I have not done a ride report in forever but its one my favorite things about STR and had to share with all of you. Wanting to go to Bishop to visit mom and dad I thought 4th of july weekend provided the perfect opportunity. I recruited my brother Dan aka Red Ryder and he says "hey, we could mtn bike White Mtn, its kind of a bucket list thing for me" and the rest is history. The view of the summit is perfect from every window on the east side of my parents home. The day before we watched the lightning dance on the ridge and knew we had to get off the summit by noon. At the 12,000 ft trailhead, it was 50 degrees so we geared up and rolled. The fireroad looks inconspicuous but arriving from sea level challenged out greatest tool - the mind. as we got higher the mountain seemed so close and so far away. Just below the peak we saw a herd of big horn sheep that greeted us with a local grin. We bagged the peak, took some pics and headed back before the thunderheads decided to give us an extra charge of energy. At one point the winds picked up and knocked us both off our bikes. Lots of laughs and memories in a very majestic place will forever be imprinted on our memories.
How hard was the ride to the summit? (I know that is pretty subjective, but I'd like your take on it)
The trail is an easy trail ( 2 short rocky sections); the altitude is the challenge. There were a few rocky sections that we walked because it was not worth the risk of a minor mishap. We have quite a bit of experience at high altitude and this was still the challenge. This was my second time on the summit. The first time was a hike with 3 other girlfriends in 2005. We spent the summer hiking our local mtns but there is a huge difference between 10Kft and 14K ft. 2 of my friends suffered altitude sickness severe enough that the one could not even start the hike after spending the night at the trailhead. The other collapsed after 2 miles. Neither returned to hiking. If you want to do this, try to plan 2 days at altitude to acclimate. Even riding Mammoth is a good idea for day 1. The bristlecone pine forest (oldest living thing) is a good way to spend day 2 with Day 3 ascending the mountain. Dean commented it was his toughest day on the trail. He has quite a bit of experience also. Additionally, the trailhead is really remote. Its 15 miles out of Big Pine and another 12 miles of groomed dirt road to get there. While I managed with my 4 cyl Corrolla, I do not recommend it. More clearance and 4WD would have felt better. Both times on the mountain were very surreal. You have a 360 view of mountains and dessert. Lots of wildlife: butterflies, grasshoppers, chipmunks, squirrels, birds. The flowers were so delicate. If you are there overnight, the stars are so spectacular. The grandeur is quite humbling. How hard was it? Arduous. So worth it.
Silver Canyon is the turn off and its part Singletrack and part fire road but extremely steep. I have talked to some of the locals who ride up from Owens Valley to the summit but they are super human. Its about 75 miles round trip and 10, 000 ft of climbing. From the ridge there is a sign for the turn off. From the valley you pick it up via Laws (Railroad Museum)
nice going! i've been to the peak a few times with a bike and once we did it from the bottom(started at 4am, finished at 6:30 pm, 14,000 of total climbing, it was painful). there is sinlgetrack up there but its hard to find.
That was a great ride! It was the toughest 15 miles I've ever ridden, but coming from sea level I expected that. Our timing was incredible. We missed the lighting storms of the day before. The weather was perfect. The flowers and wildlife were spectacular! I had only hoped to see a few bighorn sheep, but seeing a whole herd with lambs was way beyond anything I thought we'd see. It was a bonus to summit the peak, what a great day. I do have to admit that at the end of the ride, I thought that once was enough, but I'm already thinking about going up there again. I also have new respect for those guys that ride from Owens River and Bishop. A huge thanks to you for making it possible.
I have been wanting to go back every since right after saying I will never ride it again. Having bagged the peak I do not think I will ride that last saddle and peak again but look for the hidden stuff DFT hints about. I am thinking a full moon bike packing trip is the ticket for that area. I so wanted to poach the bristlecone trail at night. A whole new level of creepy.
Yea, a couple days up there to explore would be about right. Hauling all your water, bivy and food from the valley, as dft notes, is a major push. I was @ 42# with all my gear up the paved to 11K (Schulman Grove) and was wasted from the big heat in the valley, which holds pretty much up to about 12K. If there's a tougher climb out there in the summer heat, I sure wont be hauling water and gear again on a 29'er for that party. Thx so much for the great pics of a most surreal place!
Haven't done any on the Bishop side. Silver Canyon is actually a jeep trail top-to-bottom, but the ST parallels mostly. There's this vid of Black Canyon: http://youtu.be/Wx_TDmCiAL4 Looks like it might be a guided group? East (Nevada) side, you might still be able to do the Cottonwood Creek trail, difficult to find the trailhead, but there are a couple options. Terrain is granite canyons, huge meadows, bristlecones and aspens...very beechin'!!! EDIT: And Dusty's pics... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Thanks for that little moment of nostalgia.)
