We set off from Rock Creek Campground in the Yacolt Burn State Forest to cover approximately 106 miles and 13,000 feet of climbing over 3 long days.
Bikepacking never goes as planned, having a bailout or backup plan is always a good idea, such in our case.
Day two was going to be tough, so we headed out for an early start to get to Yale Lake before sundown.
Our route took us on the Siouxon Trail, but we first had to traverse a goat trail and then descend an extremely steep slope trying to keep our bikes from careening down the hillside with us. After many hours of hike a biking we made it to the bottom of the Horseshoe Ridge Trail to Siouxon Creek
Taking a break along Siouxon Creek to grab lunch and dry our gear from the heavy rains we encountered the first night was a good idea and provided the mental break we all needed at this point. We created a new plan where we would camp that night even though the loamy trails and fuzzy trees with moss were really inviting.
We pushed on for a couple more hours to get our spirits lifted. At this point one of the group had to drop out, and then there were four.
The only mechanical was a gashed sidewall on a new tire.
We decided to camp along an old abandoned road just at the base of what would become the steepest climb on the route the following day. The four of us settled into camp and had a nice evening hanging out telling stories and passing around the whiskey.
The third day started out cold with all of the overnight dew freezing on everything exposed to the elements overnight. The first hill from camp was the toughest.
We rose early to a 30º morning jonesing for the warmth of the sun.
Mt. St Helens in the background
Hunger after a trip of this magnitude compounds as you get closer to finishing. We decided burgers and shakes were in order, so we headed to Old Town Burger in Battle Ground, WA. We finally had a chance to talk about our trip and made the decision to start planning the next adventure.Photo contributions and a special thanks to CR, SB, CB and DF for coming along for the fun and not so much fun.
Todd Shank is an avid cyclist who moved to the PNW 16 years ago. 3 years ago he became the owner of Salmon Creek Cycle Co in Vancouver, WA. Be sure to stop by his bikepacking bike shop if you are in the neighborhood.
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