Mt Thurston, Chilliwack Valley Aug. 2001
A 7 hour ride including 3 to 3 1/2 hours of climbing, one hour of looking for the ridge trail, the remaining 3 hours or so riding along the ridge, then descending down Mt. Thurston and a road ride back to the cars.
If you want a climb, this is the ride for you. If you want views, this is the ride for you. If you want a really fast, rarely ridden descent, this is the ride for you.
If you can't spend about 7 hours in the saddle, some pushing, some hike a bike with the threat of getting lost always present, this is not the ride for you. If you are faint of heart, stay away.
Believe it or not, this is the most accurate map of the area, and you wonder HOW could we get lost? We started at the tent, near the 'c' of Chilliwack, up the Mt. Thurston FSR. Along the dotted line to Elk Mt, then back down to Chilliwack Bench FSR back to the tent. The Mt. Thurston Forest Service Road ("FSR") is where we climbed our 1200meters elevation to a high point of 1570meters.
Then we started to climb,
Sharon and Bob
and climb
and climb, no need for a helmet here except for the motor bikes that would come up to you really slow and then when they were right beside you they would accelerate. Non skilled idiots.
We did stop some for a break sometimes. Here's my sister Maureen and Brian on the ride.
Then when you thought it was over, the mountain opened up and you climbed some more.
Once the climbing was done we had to find the ridge trail... Since Ken was there before, he knew the way!
So we started looking, we could see the ridge but...
The trail was a bit more difficult to find.First there would be one...
Then it would dissapear
so we would stop and look
bushwack a bit on the advice of 'I'm SURE its over here!'
Then it would seem that we found it
Eventually we went back to the road and found the REAL hike a bike up. Now we know, and we're not telling ANYBODY where it is. Unless you buy ME a beer.