P
Penny S.
Guest
Not really, but pretty dang close. Craig and I had the good luck to be completely childless for the
weekend. Friday morning we loaded up the bikes, the camping gear, the Idaho Gazetteer, a hiking
guide and the Clearwater NF map, NF trail guide and travel ( restrictions) list, and off we went.
Destination... Clearwater Mountains and the Bitterroot Divide,(Id/MT stateline) just for an
explore. This is L&C country, we were just a few mile north of where the Corps actually crossed the
mountains here.
The goal was to find some nice biking, and we did, using the new edition of "101 hikes in the Inland
NW " as our guide.
This area is part of the proposed Great Burn Wilderness. There was a huge first in 1910 that burned
a significant amount of Idaho ( from here down to McCall). There is a lot of restrictions, but
mainly it's to keep the ATVs at bay, which have be come a real problem. We were very pleased to find
that the Goose Creek trail had been re-opened to bikes, closed to all other vehicles...The trail is
well used by stock, but this forest has seems to have a great trail crew; it was in great condition.
Lovely moderate grade single track through a dark forest, through occasional clearings waist deep in
wildflowers. Then, the trail opens out into a beautiful high meadow. We startled a grazing bull elk,
huge and with a full rack, up in the meadow. As it was getting late, we didn't go the last two miles
up to the lake, where it connects with the Stateline trail that follows the actual divide.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/goosecrk1.jpg
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/goosecrk2.jpg
Next morning we packed up and headed for Kelly Creek to check out another ride. The creek is known
world wide for it's catch and release bull trout, but that's now what we were there for. Based on
the trail write-up ( for hikers) we envisioned a nice river grade single track, and that is sort of
what we got. River grade, yes... easy, er well sort of. The trail is some places has a lot of
exposure. In other places, the single track is really, uh.. single. Just wider than pedal width, and
older and well used, worn to below surface level. Meaning, you have to really pay attention to your
line at all times, otherwise you hit the side of the trail which knocks the front wheel into the
other side of the trail. In places the vegetation is incredibly thick. Not due to lack of trail use,
but just from being in Idaho: lush and green and thick. At times, we would be riding through places
where everything was eye level, and the plants are just whapping at your spokes. It was so thick you
couldn't see the side of this deep narrow trail, so again, hold that line... Sometimes the alder
bushes would push you to one side, or they would hide rocks. But we pushed on. You couldn't really
go very fast as it was windy and narrow.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellycrk1.jpg
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellycrk2.jpg
Eventually the trail closed in on a deep forested canyon, and we came out in a lovely meadow. There
had been lots of creek crossings, but this one required shoes off and wading:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellythumb.jpg
At this point we were 8 miles up the trail and decided this would be a good place to stop, swim and
take a nice break. And then we found the best treat:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/berries.jpg the elusive huckleberry!!!! A northwest
treat, relative of the blue berry, only grows in the wild, and there was a huge grove. We had
nothing to put them in, so we just ate a bunch and then headed back down.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/berries3.jpg
The return was a lot slower than you would think, due to the narrowness of the single track and the
necessity of maintaining that line. On the exposed section, I got some pretty serious vertigo (first
time ever) and had to really focus.
To me this is the kind of mountain biking I dream of... exploring in the mountains and having a
great day.
We woke up Sunday to much needed rain, and decided to take the long way home... about 60 miles of
dirt road west to a little town called Elk City. I wish I had taken a photo of the building we
passed, " Elk City Redneck Club, NO Women Allowed" what a hoot... only in Idaho...
For you Idaho-types, we were in the area north/east of Dworshak reservoir, on the N. Fork Clearwater
and some of it's tributaries.
Penny
weekend. Friday morning we loaded up the bikes, the camping gear, the Idaho Gazetteer, a hiking
guide and the Clearwater NF map, NF trail guide and travel ( restrictions) list, and off we went.
Destination... Clearwater Mountains and the Bitterroot Divide,(Id/MT stateline) just for an
explore. This is L&C country, we were just a few mile north of where the Corps actually crossed the
mountains here.
The goal was to find some nice biking, and we did, using the new edition of "101 hikes in the Inland
NW " as our guide.
This area is part of the proposed Great Burn Wilderness. There was a huge first in 1910 that burned
a significant amount of Idaho ( from here down to McCall). There is a lot of restrictions, but
mainly it's to keep the ATVs at bay, which have be come a real problem. We were very pleased to find
that the Goose Creek trail had been re-opened to bikes, closed to all other vehicles...The trail is
well used by stock, but this forest has seems to have a great trail crew; it was in great condition.
Lovely moderate grade single track through a dark forest, through occasional clearings waist deep in
wildflowers. Then, the trail opens out into a beautiful high meadow. We startled a grazing bull elk,
huge and with a full rack, up in the meadow. As it was getting late, we didn't go the last two miles
up to the lake, where it connects with the Stateline trail that follows the actual divide.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/goosecrk1.jpg
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/goosecrk2.jpg
Next morning we packed up and headed for Kelly Creek to check out another ride. The creek is known
world wide for it's catch and release bull trout, but that's now what we were there for. Based on
the trail write-up ( for hikers) we envisioned a nice river grade single track, and that is sort of
what we got. River grade, yes... easy, er well sort of. The trail is some places has a lot of
exposure. In other places, the single track is really, uh.. single. Just wider than pedal width, and
older and well used, worn to below surface level. Meaning, you have to really pay attention to your
line at all times, otherwise you hit the side of the trail which knocks the front wheel into the
other side of the trail. In places the vegetation is incredibly thick. Not due to lack of trail use,
but just from being in Idaho: lush and green and thick. At times, we would be riding through places
where everything was eye level, and the plants are just whapping at your spokes. It was so thick you
couldn't see the side of this deep narrow trail, so again, hold that line... Sometimes the alder
bushes would push you to one side, or they would hide rocks. But we pushed on. You couldn't really
go very fast as it was windy and narrow.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellycrk1.jpg
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellycrk2.jpg
Eventually the trail closed in on a deep forested canyon, and we came out in a lovely meadow. There
had been lots of creek crossings, but this one required shoes off and wading:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/kellythumb.jpg
At this point we were 8 miles up the trail and decided this would be a good place to stop, swim and
take a nice break. And then we found the best treat:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/berries.jpg the elusive huckleberry!!!! A northwest
treat, relative of the blue berry, only grows in the wild, and there was a huge grove. We had
nothing to put them in, so we just ate a bunch and then headed back down.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/bike/ID/berries3.jpg
The return was a lot slower than you would think, due to the narrowness of the single track and the
necessity of maintaining that line. On the exposed section, I got some pretty serious vertigo (first
time ever) and had to really focus.
To me this is the kind of mountain biking I dream of... exploring in the mountains and having a
great day.
We woke up Sunday to much needed rain, and decided to take the long way home... about 60 miles of
dirt road west to a little town called Elk City. I wish I had taken a photo of the building we
passed, " Elk City Redneck Club, NO Women Allowed" what a hoot... only in Idaho...
For you Idaho-types, we were in the area north/east of Dworshak reservoir, on the N. Fork Clearwater
and some of it's tributaries.
Penny
