Trail 140 – My All-Time Favorite?

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I had read a lot of good things about Trail 140, but even with that, I found it to be better than advertised! It has it all; chunk, flow, speed, steepness, beauty, and great views!

It was the final full day of my trip to the Inland Northwest (I didn’t know they called it that until I saw a sign just outside of the Spokane airport!), and I went back up to Mt. Spokane State Park for Trail 140. It doesn’t have a name, just a number. But it’s so good, they really should give it a name!

My original plan was to climb up Trail 110, as it was shorter (but steeper and harder) than climbing up the road. Well… that didn’t last long. Parts of it were just way too steep, so I decided the road was the better option. I had made it nearly 2,000 feet up (of the 3,000 foot climb) when a gentleman pulled up next to me in his car, with a bike rack on the back, and asked me if I wanted a ride! On one hand, I wanted to earn my downhill, but on the other hand, I just wanted to be at the downhill! So I accepted his offer.

So… at that point I was drenched in sweat despite temps only being in the mid-50’s. He asked me if I had a jacket or anything… I didn’t. No worries. I was cold as I got my stuff together at the top (oh yeah, it was windy, too!), but once I got the ride started, I warmed right back up and was fine.

The thing is, I had that blister on my left hand, right in the middle of the palm, and right where there just wasn’t a way to move my hand on the grip to alleviate the pressure on it, especially when going over rocks & ruts! It hurt like hell! And the top of Trail 140 is pretty chunky!

I really believe the main reason I got that blister was because of the thin grips on the downhill bike I had rented (at Silver Mountain Bike Park 2 days prior). On my own bike I have ESI Extra Chunky grips, which are silicone, so they’re soft, for one thing, but they are also very thick. I feel like there are too many folds in the skin of my palm on thinner grips. The Extra Chunky’s feel like a much better fit. Since they are silicone, they do tear up easily, but even if they need to be replaced every few months (they’re only like $20), they are so worth it! I highly recommend them!

Anyway, back to the ride. After the rocky section ends, you get to the flowy section. Left, right, left, right. Pump those berms! OH so much fun! The trail flattens out a bit then, so you’ve gotta pedal, but then you get to the speed section! The curves are only slight, so you can maintain some good speed as the grade becomes a bit steeper. My top speed, according to Strava, was 26.2 mph, which I believe happened at this spot on the trail.

After traversing a fire road for a little bit, it gets REALLY steep! The GoPro never really portrays the steepness well (I know, I say that all the time, but it’s so true!). My butt kept hitting the rear wheel I was so far back & low, so that tells you a little bit about how steep it was! This part was really fun and required a lot of mustard (that’s gonna be my new favorite phrase. It really means body English. Mustard sounds better)! Very similar to Trail 290. It was hell on that blister, though!

Check out the video below! #LiveTheAdventure

The Goods

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Matt Hunt

After the bike park day left me with a nasty blister on my left hand, I decided not to ride the next day.

Ha! Yeah right! A little pain wasn’t gonna stop me! I probably made things worse by continuing to ride with that blister, but whatever.

I rented a Santa Cruz Hightower LT from The Bike Hub in Spokane Valley (and barely fit the bike into my rental Jeep Renegade), and headed north to Mount Spokane State Park ($10 day pass, $30 annual pass)! My plan was to ride Trail 290, aka “The Goods.”

Unfortunately the bike shop didn’t open until 10 AM, so it was 11:30 AM or so before I got up to the trailhead. That meant the sun was up high, and it was pretty hot. Yeah, it’s a dry heat, which is wayyyyy better than Texas, but it was still in the 90’s that day. Would make for a sweaty climb.

I parked at the lot where Trail 290 ends, and climbed up the road. It seemed like a tough climb while it was happening, but once I reached the top I looked back on it and thought, hey, that wasn’t that bad! It’s only roughly 1,500 feet, and took me about 45 minutes. Plus it included some good views along the way!

The trail was sweet! Totally different type of riding than what I’m used to. I mean other than it being downhill, of course. It was pretty flowy, but also had some ruts, roots, and a few rocks. In parts it was really steep! It required a lot of mustard, as I put it. I guess “body English” would be a more understandable term for the masses, but I think mustard sounds more intriguing. The Santa Cruz handled it well!

At one point I stopped to get a good selfie for my YouTube banner photo. Yep, I had lugged my 3.5 pound camera + lens up that climb! I used my Gorilla Pod to set it up on top of a branch, put the camera on continuous shooting every 0.5 seconds for like 100 photos, rode back up the hill, quickly turned around, and rode back down! Wooo!

I was concerned about how it would turn out with such harsh light amongst the shadows, but with some editing it looks pretty good! Love the dynamic range of that Nikon D500!

Here’s a look at the map of my route, and the elevation profile from Strava (click it to view the activity on Strava):

Heck, it wouldn’t even be that bad to ride that twice! I think most people shuttle the rides here, though, and would ride Trail 290 and Trail 140 (video & blog coming up next week!) on the same day. I didn’t have a shuttle, so I didn’t do that.

Anyway, the video is below, so enjoy! #LiveTheAdventure

My First Bike Park!

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Yep, I finally rode park! I must say, taking a gondola up the mountain sure as heck beats pedal power!

But before we get to that, let’s talk about the craziness leading up to that day! Two days before I would leave, while driving home from a ride, a girl turned left in front of me as I traveled through an intersection. I had a green light, she was supposed to yield! It was a pretty bad wreck, by far the worst I’ve been in, though I’ve only ever been in one other wreck, and it was a low-speed deal back in Indy on a day when it was snowing (same thing, though, guy turned left in front of me).

Thankfully, I only sustained minor injuries. I had some bruises, a few small scrapes, I bit my tongue, and my neck was quite sore the next few days. I felt very lucky to not have been seriously hurt, especially right before my trip! That impact is no joke. I keep thinking about that the most. It’s just so forceful. I’m grateful for seat belts & air bags!

I didn’t waste any time, taking the following day off and going to buy a new (used) car! I didn’t want to mess with a rental, and didn’t want the hassle of trying to buy a car after getting back from vacation.

From Dallas, I flew up to Spokane, WA for one night, where I paid a visit to Palouse Falls. Unfortunately, part of the trail had been closed. That part went to the best overlook of the waterfall, with the whole canyon in the distance. So I had to settle for what I could get.

The next day it was off to Sandpoint, ID for one of my best friends’ wedding! The ceremony was on top of Schweitzer Mountain, and the reception at the resort. It was probably the most beautiful & fun wedding I’ve ever attended! Plus, I had not seen my friend in several years, so it was great to reflect on old memories and make new ones!

Since I was relatively close, I had to make a stop at Glacier National Park! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a National Park fiend! I love them! I was barely able to scratch the surface of this park in just half a day, but my goodness what a beautiful place! The rocky mountains are tall & steep, and the valleys are bright green, with crystal clear blue lakes. The air was pretty smoky from wildfires, but that didn’t really detract from the beauty much! I even got up close & personal with some mountain goats!

Then it was time to hit up Silver Mountain Bike Park in Kellogg, ID! I wanted to ride fairly hard, but the main goal was to make it safely down the mountain! I rented a downhill bike, the Giant Glory, from the bike shop there in the gondola village. This would be my first time riding a downhill bike as well! There in the village, a guy comes up to me and says he rode there yesterday, and he could show me around if I wish. We ended up riding and hanging out for the whole day. He owns a business in Miami, but said summer is their slow time, so he comes out west to travel around in his converted school bus! He had a really nice setup, complete with A/C & a shower!

After a 20 minute gondola ride, it was time to hit the trails! Getting used to the downhill bike took a little while. The head angle is really slack, which makes cornering a bit tougher. You really have to muscle the bike through those corners. I sure was glad to have 200 mm of travel, however! The trails were very dry and bumpy! Numerous riders braking in the same spot creates braking bumps, but these were beyond that. These were full blown potholes! I can only imagine how amazing these trails would be without those potholes!

Once I got a good feel for the bike, I began picking up speed, and even launched off a couple jumps! I’m sure it wasn’t really THAT much air, but to me it felt like a lot! There was definitely one that I flew higher and further than I ever have before. The bike was as smooth as butter on the landing! Big difference from a trail bike!

The ride was so much fun, but you’d never guess how tiring going downhill can be! Not only are you muscling the bike around, but you’re also in a constant attack position, which is basically halfway down in a squat! Your legs really start to burn after a while! The biggest issue I had, however, was wearing a blister on my left palm. Two things likely contributed to this; hard braking through those potholes, and the thin grips. I have pretty big hands, and the thin grips that come on most bikes feel too small for me. As a result, it feels like there are a lot of skin folds on my palms, creating ample opportunities for blisters to form.

During our ride, we met a guy from Creston, AB, just north of the border in Canada. He said he had been riding downhill for 15 years, and he came to this park often. We stopped at a section that featured 3 consecutive table tops, where he gave us some pointers on jumping. I felt pretty good on these jumps, and cleared all of them with no problems! Getting good at jumping just takes a lot of practice, and slowly working your way up to bigger and bigger jumps. I’m not in any rush!

After two full runs down the mountain, exhausted from the heat, and a nasty blister on my left hand, we were done for the day! It felt amazing to rinse off in the cool waters of the Coeur d’Alene River! I had mentioned it was a great time for some ice cream as well, and figured there had to be a place in the village! Well, technically it was frozen yogurt, but that would suffice!

I left with a huge smile on my face. That was a truly spectacular day! Best of all, I did not crash once all day! Check out the video below!