Cranking over to Truckee last Friday, at least at first, made me think I couldn’t do it, but later, rocking a swing-bike at the park in Truckee, my legs felt great, my lungs spry, and I remembered a quote from a Ian Fleming novel I read years ago: “worry is a dividend paid to disaster before it is due,” thought in the adrenalin addled brain of James Bond himself.
Next Sunday is my birthday…
Taking a page from the illustrious Sphincterboy, Japhy Rider, Flux Burner, Reedster (whom I regret to have missed this week), Smithers (seen here touring Saline Valley in Sandals), PJ, and (hell) Bilbo freaking Baggins, I’m going to do something I’ve wanted to do for over a year now and finally have the stones to make an attempt.
I give you, The Great Mount Rose Loop Race, iteration #1. To include, but not limited to: Steamboat Ditch trail, Dog Valley/Henness Pass Road, The Commemorative Emigrant Trail, Sawtooth Trail, Sawtooth Road, Foberboard Freeway, Tahoe Rim Trail, Old Mt. Rose Highway, Sky Tavern, Galena Creek, White’s Creek and Thomas Creek Trail. Race is Saturday 8-11-2007 @ 6:00 AM SHARP leaving from Brick Park in Reno, Nevada. followed by a BBQ @ my house on Sunday the 12th.
All are invited to join me on part or all of this quest, but my intention is to run this like the Great Divide Race. No fees, no rules, no support, no glory, and I’m in it to win it.
-M
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are you deadset on your route? if not, i know a real exciting way down N Fork Grey’s Ck…
not sure if i’ll make it. that’s right before the Sage, and i may need to chill out. on the other hand, it may be a fun warmer upperer.
via con fuerte!
I am, but the rules of the GMRLR state only that the Wilderness must not be encroached and that a burrito be eaten @ T’s, so I’ll see you in Truckee for 2-for-1 hostess donuts @ 7-11!
-M
Just because I don’t post, doesn’t mean I don’t read. I make no promises in keeping up with you mountains of muscle, but I’d like to give it a go and build in a rescue operation if needed. Doesn’t every ride need a token chic? Shredder, don’t leave me stranded….you’ll be the chic.
Every ride needs a chic a to keep the boys in their place - there are no tokens. Actually, F’ all that, we ride to have fun with like minded cool people, period! Here are my issues (some real, others imagined). 1) I will be getting back late from a week away the night before this enduro and unlikely to get up, let alone feel up for this. 2) I will be “competing” in a solo singlespeed 24hr event the following weekend - I think I will need my legs for that instead. 3) I’m going to a wedding we’ve all been waiting years to see and attend that same day - I can’t/won’t miss it.
Ya’ll have fun and ride hard. I’ll run sweep on my way back from Carson that evening and pick up any pieces I see on the side of the road.
God damn it, Wolfy. I was in shape for this shit about 2 months ago, but I’ve been walking around in the woods and plopping my ass in a Crazy Creek since June. I think I remember how to ride a bike, but my tender cheeks shudder at the thought of being tucked around a saddle for that many miles. God damn it. I’m just not convinced my backside moose knuckle is calloused enough. Plus, I’m a sissy. God damn it, Wolfy. I really want to do this. It’s going to be hot. God damn it. It’s going to be Loonng.
The 12th, huh? 6? Ouch.
No, the 11th @ 6AM. My birthday is the 12 and I want to sit around, drink beer and eat hamburgers then.
Just got back from a 13.5 hour (car to car) ascent of Bear Creek Spire. I felt great on the way down; felt like I could do this ride. Maybe I can’t. But maybe I can!!!
-M
Awesome! I’ve been wanting to do Bear Creek for a while. It’s definitely in a beautiful spot. Nice work on the car-to-car time.
I promise I’ll work on the reading comprehension skills. You did, after all, say the 11th like, oh, 14 times. Guess I’m just a day ahead of everyone else .. . as usual.
So, did you count miles for this ride? Is there a bail-out plan in case folks decide at some point that they’ve earned their beer (or their moose knuckles are raw) and it’s time to go home?
McD has a good point about the N. Fork Gray’s Creek. Sounds like we’d be doing it as an uphill instead of down, but this would be a super-cool variation, a bit of exploration, and would save mucho miles without sacrificing much in the way of high-value bike-stud cred.
I’ve done the Mogul-Dog Valley-Stampede-Emigrant-Glenshire-and-back route before. All good til you get to the 89 bridge. 89 bridge to Donner Camp is fun if you’re just doing Emigrant, but a pain if you’re doing a big ride. And the stretch from Donner Camp over to Martis Valley/bottom of Sawtooth is a LOT longer feeling than it looks. Has much potential to be a soul-sucking, withering portion with far too many bail-out temptations. It’s a pretty direct shot from Stampede Road over to Hirschdale and Grey’s Creek. Once in that canyon, you’re pretty much committed. One other bonus, Grey’s Creek has pretty consistent (and clean!) water, eliminating the need to set a stash or carry H20 treatment. The stretch from Sawtooth to Relay Ridge is pretty dry. What water is there, is pretty funky by this time of the season.
If you’re open to checking out the Grey’s Creek option, then I’m pretty sure I’m in. If you’re committed to hooking up with Sawtooth and then climbing up Rose from there, I think I’ll have to bow out. That’s too much cookie for me to get my little paws around.
localcrew
I’m not sure about mileage, but I’m borrowing a gps from the Kangdiggity so I’ll post the stats on Monday. And when you want to bail out, find a phone and call someone who owes you a favor.
How would you get through to Relay Ridge? from Sawtooth? My plan was to ride out the TRT a ways from Brockway and look for a dirt road bailing back towards the incline before the Wilderness. Is there another route to Relay from Brockway? I’ll probably have to do a little pavement through there.
That ride from sawtooth to Donner Camp only took 20 - 30 minutes on the SS a couple weeks ago.
All I’ve heard about JR’s Garson road/Gray’s creek route makes it sound like a hike. I would like to explore that area another time.
For water, my plan was to fill up @ Stampede campground, 7-11, watson lake (purify), Incline Village, and Galena Park.
M
Alright, hombre. Godspeed to you, my friend. Count me out. Too much pavement, and the suffer to stimulation quotient is a bit high for my lame self.
JR’s route includes Garson? Yeah, there’d be some hiking. FYI, Steamboat Ditch to Garson and/or Verdi isn’t happening. It’s closed (private property) just after that little patch of green grass immediately to the east of Belli Ranch. Bailing there requires a quick blast through private property, down to the Sierra Pacific bridge there by Powerhouse Rapid.
To get to Gray’s, I was thinking Dog Valley to Emigrant to Donner Camp to Hirschdale to Grey’s.
Yep, Rim trail to Relay can be done on the TRT. You don’t hit wilderness ’til you get to Relay ridge, and there’s an alt route for bikes. Though it sounds like you’re thinking of staying low between Brockway and Relay (topping off H20 in Incline?). Yeow! That’s where you lost me. Reno to Donner Camp and back is tough enough (60 miles), but there’s not really that much climbing. I don’t think my pills are big enough to handle all that extra mileage PLUS a whole LOT of extra climbing.
Vaya con queso (and bacon) you big stud. Maybe I’ll join you for a part of it. I’ll let you know. You got me pretty interested, and I’ve been wanting to check out that Grey’s trail since I heard about it last year. Alas .. . I just lack the sack to commit to the attack.
there is no trail in Grey’s Ck. i was being facetious. it took me 7 hours to carry my loaded touring rig down the north fork to the Truckee, including some sketchy fords, class 4 with the bike in parts.
a much more viable and enjoyable route worth exploring is up Garson Grade and down Bronco Ck to Floriston, then upstream along the tracks to Grey’s Ck and jumping on the roads from there.
have fun out there! we’ll be whoopin’ it up at the Kuchi wedding’
J.r.
Well, on top of being sackless, I’m dumb. Just goes to show ya . . .
BUT! In my defense, I’ll reference this here OH-fish-all USGS topographical cartographic depiction of said terrain, and damn if it doesn’t have a little trail there down the full length of the East Fork Gray Creek drainage. Just spoke to a guy a couple months back who was raving about doing that ride, too. Who knows, maybe he was stoned and confused. He did say he lived on West Shore.
Sorry to hear about your sufferfest, J.R. If there’s a man-chine out there who can handle it, it’s your bad ass. The alt recommendation does indeed sound tasty. I’ve run part of that before, but never been down in the lower stretches of Bronco. Might have to check that out . . .
kisses to all
localc
that sounds like the map i studied when i should’a been a workin’… N. Fk of Grey’s Ck had a nice pack trail from the top to the bottom. a little ground truthin’ proved that it had a reasonable historic trail into the headwaters, then nothin but an ancient camp site (dutch oven, percolator, willow and stinging nettle covered tent pads along the creek) and angle-of-repose talus and sketchy boot packing, portages, and Adventure to the Truckee. on more than one occasion i stopped carrying my bicycle, took it apart, and climbed to higher ground with it one piece at a time.
east fork? maybe wayway high up, connector to the TRT NW of Martis… hook it up to the N. Fork? now that sounds like adventure biking! let’s go!!! you bring the beer and bacon, i’m there.
J.r.