Today's hike: High, new trail with my nemesis.
Ah, I love a well-designed mountain bicycle trail! Trail designers give you a mellow resting stretch before making you climb higher.
Today Karen and I hiked 7.8 miles on a new (not quite completed) mountain bike trail high in Squilchuck State Park. Beautiful rock-work, tricky suspended logs, sharp curves and drop-offs. It was magical curving through the woods. About 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Clearly for expert mountain bikers.
"I don't see how a mountain biker can make this turn," Karen said repeatedly as a mountain biker herself.
We both wore bright orange jackets because hunting season has begun.
My Nemesis
Walking across a high suspended log with a big drop-off underneath gives me a panic attack. It's a balancing act with a pack on my back. Since age 21 when I began hiking, I get a racing heart, trembling, unsteadiness, the "spins" and loss of balance, afraid to take another step.
It's worse with a racing creek and sharp rocks below. For years, I thought glittering water mesmerized me. But it's the drop-off. There are always branches in the way. Often slippery. I slowly lower myself to hands and feet, and crawl across like a baby bear. It's embarrassing.
In 45 years of hiking, I have never fallen off. No matter how much I practice, I still panic. Today with two high suspended logs, I walked on the ground instead. "Screw it," I thought.
We agreed this will be a great trail for snowshoeing.
Photos:
Built by the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and volunteers.
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Karen walking across an unfinished log. This one was pretty easy because it's close to the ground. You can see wood chips around the log.
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Gorgeous rockwork on the trail across a rock slide (talus slope). Materials were at hand. Rockfall from above will make it hard to maintain.
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Sharp curve with a huge drop-off on the outside. Don't run off the trail!
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A lovely day.
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9 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I don't know if they still do this out there, but it used to be common way WAY out to see makeshift bridges made from 4 good sized trees crossing some rather high gaps...that we would drive across.i would get a bit nervous in a jeep, but they were put there for log trucks 
wolf041
Level 7
Oct 1, 2020
1
Enjoyed the read and pictures. Thanks for sharing
HankSherman
Level 8
Sep 28, 2020
1
...sounds like several of my adventures, 3 stories up on the roof I built.. I’d sometimes lay on my belly, palms down -- they’d just sweat! Felt like a fool! Then I’d acclimate, and just for fun, look up at the firs surrounding me … sometimes my knees would nearly buckle, or I’d feel ‘the spins’ coming on.. A definite ..concern over heights 
Not sure what you’re meaning by ‘an unfinished log,’ though? I would cross our rugged creek on a downed Dug fir, but it was speed bark I feared! You know, when the sap’s still fresh … and a damaged section flies out from under you..
I’ve a mountain bike, and would actually ride trails I’d built through my own woods, but never on an ‘established designated’ trail. Too many crazy punks and near-misses I figured.. So how far is the nearest medical aid from there..?
Miss The Cascades, though. The Western side, as kids during the 60’s & 70’s we (were) hiked in by our health-obsessed (now 90 year old) father. We hated it … most of the time, we’d call them Death Marches.. Force walked into some pristine Cascade lake he’d found on a forest service map, no one else around.. ..campfire and dinner next to the lake, after cleaning trout (and catching waterdogs), then out - hopefully before dark..
Now, those memories seem magical. Glad you’re experiencing something similar … if on ‘the dry side’ 
Varn
Level 8
Sep 28, 2020
1
@Varn
I get "the spins," too. Thank you for saying that. I appreciate your support and understanding.
I called it unfinished because they are still chipping off bark and wood to make the top of the log fairly level for mountain bicyclists.
Such beautiful terrain you are hiking in ,love your pics, nothing wrong with doing what you have to do to stay safe in your own mind s the body will follow.. Winter adventure there does sound amazing also ,watch out for slippery logs in the winter,,Keep enjoying,you and karen make a great hiking pair
RoyMillar
Level 9
Sep 28, 2020
1
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