Bikepacking 2023
by Mike Thompson, 10/7/2023
I did my first-ever bikepacking (as opposed to backpacking) trip this week, a three-day ride from North Bend to Yakima. Thanks for the inspiration to Amy Korver of Cascade Bicycle Club, who pedaled the Palouse to Cascades trail all the way to Idaho last fall, and to Robbie Munger, who loaned me his gravel bike and panniers while he's away hiking the Appalachian Trail.
I left the trailhead at North Bend on Wednesday morning in heavy rain, which did not let up until I reached Lake Easton that afternoon. Wet and chilly by the time I reached Hyak at Snoqualmie Pass, I pedaled back up to the West Summit for a hot meal and several cups of hot coffee before continuing east along the shore of Lake Keechelus. Enjoyed a hot shower after arriving at Lake Easton State Park and then chatted with a German couple staying in the hiker/biker campsite right next to mine. Managed to get warm and sleep dry.
Packed up Thursday morning and rode to Cle Elum, where I stopped at the Bakery for coffee and an apple fritter. Cloudy skies but good gravel trail and beautiful scenery. An hour's ride east of Cle Elum I saw a large black bear meandering across the trail about eighty yards ahead, and waited for it to mosey down the bank toward the Yakima River before continuing. Rode through a couple more railroad tunnels on the way to Thorpe. Stopped at ReCycle Bike Shop in Ellensburg, as my rear brake had stopped working. They stretched the cable, oiled the chain, adjusted the rear derailleur, and sent me on my way - great folks!
Left Ellensburg at first light on Friday, September 29 (my 69th birthday) expecting a long day. Instead of riding the Canyon Road, I took a back route through the Wenas Valley. The climb out of the Kittitas Valley to the top of Manastash Ridge was steep enough that I had to get off the bike and push it for a couple miles. (Bike plus tent, sleeping pad/bag, food, clothes, etc. weighed in at seventy pounds.) More slow going on some steep gravel sections of North Wenas Road before reaching pavement again after noon. From there it was all downhill into Selah and I was able to make great time. At 4:00 PM I pulled into my dear friend Wayne Hinkley's driveway in Yakima. Wayne was away reffing a middle school volleyball match, so I parked the bike, kicked back in a lawn chair on his patio, and had a nice nap in the warm sun. Happy birthday? Absolutely!
Spent Saturday hanging out with Wayne in Yakima and relaxing. Sunday morning Wayne drove me from Yakima to Hyak at Snoqualmie Pass. From there I pedaled back west through the long railroad tunnel and then mostly coasted down the hill to North Bend.
A great mini adventure!!! My takeaways: (1) The Palouse to Cascades Trail is a real gem that should not be missed, and (2) you can cover a lot of ground on a bike without needing to be some sort of ace bicyclist.