Boys go Riding...

It was one of those weekends... 

September workflow was in overdrive.  Significant others are driving us crazy.  Weather forcing the end of the riding season.  Pressure mounting as our age starts to become a reality...... an escape is immanent.

Jaret, Ryan and I loaded up the bikes in the Johnson Family trailer and headed EAST.  We made it out to Salmon La Sac... an area outside of Roslyn, WA.... an area that Jaret Heard was excellent riding up into the Alpines. 

To put it lightly, Jaret is not what you would call a "Qualified Navigator".  First-off, he's color-blind, so he can't tell the difference between the "Hiking Trails", designated in Red..... and the "Biking Trails", designated in Green.  He probably spent a few hours identifying, printing and laminating our trail maps... but in the end, had a very difficult time deciphering them, due to his Red/Green deficiency.  (as a side note, he has no idea what color my dirtbike is.......... Its Red).

Needless to say, after a 2.5-hour drive out to our destination, we ended up starting our ride on - what was clearly - an impossible trail.  "Oh... maybe this isn't where the trail is", says Jaret.

After two-hours of IMPOSSIBLE trails, and another hour of pretending that we still had pride.... we decided to put the bikes back in the trailer and try for another destination.

"Guys..... wait...... look at the map here.  Does this look right to you...?  What if we go up the road here another mile..... it shows another trail-head that is supposed to take us to our same destination..... looks like it is a Green Trail for motorbikes".  Ryan convinces us all to try the other trail just up the road.

We unload the bikes after reaching the new trail park..... and clearly, we have reached the (originally) intended Trail Grounds.

Starting Point:  Somewhere just outside of Salmon La Sac... due North of Roslyn.
Destination:  Gallagher Head Lake... an Alpine lake, nestled in the highest peaks of the central Cascades.

The next 20-miles were some of the best that ANY of us have ever ridden.  20 creek crossings.  Steep single-track switchbacks.  High-Speed logging roads.  Intense mixtures of volcanic and riverbed rocks... with dirt ranging from crushed pebbled, to smooth and and damp silt.  Every imaginable condition.... perfect weather........... and in the end, we reached a beautiful lake that is only accesible by (extreme) off-road vehicles, or a hike-in.

Gallagher Head Lake was everything we could have dreamed it would be...... pristine.

We did a solid 40-miles on Sunday... on variably "Challenging" terrain.  And, in the end... we felt like men.  

...thats that whole point, right?

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