HelensFest will undergo a significant change in 2014. The plan is still in its infancy but these are the things I’m pretty sure about - David Anderson has passed the torch to Paul and Melanie Norris, who will be running point in 2014. You can expect [Continue Reading]
Tag: Mount St. Helens
Solid Crew Completes Big Work at Coldwater
Heat. Relentless climbing. Vampire-like mosquitoes. None of that got in the way of the outstanding crew that showed to work on the 230A on June 29th at Coldwater Lake on the north side of Mount St. Helens. The effort was spearheaded by Growlers Gulch Racing, [Continue Reading]
Ride Options on the North Side of St. Helens
A number of people have asked for specific ride routes for the new trail at Coldwater Lake. I’ve put together several of varying difficulties and durations. I believe you will need a Northwest Forest Pass. Directions: The area is easy to find. Take Exit 49 at [Continue Reading]
Okay, Maybe It’s Not a Beginner Trail
My memories of hiking the 211 Trail at Coldwater Lake were of a benign trail winding along the edge of the water to a magnificent waterfall at the back end. A beginner ride for sure. After riding the full-length of the trail three times since the work party, [Continue Reading]
Coldwater Crew Gets It Done!
A 70-person crew showed up at Coldwater Lake to open the 211 Trail to mountain bikers. It was an outstanding effort by all involved. Special props to Paul Norris, Melanie Norris, Andy Jansky, and Andy Crump, who led the effort. Thanks also to crew chiefs Kelley [Continue Reading]
Friends of Coldwater to Open Trail at St. Helens on August 26th
Under the banner of Friends of Coldwater, what we hope will be a huge volunteer crew will converge on the north side of Mount St. Helens on Sunday, August 26th, to open Lakes Trail 211 to mountain biking. We have been working with Monument staff, and they have [Continue Reading]
Smith Creek, Ape Canyon Ride Report
Rob Larsen, Jack Berry and Bob Horness joined the Under-employed - Paul Norris, Kelley Hinkle and myself - for a ride at the mountain on Friday. Our goals were to familiarize Paul with Smith Creek in advance of Mel’s Labor Day birthday epic, to [Continue Reading]
St. Helens Report
Brian Mahon and Ken Noble were at Blue Lake for a ride this weekend to test the high-elevation conditions. They headed up toward Huckleberry Saddle and the Sheep Canyon Trail but could made it a quarter of a mile before snow turned them back. They were able to [Continue Reading]
South Coldwater Vid
Nice vid from Andy Plassmeyer showing the descent off the South Coldwater 230A on the work day in late June. [Continue Reading]
South Coldwater Work Party - June 26th
The South Coldwater work party on the 230A Trail on the north side of Mount St. Helens is a go for Sunday, June 26th. Full details and sign-up here. Brian Mahon and Ken Noble went up recently to do recon and start the work. Brian reports that heavy snow brought [Continue Reading]
Growlers Gulch Racing Hits South Coldwater Trail
A huge crew from Growlers Gulch Racing completed trimming and dirt work on South Coldwater Trail 230A on Saturday, June 5th. The 230A is the only trail on the north side of Mount St. Helens that is open to mountain bikers. The group included Brian Mahon, J. [Continue Reading]
LeMonds Interviews Eyewitnesses to 1980 Eruption
Jim LeMonds served as moderator for a series of interviews of nearly a dozen people who witneseed the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens up close and personal. The interviews - which were filmed by a crew from KLTV - were conducted at Hoffstadt [Continue Reading]
Coldwater Trail Work Moved to June 5th
The trail maintenance day at South Coldwater 230A has been changed from June 26th to June 5th. Dave, Lipton, Paul, Mel, and Ryan McMaster had signed up for the original date. Be sure you guys take a look at the 5th and see if you can still make it. Last year, [Continue Reading]
Work Date Set for South Coldwater Trail
We have received phenomenal support from area riders for trail building and trail maintenance at Growlers Gulch. We ask that you expand your horizons a bit and consider signing on to lend a hand with the South Coldwater 230A Trail on Saturday, June 26th. You can [Continue Reading]
Video - West Side of St. Helens
A big crew from Growlers Gulch Racing hooked up with Al Hansen and the boys from Knappa for a ride on the west side of Mount St. Helens in late October. We got lucky with the weather and had a great time. We started from Red Rock Pass, rode across to Blue Lake, [Continue Reading]
West Side of Mount St. Helens
Brian Mahon and I rode a great loop on the west side of St. Helens in late September. We started at Red Rock Pass and headed over to Blue Lake. From there, we rode up the Huckleberry Saddle and onto the Sheep Canyon Trail, which puts you on the Loowit. From there, [Continue Reading]
South Coldwater 230A Open to the Adventurous
I rarely allow bikers to use their own words on my website. I’m guessing that I don’t have to explain the reason. Only Paul and Mahon get special exemptions. Neither is all that intelligent but they have a way with words that is entertaining. Below is [Continue Reading]
Ape Canyon Trail Work Complete
Premier, high-elevation trail in disrepair? No money for USFS crews? Nobody else willing to step up? Who you gonna call? Growlers Gulch Racing, of course. On July 26, the Mountain Bike Mutts - a trail-building arm of Growlers Gulch Racing - and several [Continue Reading]
U.S. Forest Service Issues Warrant for Thomas Mueller
Thomas Mueller of Growlers Gulch Racing – seen here (right) with an unidentified outlaw rider – has done what the rest of us can only dream of doing. He has been blacklisted by the U.S. Forest Service. [caption id="attachment_1548" align="alignright" [Continue Reading]
St. Helens Trail Report
[caption id="attachment_1399" align="alignright" width="300" caption="(L-R) Brian, Eric and Al"][/caption] Brian Mahon, Eric Loney, Al Hansen, Jeff Muldoon, Dara Muldoon, Paul Norris, and I headed out to do some recon on the south and west sides of St. Helens on [Continue Reading]
South Coldwater Trail Report
Eight members of the Growlers Gulch Trail Crew hit the lower portion of South Coldwater Trail 230A on Saturday, June 27th. The group included Brian Mahon, Thomas Mueller, Mike Alexander, Jeff Lipton, Jeff Muldoon, Ryan McMaster, J. LeMonds and D. LeMonds. Brian had [Continue Reading]
South Coldwater Work Party This Saturday
While you still have that post-Tour de Gulch glow, now is the time to make a commitment to payback. The Growlers Gulch Trail Crew has two St. Helens work parties scheduled for this summer - the first is Saturday, June 27th, at the 230A trail at South [Continue Reading]
Website Project Completed for Cowlitz County Tourism Bureau
Jim LeMonds of WriteTek Northwest recently completed website modifications for the Cowlitz County Tourism Bureau and CCTB Director Mark Plotkin. The project included new content for the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center and Awesome Mobile pages and an edit of more [Continue Reading]
Cowlitz County Tourism Website Now Up
WriteTek Northwest has completed a comprehensive overhaul of the Cowlitz County Tourism Bureau’s Mount St. Helens website. The new site, which went live in October, is expected to receive more than 100,000 visits per year. Continue reading Cowlitz County Tourism Website Now Up
Cowlitz County Website Features Mountain Biking
In an effort to attract more mountain bikers to the area, the Cowlitz County Tourism Bureau asked me to create a page on their website highlighting some of the most popular rides in the vicinity, including Ape Canyon, Siouxon, Lewis River, and Falls Creek. Oddly, you’ll find that Growlers is not mentioned.
Continue reading Cowlitz County Website Features Mountain Biking
St. Helens - Ape Canyon and Mount Margaret
Got a chance to ride at St. Helens twice last weekend. The weather was phenomenal, and the rain earlier in the week made the tread as good as you’re ever going to see it. Continue reading St. Helens - Ape Canyon and Mount Margaret
Smith Creek
Rob, Jack, Dave and I rode the Smith Creek loop on September 5th. With the extra distance from Marble Mountain, we finished with 35 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing. Continue reading Smith Creek
Growlers Crew Assists with Ape Canyon Clean-up
Seventeen volunteers participated in a bottom-to-top clean-up of the Ape Canyon Trail at Mount St. Helens on Sunday, August 3rd. The weather was great and everyone - including four first-timers - made it to the top.
The event was sponsored by Boone Dog Bikes, MOPI, PUMP, and the Tour de Gulch Board of Directors. Four PUMP members showed up; the other 13 volunteer were from the Growlers Gulch ride crew. Continue reading Growlers Crew Assists with Ape Canyon Clean-up
Eruption of Mount St. Helens a Watershed Moment for Timber Industry
“Eruption of Mount St. Helens a Watershed Moment for Timber Industry” - Columbia River Reader, November 2005 Twenty-five years ago, the timber industry in Southwest Washington was on the cusp of change. But the eruption of Mount St. Helens brought [Continue Reading]
Adams to St. Helens on the Boundary Trail: Epic Extraordinaire
If anyone tells you they’ve cleaned every hill and obstacle on the Boundary Trail between Adams and St. Helens, they’re full of shit. This 60+-mile mountain biking trek is an epic on steroids, far more difficult than any ride I have previously attempted. Continue reading Adams to St. Helens on the Boundary Trail: Epic Extraordinaire