be on schedule for that.
While I was angry when I left last spring, I’m grateful we get to spend more time in this house because Amanda and Tim (our realtor) did a lot to the house to get it ready to sell. There’s nothing like waiting until you sell to make changes you wanted for years. So, I’m glad I get to enjoy a few things. It will probably be our last season in Oak Creek, but something will replace it. I can’t wait to see what the new adventures will be.
UPDATE: The move involves cramming a lot of activity into a short period, and it’s mostly about getting things done. I just move from one to do item to the next and don’t really give myself a chance to breathe or feel. So, it shouldn’t be surprising the 18 hour drive just sitting with my thoughts stirred up emotions. There might have been some ugly crying between Missoula and Butte. Kelly made a Spotify playlist called Elder Millennial Bangers Only that really rustled up all the feels. I just had to sit with what was and what is, times and places I’ll never get back, and things I can’t unsee or unknown. Just a giant flood of emotions, of feeling like a different person. Change is hard, especially when the outcome is unknown.
With that said, it was also the easiest and “fasted” drive I’ve ever done. I listened to the Bone Valley podcast, and the miles just flew by. And, I didn’t really get stuck behind anyone. Granted, I might have run a few stop signs to avoid oncoming RVs, but ….
When I planned 2024, one of the things I wanted to do was the Iceberg Lakes hike in Glacier National Park. It’s iconic, and I haven’t done much in the park since ticketed reservations became a thing.
Iceberg Lake is located in Many Glacier, and the trailhead is about 2.5 hrs from Whitefish, so it requires some advanced planning. I also didn’t want to go alone, although now that I’ve been there, that’s a non-issue. But, as a result of not wanting to go alone, my Iceberg Lakes hike turned into a 3-day backpack from Many Glacier to Elizabeth Lake to Slide Lake and out of the park with Kelly and Brooke. That was the plan anyway, but this one got interesting.
The Night Before
Brooke and I drove the Going To The Sun Road to get there rather than going around. There were no less than 3 active wedding shoots going on in the park, with 2 couples vying for the same spot. It was beautiful. There was no traffic, and every single slow car we came up on pulled over for us. Magic! We overnighted at the KOA just outside of Many Glacier. I paid almost $100 for a tent site. Ridiculous.
Anyway, as we dropped down to Many Glacier, the wind picked up. It was rough. I had no idea how we were going to set up a tent. Fortunately, all the tent sites were in the trees, and Kelly and her mom had already taken care of it. However, both of us contemplated checking if there were any available cabins as we pulled in. We had a good evening chatting by the campfire and going thru who brought what. I was certain I had packed too much. It’s been years since I’ve gone on a backpack, and I’m out of practice.
Day 1
We left camp around 7am and drove into the park. The drive was absolutely gorgeous. Morning light in Glacier National Park is special, and a huge elk ran across the road in front of our car. Majestic AF. Marsha went in with us cause she’s the best. We didn’t have any trouble getting parking, which everyone was a bit worried about. At the last minute, I got kinda stupid about what I was bringing and not bringing. I just started taking stuff out of my pack. I left things I should have brought, like my sunglasses. I forgot things I needed like my coffee mug that I drank out of that morning. I felt like a hot mess, and my pack was still heavy. Just as we were walking off, I mentioned how I was sad I didn’t have any hiking sticks, and of course Marsha had poles for me to borrow. She was a life saver.
So, we started hiking, and the fall foliage was popping off nicely. The start of the hike was nice, uphill but gently sloping, at least until just after the Iceberg Lakes turn off. We stopped pretty soon to take off layers. Heats up quick when you’re carrying 40 lbs.
Shortly after the Iceberg Lake turnoff, we made a right turn to climb to Ptarmigan Tunnel. The trail got notably steeper, and I found myself taking a lot of pictures. We reached Ptarmigan Lake, and you could see the trail climb and climb. I didn’t realize and couldn’t see the tunnel opening in the rock, but when we got there it looked like this…..
There was something about that section of trail. It looked hard, and I knew it would be hard. It would be harder longer the slower we did it, and I wanted that to be over. So, I put on my big girl pants and dug in for a fast climb. I hiked hard and fast and didn’t stop until I got to the top. I didn’t even realize that we were at the top, and all of a sudden the tunnel was there.
Apparently, there was a bear on the trail near us, but we never saw it. One of the other hikers we caught up to at the tunnel told us about it.
From the top, we could see the trail down to Elizabeth Lake. We could see exactly where we were going, but it would be hours before we would get there. As we hiked downhill, the tunnel we came thru turned into just a small speck in the distance.
As the trail turned, we could see 2 glaciers. Many people go to GNP expecting to see glaciers everywhere and don’t realize you have to hike pretty far to see any.
We started the downhill just happy to be going downhill. However, that eventually turned into less enthusiasm as my feet, ankles, calves, hips, and back started screaming. Backpacking is hard, and I don’t do it often. I was asking myself the entire way down whether or not I really liked backpacking. At the start, all I could think about was how I should do this more often, but on the way down all I could think about was whether I should sell my backpack and gear after this trip.
I was not in a good place when this picture was taken. We didn’t see anyone until we got to Elizabeth Lake. The entire hike down was just us. I was so deep in the pain cave that I separated from the group for a while because I just needed silence. Ugh, and those f*cking pants. Again, I don’t backpack often and haven’t worn those pants in a while. They didn’t fit well when I bought them but it was a thrift store, so I bought them anyway. This was their last wear.
We finally made it to the foot of the lake. Unfortunately, the pedestrian bridge had already been pulled up for the season, and the only way in was the horse crossing. It wasn’t a big deal at the time, but this became more important later.
I was so glad to drop that pack. There was a group of guys already there occupying the site closest to the cooking area. We didn’t want to be close to them, but I could not walk any farther, so we took the next closest site. They left at like 3am anyway. I stretched a decent amount in camp, and that was helpful but my ankles still ached every time I put weight on them.
Kelly and Brooke thought they were going to go for a swim. They waded out and then decided it was too cold.
We were at the foot of the lake. There was also another backcountry campsite at the head of the lake, which we had already walked past. The way to the head of the lake was to walk past it to the foot and then backtrack, which sucks if you were in that site. Everyone coming into camp had come a very long way, and still had another 1.5 to go. It felt like most of the permit holders for the foot of the lake no showed, but the head of the lake was full. There was one group of guys from Chicago that showed up late, after we went to bed. They were supposed to be at the head of the lake, and they just didn’t want to go any farther. Apparently, they didn’t start the hike from Many Glacier until 2pm. Yikes. They were…interesting. There were 4 in their party. They were hiking with one can of bear spray, carrying a ton of bourbon and a lot of camera equipment. Our group had 5 cans of bear spray between us, so I gave him one of mine. We also met a very young couple from Atlanta doing a longer backpack. They were very nice and pleasant to talk to. We attempted to invite a solo lady backpacker into our site, but she said she was fine on her own. She seemed happy to see other women out on the trail.
When we left the car, I was so proud of my meals. I managed to bring real food and not just backpacking meals, but nothing I ate on this trip was all that good because I couldn’t get anything to cook slowly or evenly, or I was just too impatient. My first dinner was beans and rice with canned chicken. I ate most of the chicken out of the can before the beans and rice were ready, and the beans and rice were kinda crunchy. My instant grits with cheese and bacon bits for breakfast also came out kinda crunchy, and the bacon bits were just gross. It took a solid 4 days for my digestive system to recover from all the shitty food I ate on this trip.
After dinner, we sat by the lake and watched fish jump. Then a pack of wolves started howling, and I didn’t realize I have only ever heard coyotes. I’ve never heard wolves howl. They are haunting and beautiful. I was sad when they stopped. There was also a dot of a mountain goat visible on the mountainside next to the lake.
We played Uno in the tent before going to sleep. It the first time I’ve ever put a full 3 people in a 3 person tent. I was never cold. I even woke up in the middle of the night and stripped down to almost nothing. Despite being high up in Glacier in the fall, that night was really warm….and windy….oh man did it get windy.
Day 2
The wind picked up in the middle of the night….big, big wind just howling. There was no rain with it or storms, but it was the kind of wind that will take your tent away if it isn’t staked or held down. I had a whole lot of trouble filling up my water in the morning. My hat blew into the creek, and I had to rip off my shoes and socks to chase it down. Then one of my socks blew into the creek.
We left camp decently early, and even though my hips were hurting, my ankles felt better. Less than half a mile out of camp, we saw elk, moose, bear, and wolf tracks. Those tracks stayed with us for a long time. Next time, I will definitely camp farther away from the cook area.
Most of our morning hike was in the trees and behind a mountain, so we were protected from the wind. It picked up noticeably as we left the shelter of a mountain, but it still wasn’t terrible. We reached a point in the trail where we should either take the horse crossing or continue another half mile or mile down the trail to the pedestrian bridge. I don’t know why we thought that bridge would be in place when the other one was not. We should not have been surprised to get to the bridge and only see a set of cables. It wasn’t a great place to cross, but we didn’t want to backtrack. Fortunately, we avoided becoming park statistics.
Our hike that day was supposed to be up and over a pass and down to Slide Lake. It involved a 2800 ft climb and a ridge traverse. As we headed towards the ranger station (and our turn-off), all I could think about was how much my body hurt and how I didn’t think my calves had a 2800 ft climb in them. Meanwhile, the wind continued to howl, and dark clouds appeared in the north.
We made it to the ranger station. I went off to find the pit toilet in the back country campsite. When I came back Brooke and Kelly had decided we were not going to continue to Slide Lake. They thought the ridge traverse would be too dangerous in the wind. We didn’t know it at the time, but winds gusted up to 50 mph in the Many Glacier campground and higher in the peaks. When you’re carrying 40lbs on your back and wind hits, you don’t have a lot to work with. So, we chose a different trail to exit the park and go home early.
Now, even though we had made a decision and were going to get out that day, it was still a very, very long way. We hiked over 10 miles to get out of the park. It was beautiful, and we only saw one other set of hikers, but it was also a solid 1,000 ft climb the last mile out. It was hard. This was our last rest stop before we popped out. I was dying at this point.
When we got to the end, we dropped packs in the parking lot and prepared a coffee, whiskey, and hazelnut cocoa mixed. Kelly hitchhiked back to the car and came back for us. I was worried finding a ride back to the truck would take a while, but it was incredibly quick.
We picked up Brooke’s vehicle in Many Glacier and then went to Mexican food on the way home. I don’t even know where we were, but it was that restaurant’s last weekend open. They were out of a lot of things, but the margaritas were good, maybe a bit too good.
I came home, took a shower, and was in bed by 8:45. It took me 3 days to recover. I have been told that the 2nd day of backpacking is always the worst, and your body adjusts after day 2. I did not get to find out. Should I sell all my backpacking stuff and never do this again or will that mean that I never do this again and never get deep enough into wild places to get rid of the crowds. I need to think about that one.
Day 3
Well, day 3 clearly didn’t happen.
I already had the day off work, and I took it. The only thing I wanted to do on that day was read my book, and I did. I didn’t leave the couch, and that was exactly what I wanted.
I feel about as awkward on a bike as physically possible. I also look ridiculous. But, this was the best I could do on short notice. And, I wasn’t going to miss what I was pretty sure would be the last ride the friend group would ever take, at least as long as we were all in Whitefish. It turns out I wasn’t wrong, and I am glad I went. I just wish it hadn’t been a gravel ride. Ew, David.
Lots of people enjoy gravel riding. I am not one of them. I almost got sucked in without having ever done a gravel ride. All my friends were getting gravel bikes, and the FOMO almost won, but I resisted. And to be fair, I’d never done a gravel ride. I just knew that I don’t enjoy going downhill on a road bike, and I didn’t understand how adding rocks and dirt would make it better.
I borrowed a bike that admittedly, wasn’t really a gravel bike. It’s more of a cycle cross bike. It had caliper brakes, and I couldn’t reach them even from the drop bars. Gravel biking, as far as I am concerned, melds the worst parts of mountain biking and road biking, into one sport. I absolutely hate it and will never do it again. Going downhill isn’t fun. Going uphill isn’t fun. I don’t know why people do it. THE END. That is all.
This year has been a big year for women’s freeride and women’s mountain biking. I started paying attention with the “Let them ride” movement to get women into Rampage. By the time Legacy SheShreds came around, women’s Rampage had been announced. Chelsea Kimball was at SheShreds waiting as an alternate for Rampage. Hannah Bergemann tore her achilles and a few ankle ligaments landing a drop, and Chelsea got in.
I went to Legacy for SheShreds and watched a range of women from 8 to 52 years old hit Jammer over and over. Maybe there is still hope for my jumping yet. I wish a few things had been done differently at the event, but it was still inspiring.
Then came Women’s Rampage. In the days leading up to it, I watched the build reels on Insta, and I wasn’t sure I would watch the actual event. I’m not huge on watching professional sports on TV. It usually doesn’t mean anything to me. But, Kelly had access, and we setup a watch party.
But, it was important. Watching Chelsea Kimball hit a 51 ft drop, even after she crashed twice was stunning. Watching Robin Goomes do backflips for the win was incredible. Listening to the commentators tell us how “there’s really nothing on the other side of that berm” was entertaining.
1st. Robin Goomes: 85 2nd. Georgia Astle: 79.66 3rd. Casey Brown: 77.33 4th. Vaea Verbeeck: 72.66 5th. Vero Sandler: 71 6th. Vinny Armstrong: 65 7th. Chelsea Kimbal: 62.37
7 of the 8 women who showed up finished. Cami crashed in practice. She landed a beautiful drop but picked up too much speed on the run out. None of them were carted out on a helicopter.
The only negative to it was all the dude bro assholes online making sh*t comments about how the women’s event wasn’t as good as the men’s. Well, when you get a 23-year headstart, there’s going to be an advantage. The men weren’t doing backflips their first year at Rampage.
Anyway, I’m glad it happened, and I can’t wait to see how the women progress. I’m incredibly proud to see history being made.
One of my favorite parts of fall is high alpine riding. Once the foliage starts to die back and the temps drop a bit, we go on those daylong rides. In past years, there have been more of us along for the ride, but times are different this year.
Route
Up Doris Creek – 1,706 feet of climbing, 3 miles
Up Alpine 7 – 1,211 feet of climbing, 2 miles
Down Doris Lakes – 1,326 feet of descent (my favorite part), little less than 3 miles
Down Fawn Creek – 3,077 feet of descent with 228 feet of climbing, 5 miles
Out the road – 232 feet of climbing and 364 feet of descent (the worst part), 3 miles
Total climbing 3,377, 16 miles….but not all climbing is created equal
Doris Creek
It’s just a blue trail…..the f*ck it is. This trail starts out nice enough. It’s wide and gently sloping for the first mile and a half, fairly easy pedaling honestly. Then it gets rocky and loose, very rocky and loose and a lot steeper. In the last mile and a half, you ride 50-100 yards, stop and breathe, and ride another 50-100 yards. On this section, we rode past 2 e-bikes ditched on a corner. In theory, they had front suspension, but those bikes did not belong on that trail. That suspension was created so that you can ride off curbs while putzing around town.
Seriously, I have to learn to rub in the sun screen. We took this photo halfway up the climb just after a rock slab section that I had a lot of trouble on the first time we rode this trail. Btws, this is my second time riding this trail. We’ve gotten a lot better since last time.
Unfortunately, I left my main lunch at home. It was supposed to be cold pizza, but I just forgot to take it out of the fridge. All I brought to eat was a waffle and a package of Cliff shots. I ate the waffle at this spot.
Alpine 7
The picture above is where Doris Creek ends and the Alpine 7 begins. One of the bike shops in town has a write-up on the Alpine 7. It’s either the best thing you’ve ever done or the worst. It’s been both for me at different times. We only rode a small section of it, but a small section is enough.
The start of this section of the Alpine 7 isn’t that bad. It’s a little techy and narrow. There are a few steep pitches, but it’s all mostly rideable. Then, it gets motoed out, and it is much harder to ride. We did better this time. Last time, we walked this entire section.
After the moto track, you traverse just long enough to catch your breath before the last very steep, very narrow climb. It was a lot of work not to boop the inside of the trail and fall down a very steep slope. By this time, I had burned off my breakfast and all the calories eaten so far. I was struggling and only riding one upslope at a time before stopping to breathe. But, I didn’t walk much. This climb was hard, and I walked probably less than a quarter mile, which is less than last time. It’s just such a shame there are now Strava segments on this climb.
But we made it to the top. The views don’t suck, and it’s almost all downhill from here. The descent from Alpine 7 to the start of Fawn Creek is my favorite part. It’s a relief after so much climbing, and there’s less risk of booping yourself off the side of a mountain.
And then, we get to Fawn Creek. Fawn Creek is the reason we came. Fawn Creek wasn’t rideable a year or two ago. Before the FAMB trail crew restored it, the trail was covered in down trees and debris. Now, it’s one of the longest downhill trails in the area. This trail isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like tech or narrow or off camber, I’d take 51# instead of Fawn Creek. It is relentless and you are working the whole time. It’s not a flow trail, but we don’t do 3,300 feet of climbing for flow trails now, do we?
I wish I could say I fully enjoyed it, but I didn’t. I was gased halfway down, and we were trying to break some Strava records, so I was pushing past what I felt like I was capable of, which meant I didn’t feel safe or confident. And, the lower half of the trail had a lot of down trees and debris from a recent wind storm. What should have been the fastest part of the trail was super trecherous covered in debris and leaves.
We made it down without incident. I was cranky and tired and had a firey hot spot from my pack. I hate riding with backpacks, but I had to carry bear spray on this ride.
We finished the Fawn Creek downhill but still had to ride out the rest of Fawn and the Troad, both of which have entirely too much uphill for the end of a high alpine ride. It was not the first time I walked my bike up a loose gravel uphill and won’t be the last.
My efforts were rewarded with a Strava 2nd on the Fawn Creek downhill. The QOM is possible, but I’d have to not stop and not session anything. There are still a few features I haven’t conquered on the first try. There’s always next year.
The drive to Fernie from Whitefish involves a very long section of highway without any cell service. There was a point in that drive when I asked Sebby a question, and he needed to lookup the answer on the Google machine but couldn’t. And that led to a conversation along the lines of … yeah, it’s like 1996 where you didn’t have the internet, and you just had to believe what people told you because you couldn’t verify. That led to a few other takes like, “Just say it with enough confidence and it’s true,” and “Don’t allow any questions, and it turns into fact.” So, the theme of the trip became “No More Questions”.
Friday
Originally, we planned on leaving early for maximum riding time, but most of Friday was rainy. it was drizzling when we rolled into camp at the Mount Fernie Provincial Park. We got a tent and a tarp set up in time for a downpour. But after that downpour, the rain was done for the day, and it gave other people time to show up.
Kira was late because she decided to f*ck around and find out what you can and cannot say at the border and still have them let you across. I won’t go into the details of that, but I do want a record that it took her probably half an hour to 45 min to get thru.
We had just enough time to ride up Hyperventilation, down Hyperextension, and do a short trip around Space Unicorn. Hyperextension was awesome, and the climb was easier than anything else we did over the weekend. The downhill was FUN. Steepish with a lot of roots and things to jump over. The rain made for most excellent dirt and grip.
Kelly and Gen were rocking the matching tactical rompers from Shredly. This is always amusing to me. Saturday night, we ordered take out from the Himalayan restaurant in town, which we ordered from the parking lot. Then, we went to a distillery to wait for our take out. Unfortunately, the distillery was super slow, and the cocktails were disappointing. But the take out was delish, and everyone forgot about the distillery.
Saturday
I named my first Saturday ride “Team Slides Around on Wet Wood”. We rode out Lazy Lizard to get to the Project 9 start, and that route has several wooden bridge crossings. Most were okay, but I made one particular turn and was thankful to have made it off okay, only to hear a thud behind me as Kira ate it. That set the tone for the morning ride.
We did the Project 9 climb, which is a mother f*cker. It’s steep. Sebby and I pedaled all of it, although not all at once. I had to take some breaks in there. He loved the descent, but I was pretty concerned about wet roots and didn’t like it as much. There was one turn early in the descent that I could not get myself into and had to walk. I tried like 5 times and could not get lined up in a way that I thought wouldn’t result in a dirt sandwich.
After Project Nine, most of us went to ride S Bomb. Sebby didn’t make this one. His bike was making sounds that it should not make and sound expensive, so he went into town. It turns out the bearings in his hub were shot, which is interesting because that bike is less than a year old. They should last longer.
SBomb, formerly Slunt, is one of my favorite rides in Fernie. Honestly, this trip, we did all the best rides. But, getting there is hard. Stove is a solid climb to start. Mushroom Head adds some tech, which honestly I prefer over Stove. I like distracting my brain with obstacles rather than just feeling all the struggle in my body. Then you get to push up Lactic Ridge or do a much longer pedal up Mocassin. We already knew that Lactic Ridge was a push and had been told Mocassin was pedalable, so we went for Mocassin. I will never do that climb again. It’s the grade that is pedalable, but it is terrible and you hate your life the entire time. It’s also at least twice as long. No thank you.
The SBomb descent is one of my favorites in Fernie. Jesse dropped in first. And then I chased Kira the whole way down. Kira and I go back and forth on who is faster, so I was happy to sit on her back wheel the entire way down. That descent was some of my strongest biking all season. So wonderful.
Saturday night we went to the brewery. We also had cocktails in camp. As a result, Sebby started limiting my beer consumption at the brewery. I got a baby beer for my last one.
Sunday
Jessie and Kira rode Verboten early. They had tickets for Legacy and needed to roll out. Everyone else thought that was insane. It felt insane when the shuttle trailer lost a wheel, and they didn’t really get their full ticket value. Anyway, Genevieve also had obligations and left early.
So, Sebby, Kelly, and I started the S-Bomb climb. Kelly got some hand numbness and turned around after the Oven portion of the climb. Sebby and I kept going. This time, we did the full Lactic Ridge push rather than pedaling Mocassin. Even if he wanted to, I would not have done the Mocassin climb again. Absolutely, f*ck that climb.
So, Sebby and I did S-Bomb by ourselves. I was quite proud of myself for the climb. I made things I had not made the previous day and PRed the climb. But, all that ended as soon as we dropped in. I was an absolute sh*t shown the entire way down. I couldn’t stay balanced. I couldn’t respond well to anything. My trailing leg was fatigued, and I was a hot mess on a bike. It was the opposite of riding Sbomb the previous day. So, that was a little disappointing, but what are you gonna do? Just hold on my friend.
Instead of riding out Brokeback we took Hedonism. That was a mistake. It’s fairly windy with a lot of pedaling rather than the awesome descent that is Brokeback. And Trail Forks said you couldn’t trust the wood features, and that would have been half the fun of it.
When we got back to camp, I didn’t think I had another ride in me. I really didn’t. But, after lunch, I committed to the Verboten climb. We only go to Fernie once a year after all. I’d never ridden Verbotn, but it’s now on the “Best of Fernie” list. 5 out of 5 stars. Would do the climb again, and the climb was kinda hard. Granted, at this point, I had done a whole lot of climbing. I climbed more than anyone else on the trip, so let’s be nice to me. The only thing I would change is my lenses. Very dark in there.
We ended the trip with a stop at a Dairy Barn like place right at the turn to head to the border. None of us thought we were hungry until our food showed up, and then we realized we had been hanging on by a thread. I probably wasn’t driving safely until I got food.
That wraps up this absolutely fabulous trip. Great friends. Great trails. Perfect weather. Can’t wait to see you next year Fernie!
Well, the growing season is wrapping up, so here’s a blog post for me to remember what I learned and how to do things differently.
What Did I Grow (24)
Snap/Snow peas
Eggplant
Zucchini
Squash
Flowers (misc)
Cucumber
Carrots
Chard
Spinach
Delicata
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Mint
Rosemary
Parsnips
Green onions
Pak Choi
Chives
Jalapeno
Cabbage
Beets
Basil
Red pepper
Lemon verbena
What Went Good (10 – 42%)
Zucchini
Didn’t need to plant as much as I did.
Took up a ton of space.
Can trim the leaves and the plants will still grow.
Squash
Same as above.
Flowers (misc)
Next year I should actually have some idea of what I am planting.
Make plans and rows.
Did really enjoy the mix of flowers that came up.
Strawberries
Banner year for strawberries and great haul for 5 plants.
Mint
Lovely and steady this year.
Rosemary
Didn’t get huge but was always there to harvest when I need it.
Chives
Oldest plant that I have. Doing great. I don’t use these enough.
Jalapeno
I have not harvested them to try yet, but they are doing well.
Basil
Basil started out rough. I put it in the ground in May, and I thought the first plant was going to die, so I eventually bought a second. The second plant did better, but the first one still produced even if it was smaller.
Always basil to harvest when I needed it.
Lemon verbena
Very nice in my sun tea.
What Was Okay (6 – 25%)
Snap/Snow peas
Should have planted sooner.
Should have put supports in and planted around supports.
I think they did better in the shade given how late I planted them.
Carrots
Should have thinned them to get bigger carrots, but pretty darn good.
Chard
Learned to just pinch off the harvest and let it keep growing. It keeps producing.
Spinach
Only about half of what I planted came up but given that the seeds were from 2017, not bad. The plants did okay in the shade. Could have planted a lot earlier.
Beets
Should have thinned them, but what a harvest.
Red Pepper
This falls in the okay category because I did get 2 peppers. They were tiny, but they were red. Every time I have tried to grow peppers before, they didn’t turn colors, so I am counting this as a success.
What Went Bad (4 – 17%)
Cucumber
Think that they were crowded out by the squash and zucchini.
Parsnips
Bugs got them.
Pak Choi
Seemed to bolt. Probably planted too late.
Cabbage
Never really did anything.
Planted too close together. Should do a fraction of the seeds.
Should have planted earlier.
To Be Determined (4 – 17%)
Delicata
Has several fruits and seems to be developing. We’ll see how it does in the cooler weather.
Eggplant
The plant currently has several fruits growing and is blossoming, but it’s cooling off and I think this plant likes hot, so we’ll see.
Green onions
These got crowded out by the parsnip greens. Hoping they will still keep growing and be edible.
Tomatoes
Have picked a few. One had end rot, but the others were good. Waiting on the rest of the fruits to ripen. Was getting worried none of them would ripen.
What Did I Learn
I need to put up the pea trellis and then plant around the peas. Don’t plant and then try to put it up later.
Same with any plant that needs support. Put in the support first.
I should have put grass clippings or something in to retain moisture. Not doing that was a mistake.
I really should have thinned out the plants. I should have thinned the beets and the cabbage and I didn’t.
The tomatoes didn’t start to ripen until I deprived them of water.
Not ripping up the whole chard plant allowed it to give more than one harvest. Just snip them off and they will keep growing.
Pinching off the mint and the basil kept it going.
I did almost nothing with the tomatoes. I didn’t trim them or support them the way that you should. I got more tomatoes than I ever have.
This is the second year that I have gotten good carrots, even if some of them were small.
I should have pulled up the parsnips sooner to see what was going on. Instead, I was watering them as they were getting devoured by bugs.
Nothing grew in June. I put stuff in the ground and it didn’t die but it didn’t grow.
