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St Helen's Ride with Skookum and Vern Fonk

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
The date is July 2nd, 2005. Climb the mountain and see pretty stuff. Not sure of all the details so perhaps Skookum can fill us in. My group is 3 so far... we start early. EARLY. :)
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
Is mr T doing Ok? I heard he OG'd all the weight from his gold chains hurt his knee.

Is this a ride an out of shape DH'er can do?? I dont want to be the one carried home on a makeshift stretcher....
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
Last year was great - we didn't race to the top. We regrouped fairly often and generally took our time. If you have a sub-50LB XC bike you might want to consider it. :)

The route Skookum has in mind this year is a bit longer but not as steep - plus its on our side of the mountain so the drive won't be as long.
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
Serial Midget said:
Last year was great - we didn't race to the top. We regrouped fairly often and generally took our time. If you have a sub-50LB XC bike you might want to consider it. :)

The route Skookum has in mind this year is a bit longer but not as steep - plus its on our side of the mountain so the drive won't be as long.
My XC bike is a pig at 34 or so lbs....

I hear the new loop is down to start, then a longer climb out. Im game as long as Mr T is ok to ride.....
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
oly said:
Is mr T doing Ok? I heard he OG'd all the weight from his gold chains hurt his knee.

Is this a ride an out of shape DH'er can do?? I dont want to be the one carried home on a makeshift stretcher....

I'm calling Skooks today to see how he is feeling :(
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
Snacks said:
I'm calling Skooks today to see how he is feeling :(
Don't forget to tell him about the "sacrifice" he missed out on at Tape after he left! Ethan is still pretty messed up from that! :(
 

Qman

Monkey
Feb 7, 2005
633
0
I've been meaning to get down to St. Helens. I'll give you a 'maybe' for now. Any plan for camping down there?
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
I was racing last year......:nuts: :D

I may be down for this year as well as one other person. a roadie.........:(

:)
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
pnj said:
what happened to tim?
He crashed pretty hard at Tape on Friday, and taco'd his front wheel :mumble:

I was right behind him and there was a loud snap from the leg that he broke last July. He walked out, but something was not right :(
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
Snacks said:
He crashed pretty hard at Tape on Friday, and taco'd his front wheel :mumble:

I was right behind him and there was a loud snap from the leg that he broke last July. He walked out, but something was not right :(
horrible. what was he doing?
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
Snacks said:
He crashed pretty hard at Tape on Friday, and taco'd his front wheel :mumble:

I was right behind him and there was a loud snap from the leg that he broke last July. He walked out, but something was not right :(
Ethan and I heard it while we were waiting at the octopus log crossing!!! I thought it was someone doing the teeter...turns out it was Tim doing the rock line!!! Poor Skook!
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
MUTOLI said:
Ethan and I heard it while we were waiting at the octopus log crossing!!! I thought it was someone doing the teeter...turns out it was Tim doing the rock line!!! Poor Skook!
Yah, there is a rock line on the south end of the trail, right before you turn right and go over that log pile and climb the longer hill. You can either stay to left of the trail and stick on the trail or go to the right and over these rocks.

Well, Skook being the super star rider that he is, took the harder line and I think the shrubery was kinda blocking his vision for the line and he got all tangled up in his bike and went OTB's and landed on the other side of the trail.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
Hello my adoring fans....
i was busy last night in bed with 2 georgous sisters playing various card games, otherwise i might have responded more quickly to the concerns. :p Being injured does have it's advantages....

Anyways yah Snacks was there and she got it right, it's a rock thing i've done many times but the bushes were concealing the fact of how skinny the last rock is and there must be a divit to the right. Front wheel caught it went forward, and of course i thought i'd just skip over the bars intead of just eat it on my side or back. Popped my knee and blew up my front rim.
Funny thing was i was riding up the hill some more and i was wondering why my bike felt so funny. i didn't notice the spoke gone missing or the severe bend in my rim until i got out of the tape. i thought it was kinda funny i should have noticed that.

Anyways fast forward to now, the doc believed it to be a sprain and everything she's told me would happened has happened. Next day would be the worst, improvement after 2-3 days, should be good to go in 2 to 3 weeks. i wanted to have the doc who operated on my leg to give it a look over but he's out of town for weeks, so i think unless i feel any major setbacks i'll be totally down for the Mt. St. Helens ride! :cool:

Anyways i feel pretty lucky about the whole thing, i'm not in the financial position yet really to endure a major injury like last year. So hopefully with a few good months of work on the horizon i can get a little ahead and spark up an AFFLAC policy and any things that happen to me will be gravy.:D

And finally what happened to Ethan?

And finally finally damnit Tapeworm i'll be back damnit!!! i was gonna ride a new dh trailride off of Crystal i've heard rumors about for years! And gonna ride a new trail ride in Eastern Washington too. :mad: :mumble:

And finally finally finally we should start getting times and meeting places set up. Daniel (Difrnt) is down as well, should be good times. Great ride to do who know if the mountain will start blowing again and we won't be able to ride there since it could possibly be blown away. :evil:
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
Skookum said:
And finally what happened to Ethan?
We came accross an almost dead mole in the middle of the trail. Ethan didn't want it to suffer, so he put it out of it's misery! Murderer!
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
Skookum said:
Oh yah and does anyone have a used cheap front disc rim they wanna sell? :rolleyes:
Rim or wheel?? I have a singletrack rim i just unlaced because my alloy nipples were finally snapping from too much use.... (oh no... maybe i should rephrase that...). im getting it replaced with a new rhino lite rim to match my other new rear wheel. You could have my old rim, however good shape its in... Or, the guy doing the work also has an assortmet of other rims. I could ask if he would sell one......
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
MUTOLI said:
Your telling me!!! He wouldn't stop talking about it...He is still haunted by it I think!
haha he killed Morocco Mole.... Secret Squirrel is gonna be pissed and likely will seek revenge.


oly said:
Rim or wheel??
i need a whole wheel, i want to get a whole new set, but in the meantime i'm just looking for something cheap to tide me over til i can afford someone to build me a good set.
 

joelsman

Turbo Monkey
Feb 1, 2002
1,369
0
B'ham
Hey skooks

I have a real disk hub laced to a ryno lite laying around, bearings aren't so smooth and the rim isn't perfect but it is completely rideable. I would let ya have it for $25. it has cartridge bearings! hub and rim are black.

I got it out of the closet, has a small flat spot and the spokes seem slightly loose, bearings are a little rough, but spins for a while. has rim tape and a qr. flat spot can be hammered out easily and bearings should be easy to replace.

check out my # of posts :evil:
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
Skookum said:
Oh yah and does anyone have a used cheap front disc rim they wanna sell? :rolleyes:
I have a set of Mavic 1.7 with XT disk hubs. I know nothing about them except that I traded them for my Rino Lites which I hated... some thing about these new ones says I'll hate them even more so you are welcome to them. :oink:

I need directions to the trailhead - a buddy of mine will be camping with his family in the general area but will meet us at the trail head.

Also - I think we could all earn a few coolness points if we declared this gathering an "EVENT" and attached "Monkeyfest" to it. :blah:
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
I cant believe you want money for what you just described...

joelsman said:
Hey skooks

I have a real disk hub laced to a ryno lite laying around, bearings aren't so smooth and the rim isn't perfect but it is completely rideable. I would let ya have it for $25. it has cartridge bearings! hub and rim are black.

I got it out of the closet, has a small flat spot and the spokes seem slightly loose, bearings are a little rough, but spins for a while. has rim tape and a qr. flat spot can be hammered out easily and bearings should be easy to replace.

check out my # of posts :evil:
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
Serial Midget said:
Also - I think we could all earn a few coolness points if we declared this gathering an "EVENT" and attached "Monkeyfest" to it. :blah:
NW monkeyfest?? But wouldnt we have to post that in the lounge as a link to a news article about it??
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,700
8,723
Skookum said:
Hello my adoring fans....
i was busy last night in bed with 2 georgous sisters playing various card games, otherwise i might have responded more quickly to the concerns. :p Being injured does have it's advantages....
i didn't know you had two sisters, tim :think: :sneaky:
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
Serial Midget said:
I have a set of Mavic 1.7 with XT disk hubs. I know nothing about them except that I traded them for my Rino Lites which I hated... some thing about these new ones says I'll hate them even more so you are welcome to them. :oink:
Nice! thanx man.

Serial Midget said:
I need directions to the trailhead - a buddy of mine will be camping with his family in the general area but will meet us at the trail head.
Go to Randle.

Zero the odometer in Randle at the junction of US Highway 12 and State Route 131. Go south on SR 131. At 1 mile, take the right fork, following the signs toward Mount St. Helens on Forest Road 25. Pass Iron Creek Campground on the left, 10.1 miles. At the fork at 20.8 miles, turn right on FR 99 toward Windy Ridge. Just past the 35-mile point, find parking for the Smith Creek trailhead on the left.

By going on this side of the mountain i've been told that it will shave a significant amount of drive time. 3 hrs both ways....

Serial Midget said:
Also - I think we could all earn a few coolness points if we declared this gathering an "EVENT" and attached "Monkeyfest" to it. :blah:
Only if it means that Aaron would show this time. :cool:

Toshi said:
i didn't know you had two sisters, tim :think: :sneaky:
We're not in Alabama Toshi..... :think:
i suspect you've been reading too many lewd threads from the Lounge, it's corrupted your mind. Only way to expunge such drivel is to train up a tad and join us on this ride. ;)
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
Here's Brian Sullivans write up on the ride.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=104470

Took his crew nearly 8 hours to do the ride, i estimate our group will ride either at that pace or another hour longer.

An early start is imperative for the ride to work. i would think that if we could start the ride at 9 it would be best for everyone. That way we can beat some of the heat if it's a hot day.

Anyone interested in coming to this ride start speaking up and we can get meet times, and vehicle situations worked out. Bring lots of water, eating banana's and being hydrated well before the ride helps alot, bring plenty of food, and chances are a majority of us will be racing to Jalisco's in Morton for a huge after ride feast.

For those not fimiliar we'll ride together for the most part, separating on the trail for the fast descenders and the strong climbers, but always meeting up at the junctions, nobody get's left behind on this one, since it's a loop.
It's a 25 miler with 4000 feet gain so it will not be easy, but it shouldn't kill people like Oly because the trail is smooth, the major climb is shaded in tree's, and we'll all be taking it easy taking plenty of scenic rest stops. That being said if you can get out on a road bike or trainer and build up your cardio a tad, you'll be a happier rider.

So that's the scoop, it's a really cool ride, people would come around the globe to do this ride. Take advantage, this is our back yard.
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
eight hours!!!????

how long was the last ride we did there? seems like it was less then that.....

I'm in no shape for this ride.
but I may just go anyways... :nuts:
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
pnj said:
eight hours!!!????

how long was the last ride we did there? seems like it was less then that.....

I'm in no shape for this ride.
but I may just go anyways... :nuts:
The other way we did it shaves a couple of miles and subtracts the little bit of climbing from Smith Creek up to Ape Canyon trail. It's really not that much different than the out and back, except of course you descend Smith Creek pum trail.
Go ride your bmx up and down Beacon, Capitol, and Queen Anne a few times before the ride, you'll be fine. :p