searching for snow

For quite a few weeks I have had the goal of pedaling from the road closure gate on highway 20 (mile post 134ish) to the snow wall. If you haven't been following the updates on highway 20 this year, here's a quick synopsis. WASHDOT begins plowing the highway once the snow has ceased to fall and avy danger has subsided throughout the region... and this typically occurs in March. However, this year, WASHDOT was still plowing highway 2 (Stevens Pass) well into the first part of April and still doing avy control, with another slide occurring just last week! So, to say the least, they're getting off to a late start with clearing hwy 20 this year. Typically the pass is open by now, but this year it will be a lucky day if it opens before Memorial day - the latest opening since the highway opened in 1972!

So, when WADHDOT begins to clear the road they dispatch a team on the east side and a team on the west side to begin clearing, with the goal that they will meet in the "middle." The east side team has been stuck around milepost 167 clearing out all of the avalanche debris left around the Washington Pass area. In one spot it is recorded that snow depth is at 65 feet due to a massive slide. The westside team made it to about 152ish, but rumors abounded that they had actually plowed to 155. I have been trying to bike to the snow wall, where the west side crew had stopped plowing for about 3 weeks now... however, the fact that I have been on a bike about 2 times since October really was not weighing in my favor. So, the first 2 times I tried biking to the snow, my legs just wouldn't let me pedal forward as well as some time constraints.

BUT Sunday was different. I had no time limit, a partner that was convinced this was a good idea and blue skies with temps hovering in the high 60's! It was time to go.

So, imagine yourself pedaling on a road with incredibly smooth asphalt with no cars to be found. The only sounds you hear are the wind moving through the trees and your own breathing. The only things that you see on the road are 6 other bikers and hundreds of butterflies. The first 4 miles are a rolly up and down hill with a beautiful overlook of Ross Lake.



From the overlook you could see Hozomeen and Desolation in the distance. Ross Lake is reported to be approximately 95 feet below it's average height. Seattle City Light lowers the lake throughout the winter and spring in expectation of the spring melt, which will flood the lake if precautions are not taken. However, this year, the spring melt might come in summer at the rate we're going.

After spending some time at the overlook (milepost 136ish) we began our journey up. You might never realize it in your car, but you are magically transported from an elevation of around 2100 feet to nearly 4600' at Washington Pass. This becomes much more apparent when you are cycling. Thankfully, the elevation gain of over 2000' for this ride, is marked by spectacular scenery that seems almost magical. Jagged snow-capped peaks dot the skyline while waterfalls ripple down the rock faces of nearby cliffs. The walls of snow on either side of the highway begin to grow as you continue to pedal up in elevation.


Finally after pedaling for about an hour and a half, we reached a beast sitting in the road, which also marked the end of a good plowed road.

Zach decided to conquer the snow beast

We tried to pedal for another mile, but there was still snow and ice on the road, and it just did not seem safe. Returning to the green monster we deemed our trip successful. We then turned our bikes around and enjoyed 2000' feet of downhill riding for the next 15 miles. I do not have a speedometer on my bike, but I can assure you that I was going fast enough that tears were flowing from my eyes from the wind. We crossed the Panther Creek Bridge, where we had our last uphill battle - 400' elevation gain to the lookout. Not that much of a climb, unless you just spent the past 1.5 hours climbing. However, it did go by quickly, since you could turn your head slightly to the right, and zone out while looking at the Picket Range in the far distance.

We arrived back at the car a little over 2 1/4 hours later. We snacked and reflected on the ride. This is by far my favorite road ride, and I secretly hope the road stays closed just a little bit longer so I can continue to have my own private highway.