RR: Butler Peak, because 40 miles wasn't quite enough

[Waldo]

This past weekend a friend and I did a repeat of a little fire road loop we'd done last year. This ride starts at Green Valley lake, a few miles and several hundred feet above Running Springs, so the start is at about 7000 feet. Sure glad I had plenty of time to acclimate...not! From the fire station in beautiful downtown GVL, you take the road 3/4 of a mile past town and look for the turnout on the left.




This was an out and back ride, so we were in for a minimum of 32 miles (15 + 1 mi each way from the cabin to the dirt), but last year we tacked on a little extra, riding a street loop around Big Bear. That made it an even 40 miles. This time we added a bit more.

I was having camera problems, so didn't get as many shots as I'd like (and had to do these with my cameraphone). Suffice to say that on a clear day, the narrowness of this mountain range makes for some great vistas. From 2N13, you're often looking down to the city of Victorville and across 100 miles of desert. This day wasn't quite that clear, but the weather was the perfect blend of warm enough, but with a cool breeze - just right for long-distance comfort. And if you're into bouldering, it seems like there were a hundred formations along the way that could serve up some fun.

The whole thing is fire road. There are a few springs along the way, but otherwise it was bone dry, making for a mix of hardpack, sandy, powdery, and occasionally pretty rocky conditions. They're mostly sharp rocks too - freshly milled with nice square edges. Bring a spare tube! (note: This was not an ideal loop for the Kenda Small Block Eight I just put on the rear - I spun it several times in the soft stuff)

About 8-1/2 miles in was where we decided to add more extra credit. There's a split where you can turn up 2N13-C, the road to Butler's Peak (dstepper posted a map in the download section). I'm not sure of the exact elevation at the split, but I'd guess that this detour added about 6 miles and 800 feet of climbing to our ride. At the summit there's a fire lookout tower. A marker at the top of the tower's stairs says the elevation is 8500+ feet, and the views prove it!


The last bit of the road as you approach the tower is the steepest and loosest.




This is the "trail" to the tower. Hard-soled Sidi's with cleats made this a pretty interesting scramble for me.





It's well worth the climbing and the scrambling and the sketchy stairs to get to the tower. It was even worth putting aside my profound fear of heights. This was the view looking back the way we came. Just above the trees in the middle you can just barely see the blue smudge of Lake Arrowhead, and in the distance are the peaks of Wrightwood and beyond.




...and this is the view down to the main highway and over to Snow Valley.



Looking to the east would have given a nice view of Big Bear Lake and the city, except for some out-of-shape , afraid-of-heights dork who was death gripping the railing and scaring away the hummingbirds.




The inside of the tower: Spartan living at it's finest. Tell me this wouldn't be a great place to bring an adventurous girl for a night! Hard to see because of the glare, but the interior features a small stove, small sink, small bed, and huge views. The outhouse is outside and 15' down a very steep stairway.




3 miles down from the tower, we rejoin 2N13 proper. About 6 miles along that road, with a few ups and downs, the hamlet of Fawnskin welcomes you to the north shore of Big Bear with....fake fawns!



At this point (a hair over 20 mi), we debated for a few seconds and decided our legs were still fresh enough to do the street loop around the lake. More importantly, we knew that good service and a good plate of pasta and was waiting at the awkwardly-named Dongio's on the far side of the lake. After refueling, we braved the holiday traffic crunch in a town with ZERO bike lanes, and worked our way clockwise around the lake. We stopped at the dam and debated trying the highway shortcut back, but decided that was too hairy with so much traffic. Back to Fawnskin and the dirt.

The return was uneventful, which was nice. Once past the Butler Peak turnoff, we only saw a couple of motorcycles, compared to a steady flow of jeeps & trucks near the Fawnskin end. The highlight of the return was clearing an 8/10 mile climb that came at the 32 mile mark. Fatigue, the slope, and soft soil mixed with many rocks had me walking it last year. Made it this time. Stoked.

As we hit the last summit and coasted the final couple miles to the cabin, we were trashed. I'd talked with 1x1 Clyde about riding Rim Nordic the next day, but by the time we got back I knew that wasn't gonna happen without some major pain that would last for several days. Sorry Clyde - next time, amigo!

Final tally:
44.85 miles (about 35 on dirt)
I just wish I had a GPS so I knew the total amount of climbing. Considering GVL is at 7000 feet, Butler Peak is 8500, and Big Bear is 6700, plus there were a bunch of up & down sections along the way, I think 3500 to 4000 feet is a decent guess. Most of the slopes are pretty moderate though, and even with my chicken legs I stayed in the middle ring for most of the ride.



Side note: The friend who did this with me rides every Saturday, but he never goes on the dirt. Instead, he rides anywhere from 55-70 miles of riverbed trails...yes, on a mountain bike, knobbies and all. He doesn't use padded shorts, wears a cotton t-shirt, and rides an older Rockhopper with platform pedals (no toe clips) that used to be some college kid's commuter bike. He gets big props from me for pulling off a ride like this.



Granted, it's not quite the Downieville/Tahoe experience, but it's not bad for being so close to home.

[dstepper]

Nice, looks like I will be in Big Bear next weekend. I have done that climb to Buttler Peak from Fawnskin, without all the extra pavement miles you did.. Good job.

Dean

[LoisMustDie]

Originally Posted by Waldo

This past weekend

Nice ride! My invitation must have been lost in the mail. Next time...

Seriously, we need to head up the lift soon for a fun back-country ride!

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by LoisMustDie

Nice ride! My invitation must have been lost in the mail. Next time...

Err...umm...yeah, I guess i forgot about the change in postage rate or something.

Besides, we both know the boss wasn't gonna let you get away for an entire day like that. With stops at the tower and for lunch, we were out of the cabin from 10:00 to 6:30.

And just to clarify, mosty of this ride was dirt. The paved parts were each way to the trailhead, plus the loop around Big Bear: About 10 miles on asphalt and about 35 on dirt.

[OMR]

Good RR: I particularly like the description of the fire lookout. Sometimes we forget the destinations are as important as getting there on a mountain bike.

OMR

[Epic_Mtn_Biker]

Great RR & Pix!! Thanks for sharing