Sometimes you just look at a map, see a road that looks cool, and plan a trip around that. National forest road 4610 in the Mt Hood Forest had that appeal, and I had three days of perfect August weather to go blend into the scenery.
Day 1- leaving town
Loaded Karate Monkey- about 60 pounds without water
Urban off-road along the RR tracks in SE Portland
Converted rail to trail line leads out of Portland, SE towards the town of Estacada
Blackberries and apples were in season and free for the picking
The fruits stands were loaded with fruit too
Once past Estacada, it was open and free
One last paved climb into the woods before gravel
Further from civilization, closer to home for the night
Home for the night
Day 2- 90% off-road
Road 4610- let's see where it goes
There was significant gain in elevation on day 2, which was easier to hike than pedal. One more example of where standard rear pannier bags would be a nuisance
At peak elevation for the trip- 4,000 feet. It was a tough, hot and dry climb up this hill with a full load of water. Right near the top was a spring with COLD water bubbling out of the ground. It was so tasty and refreshing, I downed two full bottles and replaced the rest of my water with it. What an unexpected treat in the middle of nowhere
I didn't make it as far along road 4610 as I thought, so it was time to peel off and hit some narrow track that dropped down 1,000 feet
It was steep, narrow and grown over most of the way down. The disc brakes got very hot
Random stuff in the woods
Finishing up the 1,000 foot descent. This turned out to be the best loaded DH run of the year
On night 2, I opted for a proper campground along the beautiful Clackamas river
The real reason I opted for a proper campground on night 2 was the proximity to a store that sold beer (and Snickers bars)
Best view of Mt Hood all weekend
Ripening blackberries and plums along the trail
Road 4610 has a ton of potential and needs to be explored more in summer of 2013
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