Warm Springs Creek Trail

Day 5

This by far one of the best rides I've one. Its number two on my list of top rides. The day before we rode up the Fisher / William's creek trail. We did the same route on this day but instead of going right to the top trailhead we took a left and followed the Warm Springs creek trail. It followed the burn from last year's forest fire through a narrow creek valley. Early on we had our first creek crossing. One of many. The ride was shaping up to be one of my favorite type of rides. An eco-adventure which included more than just riding.

After a great descent we arrived at a huge meadow that was full of mountain wildflowers for as far as the eye could see. The trail left the narrowness of the creek valley and we followed it through a very wet meadow. We crossed through mud bogs and then did our first large creek crossing. The current was mellow so it was just picking the right place to cross to try to keep the bike shorts dry. Everyone gave up on trying to keep their shoes dry.

We made a wrong turn in the meadow, crossed another mud bog and the creek again and ended up on another trail. Julie was exclaiming how she hated the mud. I told her to tell herself " I love mud" as she crossed the mud bog. She made it all the way through on her bike. I heard her exclaim "It works". Of course! Attitude is the most important part of going on an epic adventure where anything can happen.

Chris realized we had made a wrong turn and from the map we deduced that the trail forked back at the last creek crossing. So we headed back across the meadow looking for any sign of a trail branching off to the left. Finally right before the creek I found a faint track. Literally a bike tire width of matted down grass that headed off across the meadow. Not a clearcut trail. We followed it towards down the meadow and lost it again at a wetland area. We spread out in a fan and moved forward. Chris found the trail off to the left. It was a challenge keeping track of the trail in the meadow. Once we entered the burned forest again the trail was distinct. We rode through more miles of blackened lodgepole pine trunks and ground covered with yellow straw used to control erosion after the fires. Every once in awhile we'd come upon patches of bright green grass tucked in amidst the burned out forest.

As we started to head downward out of the meadow and into the Warm springs gorge I saw the creek off to the left. It was a seething mass of frothing whitewater crashing down a boulder strewn drainage. I asked Chris if that was the creek we were going to cross. He said "yes". I thought he was crazy if he thought we'd be able to cross the creek. It was a disaster waiting to happen. I decided for myself that if we got to the creek crossing and it was too dangerous I had no problem turning around and riding back. I'd been on too many river drownings in my job and heard too many stories about how one person had fallen in and another jumping in to save them and both of them drowning.

Anyway, we continued. The trail went up the side hill at different sections where it couldn't follow the creek directly. There were some short hike-a-bike sections and some challenging technical sections through boulders and some downed trees. It was awesome!

We finally descended out of the burn and back into the green forest and through smaller meadows. The only downside is we didn't want to stop too long because the mosquitoes were thick. John Kiner was out ahead and I ran into him walking toward the trail from the side. He said that the trail had just dead ended at the creek but he found a way across. Ok, so here was the creek crossing. I walked my bike up to the creek to find that someone had fallen a large ponderosa pine across the creek and then added a log ramp at the end. The log was about 2-3 feet wide. No problem. I scouted the creek downstream. There was an eddie to the left that you could swim to if someone fell in. What luck! We all crossed with no problem and continued down the trail.

The sun began to come out as we road along the hillsides through flat meadow areas. The creek valley widened and eventually we came to where the trail made a steep descent out of the creek valley. Our last climb of the day to the campground road. It was a steep hike-a-bike over a rock garden and trail. At the top I could look back up the creek valley and down at the "movie star" ranch below us (the reason the trail didn't continue along the creek). We stopped, took it all in and then made a very steep descent down to the road. From there we rode the dirt road up to the hwy and then down the hwy to the Sunbeam Lodge and hotsprings.

We were hungry. A quick stop at the lodge was quite amusing. I walked in with Chris Alef. There were group of tough working men sitting at the counter. The all looked at us and asked where we had just come from. We said the Warm Springs creek trail. Then one of them commented on the fact that Chris's face was caked in mud and dirt. I think he one some respect with his disheveled appearance.

No food from the kitchen as the cook was off that day but the beer and ice cream were available. Ice cream never tasted so good!

Just then Erik and his dad found us. We proceeded with the obligatory group photo and then the guys went to work trying to fit 9 bikes and 9 people in Erik's large extra cab pick-up truck. Amazingly enough we did it.

The group that did this ride was great. Everyone was in good shape and had a great time. No mechanicals, no injuries, no whining Riding at its best. Variety, smooth fast sections, technical challenges, incredible scenery, creek crossings, threatening weather, and good company all made it an epic adventure.

Old shack in the meadow	Chris Alef with helmet cam	Paul
Julie	Julie starting the Warm Springs trail	Narrow, rocky valley
First creek crossing	Dave helping Julie across creek	Dave
Finding the route from the creek	Corinne	John Kiner
Ghost forest	Entering meadow	Another creek crossing in wet meadow
Julie in beautiful meadow	Unk wildflower	Meadow flowers
Photo from other side of meadow	Paul biking through meadow	Chris and Corinne on 3rd creek crossing
Dave, Julie, and John	Dave	Julie
John Kiner	Indian Paintbrush	Steep ascent
Paul riding steep ascent	Straw on ground for erosion control	P6280053.JPG