Willapa Hills Trail ride
Willapa Hills Trail bike ride.
A 56 mile trail of which 5-6 miles have been paved.
A 56 mile trail of which 5-6 miles have been paved.
Preparation: 1992 vintage Cannondale mountain bike with front shock and Performance seatpost rack 740 gm (1.63 lb.), an old Kirtland rack top trunk 227gm (8 oz.), a light (?) handlebar bag 212 (7.5 oz), Brooks Flyer Saddle (sprung!!), one bottle cage in the triangle. Another bottle cage would fit on the seat tube, but wouldn't fit a 24 oz bottle. I resolved to make a frame bag that would take both bottles, bikepacker style. I took two full 24 oz bottles of water with NUNN tablets, ten Clif bars, water purification drops, camera, a keyed cable lock, deLorme Explorer, minimal tool kit, a spare tube, more NUUN tablets. With no clothing on the bike, the bike and listed gear weighed 38 lb. Worn: an Osprey Synchro 15 backpack which I'd stuff with clothing shed as the earth warmed.
Itinerary: Bus from Aberdeen to Elma, another to Centralia and another to Chehalis arriving by 0953, then a short ride to the trailhead. After riding the trail, the last bus of the day from Raymond to Aberdeen at 1640.
The day of the ride, cold enough in the morning to require two or three layers and warm to 70 deg F (21 deg C) later. For the cold morning, I wore neoprene shoe covers over road shoes, two pair of leg warmers, cycling shorts, two short sleeve shirts, both thick and thin arm warmers, a Mont Bell light weight down jacket, Outdoor Research Helium II jacket, fleece neck gaiter, skull cap, mitten shells w/fleece liners and helmet. Later, everything came off but the shorts and one shirt.
Bus at 0730 to Elma ($1). From Elma, a bus to Centralia ($2). I skipped the bus to Chehalis & biked 6.1 miles to the trailhead to keep warm and saved a $1 bus fare.
At 0952 I rolled onto the trail. After 15.5 miles, a side trail led south to Rainbow Falls State Park, where one could camp to make a more leisurely trip than the one day event I'd planned. The little towns like Chehalis and Pe Ell are cute, but I had to pedal to catch the last bus home.
Two hours in, I'd passed the 20 mile marker--I worried that I'd miss the last bus to Aberdeen & have to stay overnight in Raymond. At 22 miles, I arrived at Pe Ell, a little town with a convenience store, where cash is king, if you're spending under $10. The Pe Ell trailhead has bathrooms & water from a fountain.
After mile 30-32, my progress went from slow to fast on a downhill on which I enjoyed mashing the pedals to gin up the speed. I shot a 50 second clip while riding--handheld (and mildly scary), as I hadn't worked out where to mount the imitation GoPro cam:
The trail crosses several creeks and ravines. Some crossings, with rotted or missing cross timbers, I judged a bit sketchy for riding across--I walked across most. Others had been rehabilitated, complete with concrete or pressed gravel surfaces and great for riding.
About 5 miles from US 101 in Raymond, I viewed a historical marker for a man who had died in 1855, days before he was to begin his westward migration.
One cannot fail to notice the silhouettes in Raymond, especially if travelling by bike or foot.
Ride stats:
I'd burned 2400 calories--I reveled in a 1000 calorie Grillburger meal at the Raymond Dairy Queen.
Bus back to Aberdeen 35 min and $0.50.
Gear epilogue.
Itinerary: Bus from Aberdeen to Elma, another to Centralia and another to Chehalis arriving by 0953, then a short ride to the trailhead. After riding the trail, the last bus of the day from Raymond to Aberdeen at 1640.
The day of the ride, cold enough in the morning to require two or three layers and warm to 70 deg F (21 deg C) later. For the cold morning, I wore neoprene shoe covers over road shoes, two pair of leg warmers, cycling shorts, two short sleeve shirts, both thick and thin arm warmers, a Mont Bell light weight down jacket, Outdoor Research Helium II jacket, fleece neck gaiter, skull cap, mitten shells w/fleece liners and helmet. Later, everything came off but the shorts and one shirt.
Bus at 0730 to Elma ($1). From Elma, a bus to Centralia ($2). I skipped the bus to Chehalis & biked 6.1 miles to the trailhead to keep warm and saved a $1 bus fare.
At 0952 I rolled onto the trail. After 15.5 miles, a side trail led south to Rainbow Falls State Park, where one could camp to make a more leisurely trip than the one day event I'd planned. The little towns like Chehalis and Pe Ell are cute, but I had to pedal to catch the last bus home.
| At the Adna Trailhead 4.5 miles from the Chehalis trailhead. |
Two hours in, I'd passed the 20 mile marker--I worried that I'd miss the last bus to Aberdeen & have to stay overnight in Raymond. At 22 miles, I arrived at Pe Ell, a little town with a convenience store, where cash is king, if you're spending under $10. The Pe Ell trailhead has bathrooms & water from a fountain.
After mile 30-32, my progress went from slow to fast on a downhill on which I enjoyed mashing the pedals to gin up the speed. I shot a 50 second clip while riding--handheld (and mildly scary), as I hadn't worked out where to mount the imitation GoPro cam:
The trail crosses several creeks and ravines. Some crossings, with rotted or missing cross timbers, I judged a bit sketchy for riding across--I walked across most. Others had been rehabilitated, complete with concrete or pressed gravel surfaces and great for riding.
 |
| Not safe! |
 |
| This crossing is intact. I rode over only one such bridge. I walked over all others. |
 |
| The headstone appears in the background, upper right corner. |
Ride stats:
Bus back to Aberdeen 35 min and $0.50.
Gear epilogue.
- The bike worked out well with its 2.125" wide tires, but if I had a hybrid bike with 1.5" (38mm) wide tires I would have taken it. Unknown if 32mm tires could work? I know only one person who has completed this ride.
- The Brooks Flyer saddle was a dream. It let me ride and ride. Obviously, the springs would soften big bumps, but I put a finger between the coils of one spring and could feel them flex as I pedaled over groomed gravel and asphalt. I didn't feel like I wanted to stop riding because of a sore back end. I stopped only to pick up water and to stop to munch Clif bars.
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