REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Sawtooth Epic Loop 6-24-06

7005 Views 34 Replies 14 Participants Last post by SRR, Oct 16, 2006

gearz

Discussion Starter · Jun 26, 2006 (Edited)

6

Bet you've never done this ride before.

Four intrepid riders rode Pinchflat's Sawtooth Loop Saturday. This CW Loop begins at Big Creek Campground off Skate Creek Road near Ashford.

Green Trails Randle Map 301

Ride stats: 33 mi. / 5900' climbing / a few blowdown / a few snowpatches / a few gu /

Here's YP on the Allen Mt. Trail

Short road section between Towhead Gap and Big Creek Trail. Check out High Rock Lookout above on High Rock.

Quick rest stop on Big Creek Trail. Monte observes while Pinchflat screws his 40# Uzzi with the Z1 back together...

Granite Lake from Teeley Creek Trail

Seven hours into the ride Pinchflat is in heaven, YP looks a little pooped and Monte is hiding behind the Osborne Mt. Trail sign. The incredible Osborn Mt. downhill begins here and ends right at Big Creek Campground. SWEET DOWNHILL :thumbsup:

Overall, I enjoyed the ride. It's pretty strenuous, a Zilly epic for sure but in a good way. Not the greatest ride I've ever done but the Osborne Mt. downhill is superb. Ludicrous Speed for sure!

You should have come along Bruiser!

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1 - 20 of 35 Posts

Borneo

· #2 · Jun 26, 2006

Dangit! Looks great Gearz. All I got was a 2 hour tround trip on Skookum/White River this weekend. Making up for it the next one though. :thumbsup:

YP? I'll have to ask him about that one. Sure looks pooped out though. These rides remind me of Len and Art's "Chain of Epics" and it does look like you could easily spend a week down there.

Going to clear up the other corner of the state first.....

Yes, I think Bruiser would approve.

HappyTrails

· #3 · Jun 26, 2006

all tuckered out....

Pooped? That is an understatment. I think what kept me going, instead of taking one of the "bail outs" , was the fact that Gearz kept me telling me it's only another 400 feet of climbing or in my case pushing. I thought I would do better and now I wonder if it was just an off day. Because I am not very sore and usually that's a good guage for how big of a ride it was for me. In fact, the day after I woke up 6am and started laying 50lb sheets of underlayment for a new floor I am putting in. Anyway, it was a wake up call that those 2-3 hour road rides are not doing the trick. :>)

Anyway, all except for the 10 mile road ride I actually liked it. I would even do it again in about three years. ;>)

Dave_schuldt

· #4 · Jun 27, 2006

That looks like a great ride. How much tech does it have? For a big ride like that I don't like much tech. Thought about signing up but decided to go skiing instead. I would like to do it when it's not so hot.

numbuhio

· #5 · Jun 27, 2006

Ludicrous Speed for sure!

You keep mentioning this. Last time I saw this come up someone's knickers got in a bunch. I sense backlash and that someone's angry.

Hehe

Skookum

· #6 · Jun 27, 2006

Outstanding, this was an area i was looking forward to exploring myself. Definately won't be going the long route, but i'm really looking forward to getting some of that descent off of Osborne. Did you guys take a dip in any of those lakes you passed or was it too buggy?

gearz

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 27, 2006

Dave_schuldt said:
That looks like a great ride. How much tech does it have? For a big ride like that I don't like much tech. Thought about signing up but decided to go skiing instead. I would like to do it when it's not so hot.

For the most part I would say the ride isn't very techy. The Osborne Mt. descent is smooth, flowy and fast.

gearz

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 27, 2006

Skookum said:
Outstanding, this was an area i was looking forward to exploring myself. Definately won't be going the long route, but i'm really looking forward to getting some of that descent off of Osborne. Did you guys take a dip in any of those lakes you passed or was it too buggy?

What's wrong with the longer route?

Just do the Poffenbarger 'Osborne Mt'. ride. That will get you up to Towhead Pass via 12 miles of easy road (FR85) then follow the singletrack around the Sawtooth past the Lakes to Osborne and the amazing LS DH. You got to love what Poffenbarger says about this ride in his book-- " ...is Osborne Mt, where mountain bikers can expect to get one of the most difficult rides of their cycling careers."

Huh?

We didn't swim in any of the Lakes, we really didn't have the time. No bugs at all.

Bruiser

· #9 · Jun 27, 2006

gearz said:
Ride stats: 33 mi. / 5900' climbing / a few blowdown / a few snowpatches / a few gu /

No High Rock Lookout? I was looking forward to your pics from the old lookout, to see if the view from the top would make it a worthwhile side trip... Pics you posted look very, very cool though.

It's a good thing I didn't tug along, or else I would have stretched the trip by a couple of hours for sure, or worse, having to be picked up by the side of the road after bailing out!

Would still like to do the ride, but I'd probably skip the initial road piece and make it a 20+ mile point to point ride. Maybe that way, I'd have some energy left to take a hike up to the lookout

Skookum

· #10 · Jun 28, 2006

Bruiser said:
No High Rock Lookout? I was looking forward to your pics from the old lookout, to see if the view from the top would make it a worthwhile side trip... Pics you posted look very, very cool though.

That's why when i do it, i'm going the "easy" way.

i'm always a sucker for viewpoints, i'm quite positive you'll be able to get a splendid view up there...

ACree

· #11 · Jun 28, 2006

"easy" way? is there a different route that PF has been keeping secret?

Monte

· #12 · Jun 28, 2006

Bruiser said:
No High Rock Lookout? I was looking forward to your pics from the old lookout, to see if the view from the top would make it a worthwhile side trip... Pics you posted look very, very cool though.

It's a good thing I didn't tug along, or else I would have stretched the trip by a couple of hours for sure, or worse, having to be picked up by the side of the road after bailing out!

Would still like to do the ride, but I'd probably skip the initial road piece and make it a 20+ mile point to point ride. Maybe that way, I'd have some energy left to take a hike up to the lookout

We wanted to climb to the lookout, but there were lots of people getting ready to head up the trail. We were going to do the lookout then go down the road and shortcut into the downhill, instead we opted for continuing on, too many hikers.

Monte

gearz

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 28, 2006

Easy way?

ACree said:
"easy" way? is there a different route that PF has been keeping secret?

He's talking shuttle....:nono:

spargy

· #14 · Jun 28, 2006

Skookum said:
That's why when i do it, i'm going the "easy" way. i'm always a sucker for viewpoints, i'm quite positive you'll be able to get a splendid view up there...

The view from High Rock is second to none, not mention the sensation one get's when performing Titanic's "king of the world" maneuver from the peak in front of the lookout building...

Skookum

· #15 · Jun 29, 2006

gearz said:
He's talking shuttle....:nono:

Shuttle is too dangerous...

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spargy

· #16 · Jun 29, 2006

Skookum said:
Shuttle is too dangerous...

...yeah, you might just want to have someone drop you off in a car or truck.

Skookum

· #17 · Aug 12, 2006

6

It's funny even after many years and many rides i can be such a dumbass sometimes.

Have a day off, well lets go check out a trail i've never done solo. Wasn't too bad of an idea really but procrastination got me to the trailhead around 3 in the afternoon. Not a good idea.

Nice truck

Was a nice easy forest road climb up about 12 miles or so, up from 1800' to 4100'. Seemed like i was making pretty good time so second dumb thing i did was decide to hike on up a mile and a half spur trail called High Rock.

i have heard how scenic the view is from up top. i ran into a cloud around 3900 feet so the rusty wheels in my skull were spinnin. i thought to myself, "damn the top is at 5600' how frikkin cool would it be if it was just enough to be on top of the cloud, i could see Rainier, Adams, St. Helens all peeking out of the clouds like they were floating!"

So up i went..... but the stupid cloud was bigger that i had hoped.

oh well so i took some pics.

There was a makeshift register in the firewatch lookout house up top. So i signed in...

Then after dinking around i looked at my phone and saw it was 6:30. DOH! i had 2 hours of good daylight left, 1.5 miles of forest road, and over 12 miles of singletrack left. i knew i was hosed, i suppose the safe bet would be just to bomb back down where i came, but that would have sucked. So i started flying. The trail climbed a bunch, was overgrown in spots, a suprising amount of gnarly blowdown/deadfall. Was pretty damn cool with a bunch of awesome mountain lakes. But i didn't have any time to enjoy any of it.
After the lakes i had another 5 miles of singletrack left. The choicest morsels as well, in another 2.5 miles i would have a stretch that loses over 2000' feet of vert in 2.5 miles. But looking at the dark forest ahead i decided to finally be smart and take a spur trail out to a fast forest road descent.
30+ mph and bugs in my grill for about 9 miles or so....

Made it back to the car with no light to spare.

i shall return.....

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knobularlife

· #18 · Aug 12, 2006

You had me and the misses so worried:nono:

Skookum

· #19 · Aug 12, 2006

knobularlife said:
You had me and the misses so worried:nono:

You don't have to worry pal, i carry a space blanket i swiped from the shuttle. Yah if it had gotten too dark i was contemplating making it to one of the lakes, makin a little fire, and campin out. Wouldn't have been so bad, there was a flat clearing at both of em, and i would have probably just got off the mountain now after enjoying that twisty singletrack descent i jipped myself out of. But i suppose getting chewed up by bugs all night woulda sucked....

Monte

· #20 · Aug 13, 2006 (Edited)

So, did you do the ccw loop from Big Creek Campground to the lookout above Towhead Gap, then on to the lakes and down to Osborne Mt.? Bummer you missed the bottom of the Osborne Mt. ludicrous speed ripper.

Cool to see what the lookout look like, been to that trailhead twice now, haven't made it to the lookout yet. How was the trail to the lookout?

thanks for the rr,
Monte

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