MAY-JUNE 2008, SKI-CYCLE TOUR CASCADE TO SIERRA ROAD TO ARGEN

MAY-JUNE 2008 SKI-CYCLE TOUR
CASCADE TO SIERRA ROAD TO ARGENTINA CHILE

NO CAR NO GAS
NO MONEY NO PROBLEM
ENJOY SKI CYCLE OUTDOOR AND FREEDOM






MAY-JUNE 2008 SKI-CYCLE TOUR
CASCADE TO SIERRA ROAD TO ARGENTINA CHILE

May-June 2008 Ski-Cycle Tour.  Cascade to Sierra and the road to Argentina, Chile.

Finally after many ways to try to set up my skis on a bicycle I was ready to hit the road on May 1st.  Thanks to Northwest Adventure Cycling for their support and wholesale price, zero profit, discount.

Northwest Adventure   541-385-6599
1346 NW Galveston Ave.
Bend, Oregon  97701
northwest adventure.net

I started to cycle from Bend, OR, May 1st and cycled to Mt. Bachelor Camp at Duchman Flat.  The next day I skied at Mt. Bachelor, the last time which I skied there this season 1 million vertical feet.  It was a great snow with a sunny day.  Only cow face was hard and  a little icy.  The next day, May 3rd, I cycled to Sunriver and stayed there.  Later I rode towards Twin Lake Wickiup Reservation on Hwy 46 south of Cascades Lake Hwy to Hwy 58 west to Crescent Lake and Odell Lake.

Diamond Peak
I camped at Crescent Lake on May 5th.  I cycled to Odell Lake and skin up Diamond Peak the next day.  Late start and a long distance (15 miles one way).  I skied in five miles then I came back.  Not too much elevation gain and 10 mile round trip.  Sunny day.  Snow is getting corn but not yet.  Snow was soft.  I camped at Odell Lake.

May 7th.  I cycled from Odell Lake to Diamond Lake and stayed at Diamond Lake.

Mt. Bailey
May 8th.  I cycled from Diamond Lake Resort to Mt. Bailey trailhead.  Snow cover all the way to Hwy 230.  I started to skin up at 11:30.  I skin up to the summit from the southeast ridge.  There was some avalanche risk on that day so I skied down from northeast side of Mt. Bailey bowl (not in the middle of the shoot) which has a shallow slope.  It was still scarey.  Snow was not very stable.  I came back to the trailhead at 10 pm then ride my bicycle to go back to Diamond Lake.  I was back at 12 midnight at Diamond Lake.  Great skiing but not a very safe day.

Crater Lake
May 10th.  I cycled from Collier State Park to Crater Lake.  It was a big climb on a bike.  Camp around Rim Village.  In the morning get some food from the Rim Village Cafe and head to the west side on my skies at 9 am.  Many hills around Crater Lake.  It is better to ski this hill rather than ski around Crater Lake.  I tried west side this time and skin up two picks first.  I skined up Diamond Lake Overlook which takes direct sun so it is soft and corn.  Ski all the way to the bottom of valley.  Skin up again.  This time Watchman Tower.  Snow was hard at the top but half way to the top and all the way to the bottom of valley it is soft and corn.  One of the best ski days.  Came back to the Rim Cafe at 5 pm.  Then started to ride by bicycle down hill from Crater Lake down to the valley Fort Klamath and camp there on May 11th.

Mt. McLaughlin
May 12 & 13th.  I bicycled from Fort Klamath to Lake of the Woods and camp there.  Head to the trailhead at Mt. McLaughlin start point at 11:30.  Trailhead to the road was covered with snow.  It adds another additional six miles to the trip.  Partly cloudy and some sun.  Snow is soft but not corn yet.  When I skin up to 7500 ft it was 5:30 pm.  I turned around at that point and skied down.  All the way to the highway.  Then ride my bicycle to the campside at the Lake of the Woods at Dead Indian Memorial Road.  Soft snow but not corn, but not steep hill.  Partly cloudy, some sun.  It was a short day because I started late.

Mt. Ashland
May 13th.  I cycled from Lake of the Woods to Ashland on the Dead Indian Memorial Road and stayed at Ashland.  Next day did not cycle far and stayed close to Ashland.
May 14th.  I went to Mt. Ashland in the morning with a friend.  We skined up to Mt. Ashland and skied it.  It is sunny and snow is corn.  Short day but great corn snow and sunny.

Mt. Shasta
May 15th.  After skiing in the morning corn snow of Ashland I started to cycle to Mt. Shasta.  First town I stayed overnight was Montague, CA on May 15.  thNext day I cycled from Montague to Mt. Shasta.  Five miles before Mt. Shasta my trek bike rim broke.
May 16th.  I got a low quality used rim for $10 including a new trube from Shasta base camp outdoor store.  I was sure I won't be able to make it with this rim to Argentina, Chile.
May 17th.  I planned to go to a day trip at Avalanche Gulch & Helen Lake as a day trip from Bunny Flat.  The next day a friend is going to join me for summit trip at town of Mt. Shasta.  When I reached the Helen lake I had a phone call that my friend will not make it because of work schedule.  A family group from Sacramento offered me support to make my day trip to overnight and summit trip.  Thanks for my Sacramento friend.  I stayed at Helen Lake (10,400 ft) and did not have crampon and ice axe.  Weather was great.  The weather report said it will be 50 degrees at the top of the mountain the next day.
May 18th.  At 2 am we started to climb up from Helen Lake.  It was cold in the night.  After 2,000 ft climb snow was ice.  I did not have crampon and ice axe.  Snow at higher elevation is getting icy and it is getting steeper.  At 12,500 ft the snow gets very icy like a rock.  I cannot go up more without crampon and ice axe.  I go lower down to 12,000 ft. and wait for the sun to make the snow softer.  Two hours later the snow gets softer and I started to climb again.  I climbed up to 13,600 ft just before the Misery Hills.  Then turned to go west to Cascade Gulch - Hidden Valley side.  Snow at Avalanche Gulch has a lot of big sun cups and snow is not covered.  It is not really skiable at Avalanche Gulch side.
Hidden Valley-Cascade Gulch side has a great snow.  It is full cover corn snow 13,400 ft to 9,000 ft. and no sun cups.  Great ski hill.  At 500 ft. below Hidden Valley cover with rock.  Rest skiable all the way Bunny Flat.  I skied down to the parking lot.  Great day.  Corn snow.  Awesome.  One of the best days of the trip.

Lassen Peak
After having a great ski at Mt. Shasta the next day I started to cycle to Lassen Peak.  Overnight camp before McArthur Burney Falls.  Net day I camped at Manzanita campground at Lassen National Park.  Next in the morning I cycled from Manzanita Lake to Devastated Area Park.  I was there at 1 pm (6,200 ft).  I camped close to the road.  At 2 pm I started to head up from Devastated Area (6,200 ft) on the road.  I rode to the more left side (south).  At 8,000 ft snow was hard and icy with a lot of sun cups.  I keep going up more.  Snow was very icy.  At 9,000 ft I turned around.  Not good skiing.  A lot of sun cups and it is icy.  The next day I would like to try again but weather was colder.  So the next day I started to head to Lake Tahoe.  Big, big climbing on a cycle to summit of the road (8,512 ft).  Then great downhill ride from 8,512 ft to campground at Lake Almoner-Chester.  Next day I started to cycle from Lake Almoner campground (Hwy 89 South) towards Lake Tahoe.  Twenty miles before town of Truckee this time Trek rear rim broken.  I got a ride to Truckee.  Got a two new rims, front and rear, then cycle to Lake Tahoe campground.  Next day I stayed at south end of Lake Tahoe.  Met a cycling couple that were just returning from a 3,000 mile bicycle trip that included Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and California.  They stopped next to me and offered to have me stay at their fancy home.  We shared cycling stories from Tibet to Indonesia and the Sierra to Colorado.

Matterhorn/Virginia Lake  May 29th and June 1st
May 27th.  From south Lake Tahoe I started early in the morning to cycle on Hwy 89.  It was a difficult day.  I had two passages to go in a day.  Luther Pass (7,790 ft) and Monitor Pass (8,314 ft).  When I reached the top of Monitor Pass (8,314 ft) it was 9:30 pm.  I camped there.  In the morning at 6 am it was snowing.  Cooked a meal and headed down for a great ride to Hwy 395.  It was sunny and clear after 8 am.  It is a great ride.  I need a better brake.  I should change my brake pad.  I just only hold my brake.  No pedaling until 395.  After the Sonora Pass some climbing starting at Devils Gate Pass (7,519 ft).  It is not too bad at all after Luther & Monitor Pass.  They are the killer ones for a day trip.  I reached Bridgeport this day and stayed at town.  The next day I stared to cycle to Twin Lakes/Mono Village which is 13 miles from town.  In the morning after cycling seven miles I got a ride from a truck because I wanted to ski at the Matterhorn on the same day.  The clouds were coming.  There were some showers at Twin Lakes.  Later at 5 pm I realized I was so tired and needed a rest after three big passages.
May 28th.  I started to hike up from Twin Lakes at 10 am, at Horse Creek Trail at 12:30.  Snow level at 8,000 feet.  I took a nap for two hours and started to skin up at 2:30 pm.  I passed the right turn to steep hill to Matterhorn and kept going on the pass because it was too late and snow is fresh and very wet and a lot of slide all over.  I came back from pass between Matterhorn and Twin Peak, the gate to Yosemite National Park.  Snow is not stable.  It is fresh and it is wet with a lot of slide.  There are some risk in this day.  I did a long day but not avalanche risky steep hill.
Virginia Lake May 30th.  I met very friendly people at Mono Village at Twin Lakes.  The next day Gerry took me to Virginia Lake with his jeep.  I climbed from Virginia Lake to the Black Mountain right from the lake.  Great, great snow.  It is corn and step great.  Great day.  I put my signature (S) on the hill of corn on black mountain of Virginia Lake.  Great corn snow.  Great hill.  Snow cover all the way lake.  Snow at lake but it is very thin not safe.  I ski edge of the lake and stop.  It is a steep great hill.  You need an anti-lock brake or a wet suit in this hill.  Came back to Twin Lakes in the jeep on the back roads.
Matterhorn June 1st.  I started from Mono Village/Twin Lakes (7,100 ft) at 6:45 am.  Two hours later I was at snow level.  I skined up from there.  Later hit the step.  Hit on the right toward the lake at 10,500 ft.  It is step.  Long great hill.  Snow is soft, 5-6 inches at top which is fresh snow.  But bottom layer (old corn snow) is hard.  Snow is a little wet at top, but bottom layer creates good skiing.  At the top of a small lake (between 10,500 ft and 12,000 ft) there are two big slides and another small slide which had happened a few days ago.  I did not go more than the small lake.  Great to ski this hill.  Great awesome skiing.  Another great day.  Got back to Mono Village at 2:45.  Another day in paradise.