{"id":4453,"date":"2025-05-19T22:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T22:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrisrivard.com\/?p=4453"},"modified":"2025-05-19T22:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T22:12:09","slug":"late-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisrivard.com\/blog\/late-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s been a busy spring with winter hanging on with a mighty grip. Hood had fresh snow last weekend which should extend the skiing into June. My riding has been ticking up as a carry over from last year when I finally discovered all of the amazing cycling opportunities in the region. Some I can ride to from home, some accessed with a short drive in order to eliminate riding through busier streets. It’s been a lot of fun to get back on the bike for some long rides in the Gorge or west of Portland closer to the coast range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was deep in the Gorge last weekend near Larch Mountain on a solo mission following a course through some of the more remote parts of Bridal Veil creek. 5 miles up a logging road the trail abruptly ended at a tangle of downed trees, dense undergrowth and steep drainage on both sides. I was miles from nowhere going in circles, carrying my bike, jumping logs, walking in the creek bed with water up to my shins looking for a trail. I was wearing bib shorts, a synthetic t-shirt base, cycling jersey, summer arm warmers and an anorak shell to trap in the warmth. It was raining and my legs were getting scraped up from the briars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s in these moments when you find out some truths about yourself. I ran through all possible scenarios. Continue forward into the unknown: maybe I’ll find the continuation of the trail. Turn around and ride back the way I came (the easy way out). I had 3 gels remaining – about 500 calories. I had a liter of water in my hydration vest, I was warm enough while moving. I didn’t have any way to make a fire, but probably couldn’t because of the rain. I was thinking about people who hike off into the rain forests in Hawaii never to be seen again. If I break a leg off trail, things could get serious. I had no cell signal – but saw that my phone could send an emergency message via satellite. I was studying GaiaGPS on my phone to see if I was anywhere near the trail (there was no trail in Gaia). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I kept going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I continued to jump logs, passing my bike over, then climbing over and down. Kicking steps into deep moss to follow what looked like a steep logging grade. It wasn’t. I climbed back down, lowering my bike ahead of me. I continued walking through the creek and up the drainage and saw ahead of me a rise to a flat area. Relief. I was confident it was the continuation of the road. It wasn’t. Keep going. I was able to make out a narrow overgrown path of rocks and followed that – continuing to get further away from where I started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I estimated I had 5 hours of daylight remaining — some cushion in case I needed to reverse course. I knew I could confidently follow my course backwards. After shuffling along and pushing my bike next to me I crested another small rise and saw a pile of boulders. This was the other terminus where the road continued. Spicy. I think if I was with others they would have protested and wanted to turn around. My grimmest thought was that if I perish here, I would just be absorbed into the forest. There are worse ways to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another 2 miles up a forest road I overtook a hiker jogging on the road, I pulled up beside and said, “I just got really lost”. He asked where I started. Dabney Rec area, I told him. I still had miles left to ride to get back to the van. But I wasn’t lost anymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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