A great companion and perfect weather converged to make a two day mountain biking trip on the McKenzie River Trial a fantastic tour of sorts. Deciding at ten O'clock the night before leaving Briana and I decided two days of biking along the McKenzie River would be a suitable way to escape town together one more time before I leave for the year and also fitting as we had gone on our first trip together in the Fall on the McKenzie River.
Catching bus 91 at 8:30 in the morning on Saturday we joined the ranks of like minded folks hefting large packs, though we seemed to be the only ones combining over night essentials and two wheels instead of rugged boots and trekking poles.
A very informal trailhead awaits hikers and bikers at the trailhead and immediately links them into the rhythm of the McKenzie Trail. No part of it is straight for too long and gorgeous views of the river and encapsulating forest make focusing on the trail in front of you utterly difficult. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it means the trail is exhilarating enough to require your full attention. Some trails tend to be too technical with massive rocks or roots hampering any attempt at constant motion, while other trails are just boring without any variants to spice things up. Those trails right in between with a mixture of both have a sense of Flow which is perfect for riding. The McKenzie Trail is one such trail an at 26.5 miles the flow that comes seems never ending.
Carrying more than a day's worth of gear uphill the first day proved to be a task that left us pretty tuckered by the time we set up our tent off trail and a little ways up the Smith River. A Small tributary of the McKenzie River the Smith is a great little river and on a large gravel bar we found a flat spot just big enough for a tent. We were seemingly immersed in the Smith River with it running past us on two sides and it creates perfect spots for us to sleep and cook. We were camped relatively close to a public campground where seemingly all thing internal combsustion related were celebrated. We investigated its fresh water supply and snuck glimpses of how the other half enjoys the outdoors without sacrificing the modern amenities of home. After realizing we weren't missing out on anything by not being amongst the big trucks, RV's, and noisy generators we returned to our own camp in the woods to cook some dinner and enjoy each others company before falling asleep beneath a clear sky.
We lazily awoke the next morning and set out on a morning excursion farther up the trail leaving a majority of our gear behind. The trail caught more technical and the mixture of blocky obsidian rocks in the trail and the continued climb made progress slow so we stashed the bikes and hiked on a bit more. After having lunch at a pool where the river re-emerges from underground we began our descent first to our bikes, then down to where we left our tent, sleeping bags, cook ware, etc. and continued descending all the way back to the ranger station and bus stop.
Along the way I started thinking how carrying all this stuff first seeped into the way I thought about ski trips and now I was carrying it all on bike rides. Everything I do, I concluded, is an attempt to combine passions and make my life as much of an outdoor trip as possible. Having hiked the McKenzie by myself Trail a couple times before I also realized how important good company is to having a good trip, and for this trip I couldn't have asked for better company.
check out my picasa page here; http://picasaweb.google.com/fredachi to see all the pictures from the weekend.
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