LARCH MOUNTAIN
CHAPTER ONE
Total miles: 103.0
Total time: 10 hrs, 31 min
I've been wanting to tackle the Larch Mtn climb on my bicycle for a long time so I finally got out there and did it yesterday. The picture above is a view of Larch Mtn from Corbett, about 22 miles from the top.
And as you can see below, there were plenty of warning signs letting me know what to expect!
I only made it to 2 miles from the top because the snow was too deep for me to continue on my bicycle.
Even though I didn't reach my goal, I still consider it a victory! I'm way ahead of schedule on my training for this summer's bicycling mega-rides.
CHAPTER TWO
Total miles: 70.1
Total time: 7 hrs, 5 min
Here we go again! This was attempt No. 2 to get to the top of Larch Mtn. The skies were overcast and rain was expected but I thought I'd take a shot at it anyway. It started out smooth enough.
It's not the steepness of the climb that makes it tough, it's the relentlessly uphill nature that goes on mile after mile after mile.
I made it to mile marker 13 which is a full mile further than the last time. The road up the mountain is 14 miles long so I knew I was near the top.
This was far as I was going to make it without snowshoes! My odometer told me I was no more than a half mile from the summit but there was just no way to continue.
CHAPTER THREE
Total miles bicycling: 76.0
Total miles showshoing: 1.5
Total time: 8 hrs, 38 min
Elevation: 4,055 ft
I was bound and determined to make it to the top this time so I strapped my snowshoes and ski poles to the back of my bicycle. I made it 38 miles before the snow became too deep to bicycle through.
I locked my bicycle to a tree and strapped on the snowshoes.
The trails were beautiful and it was a relief to see some other footprints in the snow. If I fell and broke a leg I knew eventually someone would come by and find me!
Yahoo, I made it to the top! Here are some views from the top of Larch Mtn. This one is looking west down on the Columbia Gorge.
North into Washington
And east toward Mt. Hood although the clouds obscurred what is often a spectacular view.
I took a well deserved break before putting the snowshoes back on and hiking back to my bicycle.
This will be the last bicycle trip up Larch Mtn this year. On May 10th they remove the snow gate and plow the roads to make the top accessible to the tourists and recreational hikers and the ensuing traffic mess makes it too dangerous to tackle by bicycle. The next adventure on the mountain will be bicycling out to Multnomah Falls and then hiking the 6 miles up the mountain from there.
