Webmaster
04-18-2007, 10:02 AM
The trails are still pretty soft. Okay, boggy is a more fitting word, so I put the bike rack and bike on the car for the short drive to the intersection of SR-410 and FS-70. This was to be my first ride of the year without the studded snow tires. That meant that the wheels had just been trued and all the doo-dads of the bike freshly tuned and oiled. FS-70 is a fine stretch of scenic roadway. There are many streams and creeks and side roads to explore. There are vistas and peaks that are always inviting. Unlike the White river, the streams in the area don’t show damage from the November storm.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-2.jpg
Today’s trek was a fairly straightforward ride to the trailhead for the Greenwater trail which is about 9.5 miles from the starting point. According to Google Earth, the elevation at the beginning of FS-70 is a little over 1,800 feet above sea level, and the high point of the outing the elevation was a tad under 2,800 feet. According to the thermometer it was 46 degrees when I started the ride.
The first several miles offer a modest upgrade and endless forest eye candy. At some points there is a near canopy overhead and at others the roadway opens up to cool vistas. It was ideal. Many trees were in the early budding stage and the buds produced a delicate red weave.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-1.jpg
After about the first 5 miles or so the grade climbs pretty quickly for a while then flattens briefly before dropping off steeply and then climbing again. At some points the grade is stated at 12%. Some of this is too steep for me to ride up so I walked the bike some. Along the way countless song birds and a few bigger critters moving in the distance set a charming pattern of interaction.
There was a light volume of vehicle traffic. About a dozen vehicles in all, and most were trucks hauling one or more snow mobiles. Other vehicles on the road were mostly of the highly modified Jeep Comanche variety. The overall volume of traffic is down a lot from earlier in the season.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-7.jpg
When I made it to the Greenwater trailhead there was only one car in the parking lot and sure enough the owner was an avid hiker, as evidenced by the WTA sticker on the rear window.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-6.jpg
A sign near the trailhead of the legendary Naches Pass Trail gives one pause to see how much easier life has become due to the continual development of our road systems. Long ago i read that one specification for a “roadway” at around the time this trail was in use, was that no stumps taller than 12 inches were permitted on the roadway. I don't know what they did about violations...probably just got out a saw and cut the stump a bit more to solve the problem.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-8.jpg
The ride back down was an experience onto itself. Just as I crossed the peak of a short but oh so steep climb the skies opened. It didn’t just rain it was a shower. Fortunately I had my nearly rain proof outer wear with me and after a brief stop to zip up and button down everything the gear worked superbly.
I only hardly noticed it on the way up but when going downhill, the roadway offers one fine example of backcountry riding. The really nice switchback turns just beg you to lean into them.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-3.jpg
Years ago I rode street motorcycles and occasionally I’d come across turns banked at just the right angle and so smooth that that it was a delight to lean the scooter waaay over, into a turn. With a posted speed limit of around 45 mph, the corners on FS-70 whisper “faster, faster” as you pick your line. In part due to the rain, in part due to enjoyment of the remarkable views, but mostly because I'm older now, I cornered more slowly than in my motorcycle riding days.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-4.jpg
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-5.jpg
When I got back to the car the temperature had dropped to 41 degrees, my outerwear was shiny with rain but only one knee got a little damp. My heart rate monitor said I’d been exercising for a little under 4 hours, had spent about 1.5 hours in the zone, and burnt a little over 2,000 calories. And best of all, the bike got nicely cleaned by all the rain!
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-2.jpg
Today’s trek was a fairly straightforward ride to the trailhead for the Greenwater trail which is about 9.5 miles from the starting point. According to Google Earth, the elevation at the beginning of FS-70 is a little over 1,800 feet above sea level, and the high point of the outing the elevation was a tad under 2,800 feet. According to the thermometer it was 46 degrees when I started the ride.
The first several miles offer a modest upgrade and endless forest eye candy. At some points there is a near canopy overhead and at others the roadway opens up to cool vistas. It was ideal. Many trees were in the early budding stage and the buds produced a delicate red weave.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-1.jpg
After about the first 5 miles or so the grade climbs pretty quickly for a while then flattens briefly before dropping off steeply and then climbing again. At some points the grade is stated at 12%. Some of this is too steep for me to ride up so I walked the bike some. Along the way countless song birds and a few bigger critters moving in the distance set a charming pattern of interaction.
There was a light volume of vehicle traffic. About a dozen vehicles in all, and most were trucks hauling one or more snow mobiles. Other vehicles on the road were mostly of the highly modified Jeep Comanche variety. The overall volume of traffic is down a lot from earlier in the season.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-7.jpg
When I made it to the Greenwater trailhead there was only one car in the parking lot and sure enough the owner was an avid hiker, as evidenced by the WTA sticker on the rear window.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-6.jpg
A sign near the trailhead of the legendary Naches Pass Trail gives one pause to see how much easier life has become due to the continual development of our road systems. Long ago i read that one specification for a “roadway” at around the time this trail was in use, was that no stumps taller than 12 inches were permitted on the roadway. I don't know what they did about violations...probably just got out a saw and cut the stump a bit more to solve the problem.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-8.jpg
The ride back down was an experience onto itself. Just as I crossed the peak of a short but oh so steep climb the skies opened. It didn’t just rain it was a shower. Fortunately I had my nearly rain proof outer wear with me and after a brief stop to zip up and button down everything the gear worked superbly.
I only hardly noticed it on the way up but when going downhill, the roadway offers one fine example of backcountry riding. The really nice switchback turns just beg you to lean into them.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-3.jpg
Years ago I rode street motorcycles and occasionally I’d come across turns banked at just the right angle and so smooth that that it was a delight to lean the scooter waaay over, into a turn. With a posted speed limit of around 45 mph, the corners on FS-70 whisper “faster, faster” as you pick your line. In part due to the rain, in part due to enjoyment of the remarkable views, but mostly because I'm older now, I cornered more slowly than in my motorcycle riding days.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-4.jpg
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/FS-70-5.jpg
When I got back to the car the temperature had dropped to 41 degrees, my outerwear was shiny with rain but only one knee got a little damp. My heart rate monitor said I’d been exercising for a little under 4 hours, had spent about 1.5 hours in the zone, and burnt a little over 2,000 calories. And best of all, the bike got nicely cleaned by all the rain!