Truly a “mountain” bike…at Cutthroat Pass

I learned to ride singletrack on the sweeping bluffs of NE Iowa. While the network of trails around Decorah, IA were varied, fast, and full of solitude, they rarely offered views thanks to a dense deciduous cover. And until now, foothills in this mountainous West have been where my 2001 mtn bike has primarily traveled. 

For the past 7 weeks, Ive been interning at a Physical Therapy clinic where panoramic views of the Cascades and poster-size maps of nearby mtn bike trails hang on treatment room walls. My kind of place! The therapists spend their downtime reliving their last adventure or scheming their next one via Google Maps. Land use restrictions mean that bikes, motorbikes, or pack animals must stick to designated areas, most of which are a multiple hour drive away. While at said clinic, I learned of a trail open to bikes (and horses) that climbs into the alpine and is not that too terribly long of a drive.  I was met with rain the second I pulled into the trailhead and the wet continued for about half the climb. This, of course, meant that I had to chose whether to be wet from inside-out (sweating inside rain gear) or outside-in. I chose inside-out and by the time I got out of the trees, the rain stopped.

Then started at the Pass in earnest. (At which point I nearly bailed).

Then it stopped. (At which point I went on a little photo shooting scramble along and above the PCT…sans bike as they are not allowed).

Then it started.

Then this:

Oh, and the way down was a riot!!!

Riot definition…n: “An unrestrained outbreak, as of laughter or passions.”