Last weekend Deanna and I were able to head east to the arid Methow Valley, home to great mountain bicycling, among so many other things. Notably, incredible peaches this time of year.
On Saturday we were heading out to ride Angel's staircase, supposedly one of the best mountain bike rides in Washington state. How disappointed we were when the trail head was closed due to fire danger. We opted to ride Foggy Dew instead, it's right next to Angel's and actually shares a piece of high altitude single track with said trail.
Foggy dew starts at around 3500 feet and climbs up to 8000' in about 8miles. We were semi-disappointed to find the dirt bikes were allowed up there, but hey, they need their fun too, it just meant that we were dealing with a pretty wallowed out trail. The climb took us up to a beautiful lake that was literally jumping with trout. Maybe jumping isn't quite the word, frolicking? flying? Dancing? These trout were trying their best to rid themselves of gravity binding force.
The last 800feet of vertical up to the pass and down into Merchant Basin on the other side was a pretty steep, mandatory hike-a-bike.
Overall, Foggy Dew is a beautiful trail with spectacular views, but if you're looking for a fast flowy descent in reward for the 4500' climb, seek out Angels Staircase, or Starvation Mountain.
Note: the first photo of the slideshow is a bit of a where's Waldo shot. Don't forget to hit the expando button on the slideshows for full screen viewing!
The next day we decided to do a ride that's not in the Methow Mtb book but we've heard so much about. Let me say first, this ride is incredible. It starts just a few miles east of the Liberty Bell group and Washington Pass on Hwy 20. Take the road to Cuttroat lake trail head and then enjoy the perfectly thoughout singletrack trail 6 miles up to about 6800' Cutthroat pass and meet some hikers on the PCT. Stunning views of the surrounding American Alps.
1 comment:
Patrick, nice pictures and write up, very amazing terrain! Got back into Oregon, the trip was amazing and I'll start updating my lonely blog in a couple days with pics, I've got alot to sort through. Nice to see some great NW shots here. Looks like I need to come up and ride with you sometime. Is the Cutthroat trail technical? Let me know when you're headed to Corvallis or Ashland next.
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