What follows is a description of my trip. I have added pictures to the text where applicable. The photos are in JPEG format and generally run about 35kb to download. Clicking on a link will bring up a picture.

September 9th, 1995: I had an unforgettable bike ride today. Our local paper has been running a series called "Classic Trips in the Inland Northwest" every Sunday, and each one has been a different outdoors activity: hiking, biking, paddling, etc. They have been great, so this time I did one called the "Glidden Pass Mountain Bike Tour".

Burke, Idaho:I drove East from Spokane for 80 miles on I-90 to Wallace, Idaho, and then turned North to Burke on State Highway 4, about 6 miles. Burke is an old mining town that has been pretty much abandoned, although there are a lot of old mining related buildings still standing. I went another 6 miles on Forest Road 7623, which is a good gravel road, and stopped at Cooper pass, 5,802 feet.It was 9:50 am when I got out my bike, and started on 12 1/2 miles of single-track heaven.

The first section, which was about 1 1/2 miles, was through cedar-hemlock forest that had more mushrooms, in both variety and quantity, than I have ever seen. There were pink ones and velvety brown ones and purple and lemon colored ones. If I ever go again I am going to take a sack so that I can take some samples home to find out if they are edible.

I got to an "intersection" of three trails, and headed down along a talus slope to Glidden Creek. This downhill stretch took me 3 1/3 miles down to a paved road in Montana! I was now at the low point of the ride, 4,060 feet. I rode up the paved road for about 2 miles, and then turned up and began my ascent up the single track to some alpine lakes.

After walking about 1 1/2 of a total of 2 1/2 miles, I arrived at Blossom lake. The uphill stretch was very strenuous, even walking, although it would have been mostly rideable if I was in professional rider shape! The article said that I had climbed 950 feet in 2 1/2 miles.

Blossom lake was a beautiful alpine lake, at the bottom of some sheer granite walls and peaks. After resting there (it had taken me 2 1/2 hours to arrive) and eating my lunch, and discovering that my camera had eaten my first roll of film (!), I headed on.

Pear lake, another alpine lake, was only about a mile further, but I had to hike most of that as well. Now I was at 6,240 feet, over 2000 feet from the bottom of my ride!

Here is another view of Pear Lake from atop Glidden Ridge. The two fisherpeople I saw at Pear Lake were the only people I saw for the whole ride. After I left there, I continued up hill, over a talus slope that made for some hairy hike-a-biking! I climbed until I reached the top of Glidden Ridge, which according to my map, is 6,785 feet. I had to leave my bike behind at the trail junction for the last bit of climbing, about 3/4 mile to the top of the ridge.

The view from the ridge top was 360 degrees of pristine Idaho mountain tops. Note Pear Lake at the bottom of the picture.

I could see over to the ridges above Pend Oreille and Priest lakes to the Northwest, and over to the Montana ranges to the east. It was thrilling, to say the least. I had brought my good binoculars as well as my camera, so I spent a good while checking everything out. I could see back down to Burke, and the road I had come in on, way down below.

The next part was 2 miles of luscious single track, with talus to cross and switchbacks, but mostly forest carpet and fir trees. Down, down, doooowwnn! After all that climbing, it was such a rush.

I ended back down at the trail crossing, and then retraced my path back the 1 1/2 miles to the car. 5 hours, on the dot. 12 1/2 miles. A total of 2,725 feet elevation change! I am whupped. But it was glorious, my friend. Then into the car, and home by 5pm. What a great day!