Jay Toups

Today’s ride with my buddy Larry Chinn, who came across a dead hunter on this ride near the hacienda in late fall a few years back. He apparently had a heart attack and died with his rifle nearby. Yikes!

I am the luckiest heart attack victim that ever lived. Because 1: I’m still living, and 2: I’m still riding the Dead Guy Ride!

Music by me.

Overlooking the West Fork of the Bitterroot River from Lavene Creek

View of Boulder Point Lookout from Lavene Creek

Most bike rides in the Bitterroot are of the uphill/downhill variety. Old logging roads intersect with single track lines (game trails that have also become bike paths) through the forest, making for interesting rides and great scenery.  Basically it’s ride up and up and up and work real hard getting to wherever you’re going, gaze at the views for a while, eat some energy food and drink more water, then ride down and smile all the way home.

This ride: take the Trapper Peak trailhead road about 11 miles out the West Fork. Start riding up and take a right on 7603 spur road at about 2.5 miles. Go about 1/2 mile further, past locked gate, to first promontory and look for single track heading uphill. Go up some more.

Pollution-free exercise right out the front door. You should try it sometime.

Over 100 miles since early March. It feels great to get back in the saddle after a few years (okay, most of the last 11 years) of hanging around the hacienda, mostly sitting on my butt in front of a computer or playing guitar.  I used to do a lot of riding, and I plan to again, as life itself in a post-heart attack world largely depends on exercise, good nutrition and living right.

Looking west toward the Trapper Peaks massif from the road next to Rye Creek. This is a great early season 12-mile round trip with a couple of options that add more miles and elevation if I still have the legs for it.  Rye Creek road is clay-like, well drained and smooth even after it’s rained, and it’s usually a few degrees warmer and a lot drier in the Sapphire range, just across the Bitterroot valley.