A mountain bike ride and short hike to the summit of Eagle Nest.
- August 11, 2018
- Team: Dave
- Peak:
- Eagle Nest, 7646'
- 18.1 miles, 3:29 hours, 3655' gain car-to-car. Class 2
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
I had read SuperDave's trip report (Idaho Alpine Zone link, above), and heard or read about the Eagle Nest mountain bike ride. Being a sucker for punishment, I put the two together. So after about an hour of climbing, I turned right (opposite the traditional mountain bike ride) an proceeded up the ridge. A stronger rider might have had to do less pushing, but overall I'm sure I made better time than a hiker. After a bit, the GPS said I had 0.6 miles to go. At what must have been about 0.8, I was having fun but decided to check the GPS anyway... ooops! So I ditched the bike and started my hike. It was only about 400' of gain, so I was soon nearing the top. |
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I was expecting to have to search out the lookout, but it's so big as to be extremely obvious. |
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And there is the actual summit. |
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I don't recommend rock climbing in cycling shoes. Actually, I don't recommend even hiking in them!
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Summit. My helmet was back at the bike, but I had left the bandanna on in lieu of a hat. |
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| Sadly, it was quite smoky and views were pretty much nil. This, believe it or not, is Cascade. |  |
With no views to keep my interest, I walked around the summit area and looked at the debris. Here's the remains of a cabin, with some old bed springs as accent. |
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| Then it was time for the descent trail. As advertised, it's a fun ride. If I were to do this again, I would follow the ascent road (FS400) about 4 miles past the "trailhead" to pick up the upper trail, then ride the whole enchilada. That upper trail involves some up and down, plus it's a little more technical. Big fun. Map
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