9,047 Ft. of Climbing!

This is the route: a small gravel parking lot right by Crystal Mtn. Blvd. & Route 410 just before the Mt. Rainier National Park boundry, to the Paradise visitor center on on Mt. Rainier. Total distance: 81 miles. Total elevation gain: +9,047 ft.



This was definitely my toughest ride ever. I went with a group of 8 other people. We left Seattle at about 8:30 and strated biking at 10:30. The whole route is either up or down--there are virtually no flat spots. We started at about 2700 ft. and immediately started climbing up to Cayuse Pass at 4675 ft. The group got split up on the climb but not that badly. I was breathing hard the first 15 minutes or so, but felt great after that. We stopped at the top and then headed down Rt. 123 all the way to the park entry fee point (2180 ft.) at the intersection of Stevens Canyon Rd. (a.k.a. Rt. 706). Acutally we flew down this hill, and all the other ones throughout the day, at 35mph+. My maximum speed was 49.9mph and there was a woman with us that was even faster! The trick is to not pedal too much and get in an aerodynamic tuck.

This was about 20 miles in. The next 5 miles were uphill, then 5 miles downhill. We made a couple more stops. From there it was all uphill to the top. I don't know exactly when, but I think with about 7 miles to go, I was feeling very good and I took off from the pack. I pushed very hard, going at about 10mph, and got to the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise at least 10 minutes before the next three or four people. It took a lot out of me, but I recovered after eating soup and a grilled-cheese. We spent a while there, at least an hour or more, then back down again.

The way back down was easier, except for the last 10 mile climb up to Cayuse Pass. One guy took off and I tried to catch up with him, but could not, and I gave it all I had. He got there 3 minutes before I did, and the next group came 10 minutes later. Now that climb really shook me up, and I didn't really recover from the ride until today!

I will do this ride again. It's simply awesome.

One note about the weather: it was cloudy and drizzling for the first 20 miles. At the park entry fee point, it was sunny and warm all the sudden. But when we started climbing again, the clouds and rain returned. That first 10-mile downhill was very wet and somewhat dangerous, but on the way back from Paradise, it wasn't as bad. Actually all-in-all, we were fortunate because it would have been much tougher to climb 9,000 ft. if it were sunny and hot. The only negative aspect of it was that we didn't get one single clear view of Mt. Rainier. However, there were many lookout points down into the valleys on the ascents/descents. BTW, we could see big patches of snow at Paradise probably only one or two thousand feet higher.

On supplies: I didn't take a spare tube with me, but will consider it next time because one of the guys had a really bad flat the last time he rode the route and couldn't finish it (the roads are generally in good condition but there are a few holes and uneven pavement). At the advice of one of the riders I took a lightweight water-resistant jacket with me which I put in the backpocket of my shirt: without it I would have gotten extremely cold on the downhills. I was shivering at one point with it on! With respect to food, I didn't take enough with me. I was fine up to Paradise, but had to purchase cookies and Gatorade at the grill there which were very overpriced. I'll take an energy drink powder with me next time, which is what a couple other guys did.

Total: 81.09mi Bike Ride (total time: 05:16:13; 15.3mph avg. moving speed; +9,047 ft. elevation gain)

[Backdated on 08/10/2006]