Old man with a walker

Sandy to Government Camp, Oregon Friday, May 10, 2024

I didn’t want to do it this way, but it turned out to be the right way.

The jumping-off point for most climbs of Mt Hood is Timberline Lodge, a beautiful rustic building halfway up the mountain. Built as part of the New Deal by the Works Progress Administration in 1937, it is the only accommodation at this location. Knowing this, I called in January to reserve three days there. I was told I could only have the first day, it was otherwise fully booked for a convention, but I should keep checking back. I did so, but those other two days never opened up.

Rats. That meant I would have to stay at the village of Government Camp, 2000 feet lower on the mountain, and get myself repeatedly back up the mountain. The day of the climb would be particularly problematic, we leave at 1:45 AM; there’s no shuttle, or Uber, or cab that could take me up at that hour. Even the guides are prohibited from doing so, because of liability concerns. I would have to rent a car.

Followers of this blog know how much of an anathema that is for me. I wanted to do this whole trip without using fossil fuel, going to almost comical lengths to avoid it. But I’ve had to knuckle under, most notably in that jet from Montreal to Vancouver. So I guess I’ve already besmirched myself.

Well it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I discovered on my jaunt to Paradise a week ago that I am simply not (yet) strong enough to pedal my fully loaded bike above a grade of 5%. The track to Timberline Lodge is frequently steeper than that. I would have to do those parts without the extra weight, and figure out later how to get the bags up. After researching every other possible option, a rental car seemed the only way to go.

Things seemed to fall into place. The closest rental car is at Sandy, last night’s destination. I found a reasonable weeklong reservation for a Toyota RAV4, that could fit my bike easily. The motel said I could keep the car in their lot for the day. Stashing my bags inside, it was just a matter of an out-and-back to Government Camp with the stripped down bike.

Just a matter. It was only 30 miles each way, and I felt light and free for the first 20, but things got really steep in the end. I passed the last bike shop I would see in a while, and scored some extra chamois cream (you experienced bikers know exactly what I’m talking about; as for the others, look it up. Once you start using it, you’ll never go back.) Turned out the owner is a fellow clinician, a retired orthopedic physician’s assistant, and his shop reviews mentioned he’s a specialist in installing dropper posts. Far out. I could use one of those puppies, and made arrangements. More on that later.

All of this slowed me down, of course, and it was early evening as I ground up those last switchbacks. This gut-punch view of the mountain didn’t help, though anyone else would have thought it beautiful.

It was six before I limped in to my next motel at Government Camp, grabbed a chocolate milk and an apple, and went roaring back down to Sandy. You don’t even realize how steep the slope you climbed was until you zoom down it. The temperature had peaked at 87° on the way up, but I was chilled going down. Found out to my disgust there was actually a 530 foot hill to climb on the way back. Got back to the car at 8:30, barely beating the sunset, totally gassed. Snagged a dinner salad at Subway just before it closed. Found out unusual solar activity was making the aurora borealis visible this far south, but a big white mountain was blocking my northern view.

Luckily, this next motel, another Best Western, is pretty nice. Collapsed into bed without blogging, that’s why this post is late.

This Aztec two-step feels, like I mentioned, like an old man with a walker, taking a tentative step, then bringing his baggage up behind him. Repeat performance tomorrow.

Distance 60 miles, 625 total. Time 10 hours with stops. Elevation gain 5,040 feet

©️ 2024 Scott Luria