Tim's Great Divide Ride: STEEP Descent

Day 27—Sunday, Aug 28—Beaverdam Campground to Grasshopper Campground

49 miles

Thanked the bull for the pic; when I asked what I owed him, he said “it’s Sunday, no charge ...”

Chilly morning start up to Fleecer Ridge which was quite a bike and push to get up to the flank of the ridge.

Rocky road: bumpy and slow going

From there the downhill was crazy nuts. The maps warn of the steepness of the descent and suggest zig-zagging through the sage brush to break one’s speed. I started down thinking I’d go slow. I just got break pads replaced in Helena but had concerns about going over the handlebars, it was that steep (by my guess it was a 1:1 slope—for every foot horizontal go up 1 foot…or a 45 degree angle). I'm not even sure how they made this trail—bulldozer?

Flank of Fleecer Ridge up to the upper left between the trees.

Starting the descent to Wise River

I have no idea how northbound people negotiate this stretch; you cannot push a fully loaded bike up this (having become something of an expert in pushing!)

Once I got down to a “reasonable grade” it was a fun descent through a creek valley into Wise River where I ate a frozen burrito defrosted on my handlebars. 500 calories each so good calorie/cost ratio.

Wise River: one of the best fly fishing locales in MT

Calorie binge before the final climb

From Wise River the trail becomes a scenic byway (paved road) at a decent grade except when we had to climb up and out of the creek valley and the road became steep to a high meadow flanked by mountains. Finally worn out from climbing I was treated to a nice downhill and reached Grasshopper campground. On a Sunday night, I was the only one there. The volunteer host lets bikers stay for free! Very hospitable. Set camp, made chili-Mac for supper and went to bed at the usual time…around sundown!