2013_07_06 Sunrise Double Climb Plus Crystal Mountain Climb

Author:  Mike Hassur

 

Up at 3:50 AM, picked up Conor Collins at 4:45 AM, and arrived at our meeting place (junction of Hwy 410 and Crystal Mountain Road) at 5:55 AM.  Loaded everyone’s supplies into my van and took off for the base of the Sunrise Climb.  Parked the van, got my bike out, and headed back to meet our group (who were riding up to meet me from Crystal Mountain Road). 

 

We had a good group (Les Becker, Dwaine Trummert, Conor Collins, David Crawford, David Garate, Brent Moody, Jim Wilcher, and me).  I met up with the group just outside of the Sunrise Ranger Station, turned around, and headed up with them toward the beginning of the Sunrise Climb (which is located at the point where the White River Campground road branches from the main road).  There is a Strava segment that begins near the ranger station and goes to the top of Sunrise, therefore we lost sight of Conor Collins just past the ranger station.  Once David Crawford found out that Conor had bolted, he too was quickly out of sight.  The rest of us rode together to the beginning of the main climb.  As usual, I was taking some pictures of the group in the early parts of the climb.  I had my Cyclopath vest on which hampers my ability to get my camera in and out of my jersey pocket smoothly.  About a mile into the climb, I dropped the camera trying to put it back in my pocket.  By the time I retrieved and got started again, I was pretty far behind everyone.  I caught up with David Garate - who had slowed and waited for me (thanks, David) – and ended up riding to the top with him.  I thought that we would catch up with Les, Dwaine, and Jim; but they were pushing hard, and we never could catch them.  Conor (who did the segment from the White River Campground turnoff to the top in approximately 45 minutes) came down, met us, and escorted us to the top (as did David Crawford).

Sunrise parking lot

Everyone regrouped in the Sunrise parking lot.  The trip down was fast and COLD.  I know that I was shivering, and some of the other guys said they were as well. 

We resupplied at my van and headed up a second time.  The second time up was uneventful.  The pace was definitely more relaxed (though Conor and David Crawford were out of sight again), and we had a chance to appreciate the scenery. 

When the weather is good (like on this ride), there are few – if any – rides that I’ve done that have more breathtaking views than this one.  It was pretty awesome.

Once again, we regrouped in the Sunrise parking lot, took a few pictures, and headed down. The descent was pretty fast but not nearly as cold as the first.  By this time, there were a lot of other cyclists and cars coming up the road.  The cars were coming into our lane to avoid the cyclists who were heading up, so we had to be careful on the blind curves.  It was still fun, just not quite as fast as the first trip down. 

We regrouped at my van and decided to ride over to Crystal Mountain Road and ride up to the Crystal Mountain Ski Area rather than going back up Sunrise for a third time.  With the ever increasing traffic up to Sunrise, this was probably a wise decision.  As we headed to Crystal Mountain, we noted that the line of cars waiting at the Sunrise Ranger Station was at least a half of a mile long (and not moving much).

Crystal Mtn. Ski Area

We regrouped at the base of the Crystal Mountain climb.  Brent Moody and David Garate had to leave; which left Conor, David Crawford, Les, Dwaine, Jim, and me heading up to the Crystal Mountain Ski area.  The ride up went smoothly and seemed relatively easy for everyone.  At the ski area, we took a couple of pictures and headed down.  The downhill was fun and uneventful.

When you have good weather and a good group of guys, it’s pretty easy to have a successful ride.   Thanks for another successful ride guys.

To view the photos from this ride go to:  https://picasaweb.google.com/103821724300588557330/2013_07_06SunriseDoublePlusCrystalMountain#5898069236390012946