Day 5 – Is it resupply yet?

We’re running thin on food, but that’s pretty normal for us .  This section is the crux of the route, as far as carrying food goes.  Of course it would have been a lot more manageable without our extra-curricular activities, but then, that’s the point, right?

Fuji view of Waldo

Indeed, the extras were good today.  We started with a hike/run up Fuji Mountain.  It wasn’t quite a sunrise on Fuji, but we’ll take it.  Huge views of everything we’d covered…. and the unknowns ahead.

Then we proceeded to hike, with our bikes, on the Bunchgrass trail.  21 trees down in the first couple miles.  But good tread underneath, and downhill.  Ez pushed to continue at the first bailout, and the decision was quickly confirmed — fresh trailwork!  Tread work, and no trees down.

There may not have been trees down, but when we hit the burn area, we were reduced to 1mph, barely walkable trail.  Think super thick underbrush.

If you like riding a trail where there’s a very good chance you’ll crash, all the time.  That section is for you.  You have to use the force to feel the rocks, roots and most importantly… sticks and logs in the way.

Just as we were looking for the bailout, we heard chainsaws.  They were working on the bailout trail from Big Bunchgrass, and boy was our timing good.  We chatted with the crew boss who was stoked on our trip and that people were out using the trail.  It made the decision to bail super easy — no more trees cut out ahead.

At the bottom we were quickly and McCredie hot spring.  What a perfect respite and break from the day.  Lunch, soak, cool off in river.  Laze in the shade.

The sun is finally out, and we readied for the next section of FS roads.  It’s a funny thing, following a pre-planned red line on a GPS.  Almost as if there’s an invisible hand guiding you safely through the world.  A well-researched line.  Especially when it’s not your line, it feels that way.  I’m so far removed from my frantic route-making session that it almost feels like it’s someone else’s line.

Sometimes, of course, that invisible entity guiding you seems more like a malicious asshole that you must have pissed in a former life.  So it was when we sat at the bottom of Hill Creek, filling up with 3L water each, contemplating the 3600 foot climb.  What was I thinking?

But we got it done as the evening set in.  When the sun is out, this is the best time to ride.  Surprise views and waterfalls awaited us.  Hopefully a good singletrack awaits us as well.  Moon Point is on the menu, s upposedly #2 singletrack in the Oakridge area. We will eat singletrack for breakfast because we don’t have much else….