Teanaway, Part II

Part I was a truncated ride up Miller Peak, which is chronicled here:

Digging Deep on Miller Peak

One week later, and much convalesced, we headed back into the Teanaway to get some more mileage in this beautiful area before the snows shut things down. We decided on a counterclockwise ride of what is known as the "5 Drainages" ride. Most people do it in a clockwise direction to take advantage of the beautiful, buff trail descending 1,800' down the Eldorado Creek drainage. Mike, however, had heard that counterclockwise would set us up for a beautiful 3,100' descent. An early start from the West Side found us in Cle Elum well before first light; we camped out in the Pioneer Coffee Roasting Co. and sipped mexican mochas until the sky started to get light.

The fall colors were even more brilliant than the previous week, but the weather looked even better. We were off by 0800, after Mike set up his 2007 Specialized Enduro rental bike for me to try out. The nine road miles cruised by and we started up the Eldorado Creek trail; most of it is 'hike-a-bike' so, we consigned ourselves to pushing. We rode where we could and, once I got the feel of it, the '07 Enduro climbed very well. I was very impressed with the ProPedal adjustment on the Fox DHX Air Shock. As we climbed higher, the scenery got better and better: the trees opened up, the ridges and snowcapped peaks rose up around us, and the beautiful, rust-red volcanic rock of the Teanaway began to appear. Suddenly, we were at the saddle and could see down into the Beverly Creek Drainage, North to the Stuart Range and the Enchantments, and West to the heart of the Central Cascades.

As a sidetrip (unintended), we pushed our bikes to the summit of Iron Peak's second summit (6,510'). We found a register, placed by the Mountaineers, at the high point, and then got set up for the descent. The descent back to the saddle was interesting, mostly for the surroundings and position in the high alpine. After some videography, we dropped into the drainage and started the good-ness. The upper third, or half even, of this trail is no slouch of a descent; you can't just point it straight and go. There are 'babyheads', sharp jogs, and other potential day-killers along the way that keep you on your toes and your brakes. One thing I had noticed is that the beefy build, and stiff front hub, of the '07 Enduro rolled through (and over) stuff that would have collapsed my '04 Enduro. This was a whole new All-Mountain weapon.

After crossing two huge scree fields, the trail finally started to buff up, as it entered the lower-elevation forest. It was then that I finally started to get comfortable with the '07 Enduro. I was able to get low and stuff it into corners in ways I could never have done on my '04. The beefier, stiffer components, the larger brake rotors, and the altered geometry lent more confidence when attacking things straight on. It truly is a great bikel; Specialized definitely has the formula, in my opinion. As we descended lower, the trail began to open up and we rocketed towards to trailhead. In the end, we cut the overall ride short due to all the filming, and such, that we did. It didn't matter, though, as it was a great day in the mountains, and a great close to the high alpine riding for the season.

For those who lack reading skills, here is a media interpretation of the above account: Iron Peak/Beverly Creek

Icicle Ridge Ride

Having climbed in the Icicle Canyon, outside of Leavenworth, WA, for the past seven years, I have had ample opportunity to stare up at the heights of Icicle Ridge and wonder. Other objectives always kept me from just hiking up the ridge and checking it out. Touted as one of the great, classic mountain bike rides in the area (if not the State), I finally decided to have a go at it.

Mike and I met up with Stefan at the North Bend Starbucks and headed out. Coming down off of Blewett Pass, the thermometer in Mike's truck was still reading in the low 30's. We were not sure about the conditions so, we had packed for a little bit of everything. Once the ridge came into view, we could see there was no snow; we were good to go. We parked at the Icicle Ridge Trailhead, where we would come out, and started up the road. I was all for taking a relaxed pace, to save energy for the descent; Stefan had a different idea of "relaxed" and pulled away. He proved to be a very strong climber, and a good guy to have along for the day.

The ride starts, and ends, at 1,200'; the top of the ridge is at 6,800'. We gained 1,200' on the eight mile road ride. The five mile "hike-a-bike" up the trail would bring us the remaining 4,400' of elevation gain to the ridgetop. A strong climber can ride probably half of the trail. Since we wanted to conserve energy for the descent, Mike and I adopted the "slow and steady wins the race" philosophy. Still, we kept a fairly decent pace, taking occasional breaks and pushing/carrying our bikes. As we got higher, the mountains of the Stuart Range and the Enchantment Lakes area began to rear up. As we pushed on to 6,800', the view South towards the Enchantment Plateau continued to open up.

Nearing the top of the ridge, we could see the trees covered in hoarfrost. It was a beautiful sight. We regrouped, and got ready for the descent. Mike got the helmet cam set up, and we took off. At this point, I realized that the term "ridge" is almost a misnomer; it was more of a broad plateau. The ride moves through several sections of burned forest, alpine meadows, and green forest. The ridge traverse, before the true "descent", is a significant ride in and of itself. I would divide this ride into three distinct, and significant portions: the climb, the traverse, and the descent. Obviously, one could say this about almost any ride. The difference, for me, was the scale of each piece.

At the far end of the traverse, we stopped for a bite before beginning the descent. Once we started, the smiles didn't stop until we were back at the car. Rocky 'downhill lite' sections, tight switchbacks, and buff sidehill runs, kept dropping beneath our front wheels as we rode. Finally, the Pines started getting taller and the trail started getting smoother and more populated. Fun riding all the way to the car. We hit the parking lot just shy of seven hours. We took our time to film certain areas and take pictures. This was a ride we truly wanted to savor.