WABDR, Section 2: Part 1

WE GET ON THE TRAIL, finally

WABDR Section 2

It has taken forever to get to this part of the story, but we are finally here! The day we go off-road. But first, we go into Packwood in hopes of getting a first-aid kit that we realized we forgot the previous evening. No first-aid kit was to be found. Mostly because the one store that we figured would have one was closed. If you read the second installment of this story, you already know our response. (For those who didn’t read it, we dubbed this the F-it Trip.) We would figure it out as we went along. The way we handled it was to have a good breakfast and charge up our intercom system.

As we rode down the road to get to the trail with our music playing, I felt as if we were straight out of Easy Rider...except much more badass. After all, we were going off-road. Pretty sure the big, wide, bug-catching grin on my face didn’t look so tough though. 

White Pass went on for awhile. The clouds looked a bit ominous. I paid it no mind. After all, we rode in rain before, albeit on street bikes. We stopped for a hot chocolate before realizing we didn’t want to waste time drinking, we wanted to be on the trail! After snapping a few pictures, we were on our way once again. 

However, we stopped a few minutes later for another photo op at a waterfall. 

Finally, we were on the trail! Any anxiety I had disappeared. My two days of practice prepared me for this! Section 2. The most difficult section of the WANDR! Once again, the bug-catching grin was back on my face. That was about the time we realized the tent was too close to the exhaust. A burn hole went right through the dry bag and burned a hole (actually a few) in the tent. Jen worked on the load while I took pictures of the beauty surrounding us.

I should note here that it was a brand new tent. We slept in it once...you already know our response. F-it! We dealt with it by putting the tent on Jen’s bike and putting the backpack with emergency supplies - minus the first aid kit on my bike. Pretty sure that made my bike a bit heavier. After all, the oil alone in the bag had to weigh more than the tent. No worries. Now that I had some miles under my belt, the extra weight was no big deal. Meanwhile, Jennifer enjoyed the few ounces less she carried.

Once again, we were on our way. Adrenaline still flowed even as we watched the clouds get darker and closer. Only a few miles to our gas stop and we would figure out our next move. 

It had been awhile since I saw old school gas pumps. You know the kind where you have to go in and pay? 

“They say there will be a storm at 3 and one at 4,” the lady at the register told Jen. As it was close to 3, we decided to hang there for a little bit. Sure enough, at 3:00 on the dot, the rain came. It was pretty steady for the next half hour. We used the time to eat a gourmet lunch of jerky and trail mix. 

“The rain stopped. Ready to get back on the trail?” I honestly don’t recall who suggested it. Probably Jennifer. She is always ready to ride. 

“The other rain storm hasn’t come yet. F-it! We’ll figure it out.”

My confidence continued to be fueled by the adrenaline of the excitement that I WAS REALLY DOING THIS!! ME!!  We rode through puddles. I kept my line avoiding tire ruts. It started to rain again. Rain spots covered my goggles making it difficult to see. I continued to handle the slipperiness of the mud going at a good pace. (I should probably tell you all what a good pace means in my world of riding off-road. On this particular day, around 20mph. Although, Jen might tell you it was slower.) An uphill with big ruts was no issue for me….until it was. Close to the top of the hill, I slipped into the rut and went down. Hard. 

You know when you get scared you pee your pants a little. Yah, that happened. I wasn’t too terribly concerned about it. After all, I had a panty liner on (remember, we are wearing them so we didn’t have to change our underwear as often) and I was sitting in a mud puddle. 

“You okay?” Jen asked. 

“I will be. My leg hurts. Give it a minute.” Even as I am saying this both of us are thinking it...WE HAVE NO FIRST AID KIT!

The rain continued to come down as we picked up the bike. While I worked my leg to get it working again, Jen checked out the bike. Tools out, she fixed the throttle. Mud had jammed it up somehow. Mountains with a jammed throttle would not be good! I stood covered in mud in awe of the woman she is. 

Bike fixed, we got back on and continued on our way. I was much more cautious. Even walked through a few ruts. My confidence had taken a hit. I wasn’t feeling another crash. 

Everybody talks about Baby Head Hill in Section 2. When Jennifer told experienced riders a brand new rider was going on this trip with her, it was recommended that we bypass it. She did ask if I wanted to give it a try. Ummmm….NO! 

What they didn’t tell her is there are other similar, short hills. Think rocks the size of baby’s heads. The tires on the bike are not made to throw these rocks out. Instead, the bike bounces the rider all over. It is not uncommon for a bike to go down when riding these rocks. We came upon one of these hills. Still fresh from my crash, it took everything in me to even attempt it. After being bounced in a way that felt less like a lover leading the way (see part 2 for an explanation) and more like an abusive partner, tears welled. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you sure this isn’t Baby Head Hill?” I was talking more to myself than my sister.

Jennifer was talking to me. Attempting to give me instructions on how to get up the hill. I am not sure how I did it. Somehow, I made it about ¼ of the way up before stopping. I had nothing left. My reserve was gone. Emotions took over. The sliver of confidence was smothered. Frustration. Self-doubt. Hopeless. Failure. I was done. I stopped dead.

“You want me to ride it up for you?” She knew I had nothing left. The “yes please” I responded with was barely audible in an effort to hide my tears. 

“Let me get my bike to somewhere more level so I can park it.”

She was riding up this Hill from Hell, but got a bit too close to the edge so she put her foot down to assist her with balance the rest of the way up. This is where I would like to tell you, she rode the rest do the way up like a champion. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Even superheroes have mishaps. Her boot got caught on the peg and she couldn’t get it unstuck quick enough to recover. You know where this is going. Her bike went down. 

I had no choice but to tap into my inner strength and help her get the bike up. Take a moment to pause as you realize the following. We are two women in our 50s. Our adrenaline was tapped into not too long before. She is carrying the majority of weight on her bike. As in it is HEAVY! Like, REALLY heavy. It is on the middle of a hill. We tried several different ways to get it up. Not once did we think of taking anything off the bike. Sister power united and we got the bike up. 

Remember, we are in our 50s? As tends to happen to women when they get older, strain and bladder control do not go together well. My panty liner did not give the protection I hoped for as we lifted the bike. If I had anything left in me to continue to the end of Section 2 that day, it was now gone. 

As I walked up the Hill from Hell still wearing my helmet, backpack, and all my other gear, I no longer felt invincible. I began questioning my ability to complete this trip successfully.

We took a few minutes to enjoy our surroundings (or pull ourselves together as the case may be) before setting up camp at the top of the hill. I watched my superhero sister as she fixed my bike once again. (I think she was checking on the throttle again.) I set up the tent and pretty much turned into a zombie while she made the most delicious meal ever...instant oatmeal. 

Hanging out on the side of a mountain in the middle of nature, we made a new rule when we realized I didn’t get pictures of the hill (the one you see, I took in the morning...from the top), anytime we feel emotional, we need to stop and take a picture. 

I sit here in awe of that day. It was the beginning of the different ways our inner strength would be needed for this trip. I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.