While talking with Josh and Jenny about their GDMBR experience, I asked if there were any trails/roads around Bellingham that were comparable to the ride as far as road condition and grade. Alaine was weary of training on the trails of Chuckanut that are of the more single-track and switch-back type and we wanted to give a go to something more like what we'd experience. Josh mentioned a backroad/forest road off Lake Samish that heads up close to Pine Lake--before it switches to single track. We decided to tackle that for an overnight. It most definitely was not far in distance (20 miles for the whole trip), but it was steep and involved pushing our bikes for a mile and a half or-so over a washed-out forest road to gain 1,000 feet. With hike-a-biking, stream crossing, grinding up in low gear, keeping control on the downhills, and the full load for camping, by the time we got back home, we felt closer to ready.
Loaded and ready.
Our destination is at the top of the hill.
Camp involved accessing a small island on the lake via a narrow boardwalk that stretched over swampland for a couple hundred meters.
Breaking camp the next day involved, of course, more hike-a-bike.
Back at home with our gear, some of which is about to become unnecessary (note the bathroom scale).
--ph
Grand Depart: 43 days!
