WWR Day 14 15 16 Elk CityID to Darby MT on MacGruder corridor

WWR Day 14 Elk City to Poet Creek CG on MacGruder corridor

Thur Aug 8 2019

Distance 37.1

Start elevation 4010

End elevation 4990

High point  about 7025

Low point 4010

Climbing ~ 3800

Ride time 5:13

Total time about 6:15 

Days bike camping: 8

Contiguous days riding : 1

Well to day is departure day from Elk City , for both Glenda and I . It is also our parting as Glenda is heading the long 1200 mile journey back home, and I have a couple thousand plus laying in front of me.

She has been a champ, towing the trailer these past 4 weeks, parking and setting up camp while I ride, dealing with me as I stop in brewpubs and local/only bars in teenie tiny towns, and providing a nice smile when I need it. I couldn't do this sort of adventure with out her and I am truly grateful for her support and being a sport about it.

Well today dawned misty, with the sun providing background luminence the brightens the the air itself.

It has mostly burned off as we did our departure prep together. I start out of town just in front of the Dutch riders whose company we have enjoyed on our layover day in Elk City. The locals are both colorful and very friendly and welcom

ing. Their little town tucked way off the beaten track has outsize spirit and it has been cool to experience.

Have a scenic tour of the in town homes and the outlying properties as we climb over the divide from the American river to the Red River where we join pavement that lasts until the start of the infamous MacGruder Corridor- 113 mile of MaxGruder until the next town or any services at all. It is a corridor be cause the road is sandwiched between 2 wilderness areas; Selway Bitterroot  to the north and the Frank Church River of No Return to the south.

Then WWR info packet says that this is some of the most remote and grueling portions of the ride, with over 14000' of climbing in 90 miles on rough roads. Lot of riding up high (for Idaho) at 6000 to 8000 feet. I expect I will break out of the trees more on the section.

The first 14 miles is good gravel roads with friendly grades up until 14 miles CG. Then the nature of  the road gets rougher, more erosion and rocks, but grades are doable.

I crest 7000'  at 28 miles in - as high as I have been in a long time. It is all burned around here, but the open canopy allows me to see some rocky ridges coming up.

Rocky descent losing much of what have gained brings me to Poet Creek with it live and green trees and lively creek flowing through to serenade my dinner and sleep.

The Dutch riders are here too and we visit some more, chatting up tomorrows investment of our Chi, which appears will fullty tapped by the morrows several climbs ...

WWR Day 15 Poet Creek CG to Deep Creek CG on MacGruder corridor

Fri Aug  9 2019

Distance 42.5

Start elevation 4990

End elevation 4144

High point  about 8200

Low point 3747

Climbing ~ 5800'

Ride time 7:14

Total time about 8:40

Days bike camping: 9

Contiguous days riding : 2

Good morning on the MacGruder. Thunder chased me into the tent about dusk and rained a goodly portion of the night with the last shower about 6 AM.

After the morning bustle it is drying out a bit, I pack up and get ready to ride.

No dallying about as I start straight out with a stiff, rough 3000' climb. More burned mountains, which does give some views of other burned mountains, none very dramtic hills (only dramatic for my heart and lungs).

In the burned forest I often get distant views of the road going up and up over ridges and down to saddles.

The MacGruder seems to (anti) gravitate towards and along high ridge lines and then dive down to saddles. Contrast this to the earlier climbs being killer steep up to passes.

Passes , saddles, what the diff?

I think it is a pass if you climb up to it and a saddle if you climb down to it. I am wondering why the MacGruder is travelling along the high ridges - I can only speculate that was relatively flatter easier terrain for the CCC crews to build the road.

Well it is a long grind up that 3000' and a rocky 1000'  descent to another saddle  leads to the 2nd climb for the day of around 1200'. The Dutch riders catch up

at the top.

They stop for lunch a keep plugging away down another rough 1000' descent.

This leads to some rolling up and some down before the last climb of about 1000'.
The Dutch riders have left me an encouraging message at the top for today, over 8000' in elevation.

This descent the roughest yet, I really have to check my speed as I am concerned that terrain like this might lead to something breaking. I swoop through yet another saddle today and the road gets much better for the last 6 miles down to the Selway river.

The Selway is much smaller here but is still beautiful.

I follow it 4 miles up stream to the junction with Deep Creek and its basic CG.

It is a big day of climbing, even on a route with many climbs it is quite notable for amount  and the technical nature of the road.

The scenery is not that compelling either as the vast majority of the route is burnt over forest from the not too distant past. 

Camp with the Dutch riders again, we are all tired.

Deep Creek is noisy and I have a pool for bathing built right by my camp spot. Quite refreshing.

We again get chased into tents about dusk by thunder, lightning and rain.

WWR Day 16 Deep Creek CG on MacGruder corridor to Darby

Sat Aug  10, 2019

Distance 49.7

Start elevation 4144

End elevation 3891

High point  6587

Low point 3891

Climbing ~ 2800????

Ride time 5:39

Total time about 8:40

Days bike camping: 10

Contiguous days riding : 3

Another rainy night, and another big climb awaits.

Share the breakfast table with the Brams from Netherlands.

Road is good and reach pavement after about 6 miles. This section was paved in preparation for timber sales and logging prior to the 2 wilderness designations in 1980. Certainly eases the 8 mile 2000+ climb, but is was paved due to being steeper.

Little creeks enter as I climb, the forest tunnel continues with brief views through thinner trees around bends.

The climb is weighing on my mojo as the clouds fill in and it grows darker. I am surprisingly cool on the grunt up, despite the fact I am  (because of?) perspiring freely.

Nez Perce Pass is finally attained after about a 4 hour push. I enter Montana for the last time on this trip, bit I am not yet done with Idaho, nor is Idaho done with me!

It is paved on the Montana side as well for the steep setion and I am flying down, though I do need to pay attention to some loop to lips. Road turns to gravel as it flattens out and I have many enjoyable miles of following the the west fork of the Bitterroot River.

I gain hwy 93 and more mellow riding along the Bitterroot. A fly fisherman and then a lone raft is spotted on my way down amongst many nice homes and cabins on the river.

I pass the Trappers Peak view point and am impressed. Big jagged glacier carved tooth. More craggy mountains overlook the little burg of Darby.

I have finished segment 2 of the of the WWR. It is probably the most challenging, and I am quite physically tired, and a bit psyched out with all of he climbing through forest tunnels without views.

Segment 3  looks a *bit* less intimidating but still has a fair number of big 3000, 4000 ' climbs, but also goes through lots of small towns, including Sun Valley. 

Tomorrow I will rest and research the path forward, always forward, forward ever on